Two days later, I sat in the corner booth of Gatsby’s and waited for Sergei to show up. This was a private meeting. So private that Matt closed the doors and gave the bartender a long paid break and palmed him a healthy tip. On the table sat a bottle of top-shelf vodka and four glasses.

Rafe had been summoned by Alex and arrived in town yesterday. He was fresh out of school and the recipient of his license to practice law since passing his bar exam on the first try.

He and Alex argued about the sanity of meeting Sergei and Timur alone, but I knew the more who knew the truth, the less likely we’d stay alive. While Alex insisted on knowing everything, we told him nothing.

“You okay?” Matt sat at the head of a long table facing the door. I sat to his right to send a message.

“Yes, of course.” I would have added I’m a Petrenko like I usually did when someone questioned my strength, but I wasn’t a Petrenko. I had no idea what I was. “I’m...yours.”

“And don’t you ever forget that.”

The door opened, and in walked the two men. Alone they were intimidating, but together they looked downright deadly. Dressed in dark suits, they moved like twins toward the table.

Matt gave me a knowing glance. This was the first time we’d seen the men and knew they were lovers. It didn’t make them seem any less threatening.

Sergei sat to Matt’s left, and Timur took his side to protect him. The way he circled Sergei said everything about their relationship. He would kill for him or die for him just like Matt would for me.

“What is this about? You said it was life or death.” Sergei leaned forward and took in Matt’s black eyes and his split lip. “Did she do that?”

“Yep, in a roundabout way she did.”

“You’ll look worse if you don’t start talking,” Sergei said.

Matt opened his mouth, but I broke in. “This is really about me, so is it okay if I start?”

He smiled and set his hand on top of mine. “Of course, my love.” He winked, knowing that was how Sergei addressed me. Coming from Matt, there was conviction behind the words.

“First, I want to say it’s nice to see you alive.” Both of their eyes lifted. “I would have sworn that Yuri would have killed you the other night.”

“He tried, but how do you know?”

I smiled. “I told him it was you or him. That the Bratva sent you to kill him.”

Timur pounded the table, and Sergei soothed him softly in Russian. “You want to die too?” Sergei asked.

That was interesting language. Was it a slip or simply a translation issue?

“Too?” Matt asked.

“What stops us from taking you out right now?” Sergei pulled his gun from the holster inside his jacket and set it on the table. “It would be so easy. You didn’t check us for weapons.”

“There was no need,” I said. “We are friends here. You used to be my fiancé. Why would I kill you?”

Matt looked to the closed door. “You’re in my kingdom. You’d never make it out of here if a shot were fired. I’d prefer we have a constructive conversation that will benefit us both.”

Sergei laughed. “I already have what I want from you.”

I let out a heavy sigh. “About that. The deal is off the table. The Wildes are out of business.”

“You do want to die, don’t you?” Timur asked. It was odd for a second to break into a conversation, but Timur was more than a second. He was a partner in every sense of the word.

“No one is going to die.” I reached into my back pocket to get the paper that outlined the terms of our new agreement. “Here’s the new deal.”

In big, bold letters on the top of the page was the sentence, The Bratva doesn’t have to know you and Timur are a couple.

They both stared at the page, then stared at each other and then stared at Matt and me.

“Don’t deny it. That would be disrespectful to your lover.” I looked at Timur, whose face held the emotion of a stone. “I saw you making love to him, and it showed the passion you feel for each other.”

“You watched?” Sergei asked.

I blushed. “I didn’t stand there from the beginning, but I did see the end, and it’s obvious you two belong together.”

For the first time since Sergei walked into my life, he appeared shaken. There was a lot at stake here. “Did you tell Yuri?”

“No, I had two choices. Tell Yuri your secret or tell him the truth. I confirmed what he already knew; he was living on borrowed time. You didn’t come here to be his helper. You came here to take his throne.”

“You sent him to kill us?” Timur asked.

