Forbidden Vows: Chapter 20

“Still in the doghouse?” Andrei greets me with his usual debonaire smirk as I walk into my office the next morning.

At least he brought coffee and bagels.

“It’s bad this time,” I mutter, taking my seat behind the desk. “Really bad.”

“How bad?”

“I slept on the couch bad.”

He sighs and pushes a coffee across the desk. I take it with a thankful nod and help myself to a long, hot sip. “Sorry, brother, but I did warn you.”

“Yes, you did.”

“You should’ve told her. The minute you knew Ronan offered Ciara to Sergei, you should’ve told Eileen. Especially since Ciara has been keeping up with her no-contact policy.”

“Yes, I should’ve. You’re absolutely right.”

Andrei gives me a startled look. “Since when does the mighty Anton admit when he’s wrong?”

“Hey, I’m allowed to grow, to change for the better,” I reply with a faint smile. “I struggled with the decision. I wanted to tell Eileen, but seeing as she’s already in such a delicate situation and I’m still trying to figure out a way to get through to her, I didn’t want to upset her. Besides, that stepsister of hers can be such a pig-headed brat.”

“I’ll say it again. You’re whipped.”

I can’t help but laugh. “Who’d have thought?”

“Remember when we were just getting started in the organization? What did you tell me?”

“Don’t accept drinks from a bottle you didn’t open.”

Andrei rolls his eyes. “No.”

“You don’t have to pay for sex?”

“No, you ass. You said you’d never marry for love. That marriage was strictly a business arrangement. I followed in your footsteps until I married Laura and that was a kick in the balls. So, pardon me if I’m finding a ton of satisfaction in this moment.”

“You go ahead and enjoy it. You’ve earned a minute of shameless gloating.” I sigh deeply. “Eileen is so mad at me, she barely said a word this morning.”

“Let me guess, you feel bad.”

“I do. I’ve been so busy consolidating our position, looking for Sergei’s weak spots, and trying to keep Eileen safe that I almost completely overlooked what she needs from me the most.”

“What’s that, exactly?” my brother asks. “Because I know Laura’s got some pointers for you.”

I shake my head, shuddering with dread. “The last thing I want is your wife tearing me a new one. Laura is a banshee in disguise, I swear. But I do know what she’d say if you were to sic her on me.”

“Oh, yeah?” Andrei laughs lightly.

“And I think I know how to fix this. I’d be killing two birds with one stone, actually. Now is a good time to do it seeing as things seem to have smoothed over with the Kuznetsovs.”

Andrei frowns, running a hand through his thick brown hair. “I don’t think anything is ever really smooth with those fuckers.”

“Nevertheless, Eileen can’t keep living like this, and neither can we,” I insist. “Huddled in our homes, too fearful to leave the grounds. That’s like telling the whole world that we’re scared of the Kuznetsovs. So, I’ve got an idea.”

“I’m all ears.”

“You’re not going to like it, because I’m going to need you by my side in order for it to work.”

The look he gives me is downright priceless. Part of me is stoked, because I absolutely love turning my brother inside out, especially when it comes to fixing his past mistakes. The other part of me worries that what I’m about to do might not be enough to make Eileen understand that she is everything to me. That this marriage is more than just a business transaction.

“I’m listening,” Andrei grumbles.

“Eileen dreams about opening a bistro café with specialty roasts of single different origins,” I say. “She’s got a proper business plan put together and a strong entrepreneurial mind. Financial projections for the first five years. Investment solutions. Supplier prices. Hell, she even has a mood board and a few sketches for the interior decorator.”

“Right, she mentioned something during that last lunch we had together.”

“Yes, she did. I’ve found the perfect commercial space for her to turn that dream into reality. The perfect square footage, the perfect natural lighting, the perfect neighborhood.”

“Okay, so buy it.”

I give him a wry smile. “Actually, it is on the market.”

“What’s holding you back, then? What do you need me for…” His voice trails off while his brain catches up. I see the realization dawning in real time, his eyes widening, his jaw about to hit the floor. “Oh, hell no…”

“Tommy Benedetto owns it.”

“You suck so much right now,” he mumbles.

“Yeah. I’m afraid you’re going to have to suck it up, little brother. You broke it, you bought it. You know the drill. There’s no postponing this either. The only way Tommy will agree to sell me anything ever again is if you make a public apology. It doesn’t have to be in front of a lot of people, but he’ll want some Camorra witnesses present.”

Andrei jumps out of his seat, close to throwing a childlike tantrum. It’s not that serious, though. He’s just being dramatic, hoping I might give him a pass. But I can’t and I won’t. I did my part in reconciling with the Benedettos after the incident was resolved. Now, it’s his turn.

“You’re such an ass.”

“Andrei, it’s time. I was sympathetic and supportive at the time. Hell, I’m sure you can remember that I’m the one who stopped a full-blown war from destroying this city,” I coldly remind him. “I took quite the dent in my ego to have those conversations. It’s your turn. You have to do this. It’s the Karpov way.”

He walks over to the window to think about it for a moment. His gaze falls over the Chicago midday skyline, the sunlight casting a warm glow upon him.

If something should happen to me, he’ll be in charge until my children come of age. I need to know that I can rely on him.

“I’ll do it,” he says.