Alex made a trip to Old Money today to tell me about Faye’s visit with Katya last night.

“That girl is still trying to save our ass, and I can’t figure out why,” Alex said.

I’d given Katya a lot of thought lately. While she was hard on the outside, she was soft on the inside. Soft and hot and velvety and wet.

I shook thoughts of sliding inside her body from my head. “Maybe she’s hoping we save her.” There’s always a moment when the truth punches you in the gut. I knew the truth. “She’s hoping I save her.”

Alex leaned back in the chair in front of the desk. “While I hate to get involved, we do owe her. The problem is, we can’t be out of the ‘family business’ and be in it at the same time.”

He was right, but he was wrong. “Don’t you want him to pay for killing our father?”

“I do, but not enough to risk my freedom and my life with Faye. Ours may have been a marriage of convenience, but it’s been damn good for me. I’m so in love with that woman, I can’t breathe without her.”

“I get it.”

“You do?”

While I’d never admit to being in love, I think a part of me has loved Katya since we were kids. Maybe it was the day she stood by herself at her mother’s closed casket that my heart belonged to her. I knew right then she’d be a formidable woman. She stood tall and proud. Though she didn’t shed any tears, her lips trembled as she said goodbye before her father yanked her away and sent her out with the maid.

“I know what it’s like to love someone. We had a mother.”

Alex’s features softened. He adored our mother. If it weren’t for her, we’d all be in jail. Then again, if it hadn’t been for her, we wouldn’t be in this position. It was her family that was mob connected. When her father was killed, she inherited Old Money Casino. She married our father and had given him the power he’d always craved. He fell into that category of absolute power corrupts absolutely.

“It’s different. When you look into the eyes of the woman you love and see a future that includes children and grandchildren and Christmases and birthdays and anniversaries and you know you’d rather be dead than miss any of that, then you can say you’ve loved a woman.”

“Now you sound like a freaking Hallmark movie.”

Alex laughed. “You’ve watched one?”

“Like I said, we had a mother.” The Hallmark Channel played nonstop during the holidays. Mom loved a good mushy love story. She’d swoon when at the end they’d kiss and rush off to their forever. Maybe she watched them to see what the rest of the world experienced because my father was no Hallmark hero.

“Do you think Katya is telling the truth about the hit?” A frown creased my brother’s forehead. I always thought of it as his thinking wrinkle, but now I realized it was worry etched on his skin.

I opened my laptop and hoped she hadn’t shut me out of her father’s accounts like she had her room. A minute later, I was inside. After positioning my computer so Alex could see, I scrolled down the statements and there was an entry for a hundred grand. The payee was listed as number two, which could be anything, but something told me it was code for the second Wilde.

“Do I want to know how you got into Yuri’s accounts?”

“No, you don’t want to know, but I’ll tell you. Katya let me in. Obviously, she wants us to see what’s happening.”

Alex rubbed the scruff on his jaw. “What if she’s setting us up?”

“For what purpose? What does she have to gain?”

“You’re right. I bet this has everything to do with Dima. Now I wish I had killed that asshole myself.”

Just thinking about him slitting his own throat after being castrated made bile rise to my mouth.

“He’s dead, so there’s that.”

“Yes, but there’s no satisfaction in knowing he took his own life. What a coward.” Alex rose and went to the bookshelf, where the bar was hidden. He pushed the button and watched the shelves divide and a bar fall into place. “I totally need one of these at the house.” He reached into the small refrigerator that Mrs. Price filled each day and took out a soda. “What are we going to do? The hit can be on any one of us. Hell, it could be on Rafe or Stella or even Faye.”

I considered the most likely target and knew it would be me. “He’s not going to go after you or Faye because you don’t have what he still wants. I do. He wants the casino, and while he knows he’ll never get it, he’ll do what every ignorant, spoiled man-child would do. He’ll play the if-I-can’t-have-it-then-you-can’t-have-it game.”

“It still doesn’t get him the casino.” He took his chair and stared at the bank statements on my computer. He leaned in to get a closer look. “Is he donating to Alcoholics Anonymous?”

A smile crossed my face. “He is now.”

“Matt, you’re playing with fire. Don’t get us all in hot water because you have a grudge to settle.”

Anger flared in me like a spouting volcano. I ripped up my shirt to show the jagged red scar where I’d been shanked in prison. “Grudge? This isn’t a damn grudge. He’s lucky I haven’t pulled a damn Scarface and introduced him to my little friend.” I yanked the Glock tucked into the back of pants and set it on the desk. “I owe him. I’m respecting your wishes. That’s the only reason the news hasn’t reported his death.”

