Page 124 of Righteous Enforcer
“Ah, I see I’m right. So why not put everything right again? You come work for me. What do you know about their operation down at the docks? What are they planning against me?”
“I have no clue. They don’t discuss anything with me. They’re suspicious of me.”
His eyes narrow. “I believe the deal was that I free your daughter and you tell me what you know.”
I nod. “And I’m telling you I know nothing. If it helps, I haven’t told them anything about you.”
He laughs. “Well, you wouldn’t, would you? You’re a traitor. So why not come work for me again?”
"Work for you again?" I ask incredulously. There’s no way I can get close to the Dantes now that they know I’m with Ivan. Alessandro would see my return for what it was—Ivan planting me in the family.
Ivan refills his wine glass. "Let's not pretend. Your arrangement with Maksim may have ended messily, but your talents are still valuable."
I clench my fists. "Your brother murdered my father. And now you want to offer me a job?"
"Business is business, Eva." He shrugs as if discussing nothing more significant than a minor contract dispute. "Maksim overreacted when you disappeared. I won't deny that. His temper was always his weakness. I’m much more controlled."
"You're insane if you think I'd ever work for the Bratva again."
Ivan's smile doesn't falter. "I think you misunderstand your position. This isn't a negotiation. It's an opportunity. The only one you're going to get."
“Even if I wanted to, it wouldn’t work. Alessandro has never trusted me. He'd spot a spy in an instant."
"And Adriano?" Ivan counters, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Does he trust you, Eva? After you've lied to him? He does. He’s so besotted, he’s blind. The Dante men have always had a weakness for affairs of the heart.”
“He’s not blind. They know by now that you’ve kidnapped me. If I miraculously show up there again, they’ll know why.”
He waves my comment away. “You’re a shrewd woman. You’ve proven it by faking your death. Escaping from my men. Making Adriano love you even though everything about you is a lie.” Helooks at me with feigned awe. “I admire your skills. Why not embrace who you truly are? Work with me.”
People like Ivan are scarier than his brother was. Maksim always carried the hint of death around him. Ivan acts like he’s wooing me into the perfect job. Giving me a gift. Oh, sure, I know refusing means my death, but I’ll admit, the calmness by which he speaks nearly lulls me into complacency.
“Given my past, I don’t know why you’d trust me.”
He shrugs. “It wasn’t us you betrayed. It was the Dantes. First by giving us information and then by leaving. I mean, of course, you left us too, but the point was to escape Lorenzo, right? Really, Eva, had you come to us, we’d have helped you. And your father would still be alive.”
He leans forward, his forearms on the table. “So now we set up new terms. You've proven your value by infiltrating the Dante family once. Do it again."
"It won't work. They'll never trust me now."
"Oh, but they do. Adriano does. And that's all that matters." His smile reminds me of the Cheshire Cat. "Provide us information on their operations for the next six months, and you'll be free. Truly free this time. I’ll even get you your daughter back and help you disappear into a new life. Anywhere you want. New identities and no fears of retaliation by the Dantes."
The walls seem to inch closer. Six months of betraying the man I love, of risking discovery, of living with the knowledge that I'm the very thing Adriano despises most.
Ivan's expression doesn't change, but his eyes go cold. “It’s the only way you walk out of here alive."
Betray the man I love again or lose my life? The choice isn’t difficult, although it scares me.
"I'd rather die than betray him. I’ve done enough damage already."
Ivan's face transforms before my eyes. His eyes bulge, veins pulsing at his temples as he slams his fist on the table, sending crystal glasses jumping and wine splashing. So much for control.
"That can be arranged!" he roars.
I flinch but hold his gaze, refusing to cower. If this is my end, I'll face it.
Then, like a switch being flipped, his expression smooths. He sits back, sucking in a breath. He dabs at the spilled wine with his napkin.
"No," he says finally, his voice now calm. "I won't kill you yet, Eva. That would be wasteful at this early stage."