It was laughable. So much so that Matt and I both laughed. “No, I left him in his office knowing you killed my brother and that he was next.”

Sergei didn’t deny responsibility for Mikhail’s death. “What do you want?”

I sat taller. Who knew I’d take on the position of power? “The Wildes are out. You deal with Yuri; we don’t want to know what happens to him. For all I know, he took his resources and ran.”

Timur smirked. “He did run. He didn’t get very far.”

That told me everything I needed to know. “Then it’s settled. I will keep your secret. You will keep us safe.” I threaded my fingers through Matt’s. “We want a normal life.”

Sergei shook his head. “You’ll never escape the wrath of the Russian mafia.”

I pressed the note forward and pointed to the line that read, Only Matt and I know your truth. It will stay a secret as long as we are safe.

“You’re wrong. It’s in your best interests to make sure we do because I’ve made arrangements for the truth to be revealed if anything were to happen to any of the Wildes.”

Sergei sat back and rubbed the scruff on his chin. “I imagine you’ll be a Wilde soon.”

I looked at Matt. “Who knows, he hasn’t asked.”

He squeezed my hand. There was no doubt he’d get there eventually. He’d already branded me with his love.

“What else do you want?” Timur asked.

“Nothing.”

They sat back and twisted their heads to the side like confused puppies. “You don’t want the house? The assets?”

I leaned into Matt. “I’ve got everything I want right here.”

“We have a problem.” Sergei leaned forward like he was divulging a secret. “Your father…I mean Yuri took an extended vacation.” He looked at me. “I’ve been told that while your skills are amateur at best,” he looked at Matt, “your fiancé has the skills to access the finances I’ll need to take over.”

I wasn’t sure who to punch first. Sergei, who insinuated my hacking skills were subpar, or Matt, who fed him that bullshit.

“You want everything?” Matt asked

Sergei and Timur nodded. “Of course,” they said in unison.

I opened the bottle of vodka that sat on the table and poured four shots. “The money is easy, but we will need a lawyer willing to falsify records if you want the house and properties.”

“I want it all,” Sergei replied.

“Then you shall have it.” I looked at Matt. “Can your brother do the paperwork?” The furrow in his forehead told me he wasn’t sure that was a good idea. Everything came down to transferring ownership, and the fewer people who knew, the better, so in my mind, that meant keep it in the family.

“I’ll see what I can do. Shall we seal it with a drink?”

I rose and raised my glass. “To those who have our hearts. May they have our backs as well.” Every one pounded back the shot, and we all walked to the door, where there were no less than six goons waiting on the other side.

Sergei’s men stood stoic and proud while Matt’s men analyzed their every move. When they saw all of us walk out blood-free, there was a collective nod. Today, no one would die.

Sergei turned to Matt. “If she ever hits you again, I hear that filthy leprechaun O’Leary has a daughter who can stitch you up. At least the Irish bastard contributes something.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Matt laughed all the way back to the apartment.

“What’s gotten into you?”

“Nothing. I just find his aversion to the Irish funny. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out.”

I opened the door to the apartment to find Rafe and Alex pacing the living room. Stella and Faye were in the kitchen, and the smell of something wonderful filled the air.

“How’d it go?” Rafe picked up his beer and emptied the bottle before he took another from the iced bucket on the coffee table.

Matt nodded but didn’t say much.

“Your silence means there’s a hitch in the plan. Since we aren’t privy to the damn plan, we don’t know how to help. Why can’t we know?”

“Because it keeps you safe,” I said. “I’m going to help the girls.” I turned to walk away but heard Alex speak.

“Information is power. We need to know.”

“No, but I need something from you.”

I looked over my shoulder to Rafe, whose eyes grew as wide as a full moon. “Me? No way. I’m out. In fact, I was never in. I refuse to put my license on the line because you’re a damn ass.” He looked at me and added, “And whipped.”

In the kitchen, I started filling plastic baggies with ice cubes.

Faye came over to help. “Is someone hurt?”

“Not yet. Wait a minute.”