“Funeral is tomorrow. We should be safe there, but I’m not taking any chances. I’ll buff up security and vest yourself.”

“I hate those things, they’re hot and heavy.”

He gave me an I’m-the-head-of-this-family look. “Do it. I’ll call Rafe and tell him to be careful. You tell Stella to stay inside.”

I wasn’t happy about any of it. “Fine. I’ll vest up, but I’m not going to cower at some threat from Yuri. For all we know, it’s a hit on Sergei.”

“Why the hell would he put a hit on Sergei? The Bratva would be on him like stink on shit,” Alex commented.

“They are on him, which is why Sergei is here. The business is a mess. His family is falling apart. He’s making moves that are putting the whole organization at risk. You don’t think they know he killed our father? Tried to kill me? He made the big plays and failed.”

“It’s a volatile situation.”

“What do you think of Sergei?” I asked.

“I don’t think anything about him. Whatever he does shouldn’t affect us. We’re supposed to be out. In fact, we shouldn’t even go to the funeral.”

I rose from my chair and walked to the window. “Didn’t you beat the crap out of Mikhail weeks ago?”

“We beat the hell out of each other. What’s your point?”

“We have to go. It would be disrespectful to not show up. Besides, you may not care about Katya, but I feel like we need to be there for her, if not for anyone else. She’s been risking her neck for us, and I’m not turning my back on her again. She deserves more. You stay home if you want, but I’m going for Katya.”

Alex grumbled. “You’re right. It’s important to show a united front.” He rose from his chair and walked to where I stood by the window. “How are you doing?” He turned his back to the glass and looked around the office.

“I’m figuring it out.”

In an uncharacteristic move, Alex pulled me to him and gave me a hug. “I’m proud of you.” He dropped his arms. “None of this is easy, but you’re doing a great job.”

I nodded. “I haven’t killed anyone since I got out.”

“That’s a good start. Let’s get through tomorrow, and we’ll call it a successful week.” He walked to the door. “I need to get home. Faye is making eggplant parmesan.”

I’d never seen my brother look so happy and relaxed. “You really do love her, don’t you?”

Alex laughed. “I’m so whipped. It’s crazy. I’d do anything for Faye. She changed my entire life. Someday you’re going to meet a woman who gets under your skin. When that happens, God help you because she will rule your universe.”

I looked back outside. Traffic was moving on the strip. The sun was setting, and the lights of the city began to glow. “Then God help me because that woman is Katya. I can’t get her out of my head.”

“You need to let that one go. Nothing good can come from it. She’s marrying Sergei in a few weeks. While I appreciate everything she’s done for our family, we can’t go to war over her.”

I smiled and walked my brother to the door. He wouldn’t go to war over her, but I refused to let her be a casualty in whatever game Yuri and Sergei were playing.

I sat in my chair and opened my laptop, hoping she’d let me back in, but she hadn’t. I needed to see her. Needed to touch her. Needed to tell her I was sorry. Oh hell, who was I lying to? I needed that woman to be mine.

I had three weeks to figure out a solution. My first thought was to open a bank account in her name and give her enough money to flee. The selfish bastard inside me wouldn’t allow it because if she left Las Vegas, she’d leave me, and that wasn’t acceptable. There had to be a way we could have it all.

For the next two hours, I made the rounds of the casino. It was important to make sure the employees knew who was in charge. I shook hands and smiled despite my inner turmoil. I walked into my office and looked at my computer. My fingers pushed on the screen, and just before I closed it down, the screen flashed to life and Katya came into focus. I fell into my chair and watched. Dressed in a T-shirt and flannel bottoms, she sat in front of the computer and typed. Seconds later, an email arrived.

Matt,

I got your messages. I don’t know what to say, but thank you for giving me a perfect moment to hold on to. I understand why you were so angry. I took something from you. I took your freedom. I took three years of your life. For that, I’m sorry. I thought I was protecting you. I can see now that my actions were impulsive and wrong. Please forgive me.

Yours,

Katya

Damn straight she was mine. I started my reply when her lips came to the screen. She pressed them to the camera like she was kissing me goodnight, or maybe she was kissing me goodbye. The screen turned black.

“Think again, sweetheart,” I said to no one. “You're mine, and I intend to keep you.”