Page 150 of Bratva Menace

“No. I don’t.” I took a deep breath to calm myself. The last thing I wanted to do was get in a fistfight with her. “Look, I don’t want to be rude, but you and I have nothing to talk about,” I said sternly. “So you might as well go.” I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t have this conversation. If I did, I wouldn’t make it. I wouldn’t survive.

“I respectfully disagree. We have everything to talk about. My brother is hurting, and you’re the only one who can fix it. I’m not leaving until we have a discussion, even if I have to wait here all night.”

“What?” I breathed out in surprise. “Lukyan is hurting?”

“Of course he is. He’s been running himself ragged looking for you these last few months.”

I bit my lip, looking away. Hearing he’d been searching for me made my heart flutter. Did our time together have a bigger impact on him than I thought? Does he actually…love me?

“I saw that,” Illayana said, a hint of giddiness in her voice. “I saw that spark in your eyes. That hope. Come onnnn. You know you want to talk to me. Everybody does. I’m a delight to talk to.”

Familiarity sparked. Behind that serious exterior, I could see a playfulness that mirrored Lukyan’s—a similarity between the two siblings that could not be missed or ignored.

My soul had been deprived of Lukyan’s light for ninety-three days, seventeen hours, twenty-seven minutes, and forty-one seconds, and even though it was his sister standing in front of me, not him, a tiny bit of the pain that had been battering my heart and soul since our separation eased.

I missed him.

God, fuck, I missed him.

I missed him more than I could ever put into words, and yet, I couldn’t stop running from him. Couldn’t stop hiding. Couldn’t face what I’d done.

Denial was a powerful emotion, and right then, it was my best fucking friend.

But the prospect of finding out if he was truly missing me was too good to pass up. I looked back to Illayana and sighed. “Ten minutes.”

Illayana took a drag of the cigarette, inhaling deeply before blowing it out. Smoke billowed into the air, dancing upward into the pitch-black sky. We stood on the street out front of the store, the cold wind of the night battering against my body, making me shiver and goose bumps pebble along my skin.

Two men stood beside a car parked across the road. I recognized them instantly. They were the identical twins I’d seen with Lukyan after Tatiana’s mock fashion show. I knew they were Illayana’s bodyguards. Another two men were patrolling a little further down the street, their eyes scanning their surroundings diligently, constantly on alert.

The queen of La Cosa Nostra traveled with an entourage. It had surprised me the first I’d seen it. Illayana was deadly. Quick, efficient, with absolutely no qualms about killing someone. She didn’t need anyone to protect her. In fact, people needed protecting from her.

“I’m not a big smoker, you know,” Illayana said, breaking the silence. “But every now and then, I get that craving for something to take the edge off.”

“Have you tried weed? That really does the trick.”

She chuckled. “Yeah. It’s not my thing. I greened out the very first time I tried it, and haven't been able to do it since.”

I nodded. Understandable. “How did you find me?” I asked, switching the topic.

Illayana blew out another cloud of smoke. “Wasn’t easy. You sure move around a lot. Almost gave up hope, actually, but my brother found the info for your new identity.”

Rodrick Peterson…That fucking jackass. He blabbed, and I was going to end his life because of it.

“We all put our best trackers on it. I just happened to find you first,” she finished.

“I’m surprised you care.”

“To be honest, I don’t. Not really.” Okay, then. “I’m here for one reason and one reason only. Lukyan.”

I stared out into the dark, unsure of what to say, so I said nothing.

“I know my brother well,” she continued. “Better than he probably thinks I do. He’s been different since you came into his life. Even more so after you kidnapped him.”

“Different how?”

“Just…different. He spends every waking moment searching for you. He cracks jokes, but his heart isn’t in it. His light is gone, and I have a feeling it’s here with you.”

I looked down at my feet. Her words made me feel a mixture of emotions. Happy. Sad.