SWNOVELS When He Takes: Chapter 12
The next morning, two men on Ferraro’s payroll—a driver and a bodyguard—escort me out of the building. It’s lucky timing that Nero gave me the ability to get out of the penthouse on my own just the night before.
As the car winds through the city streets, I track our progress using the navigation app on the phone Vita gave me. Although I can only text or call her, it’s a relief to finally orient myself in this maze of a city.
Our destination is a high-end hotel, where I’m meeting Vita for breakfast at its exclusive rooftop restaurant. The bodyguard, Mark, accompanies me all the way to the hostess stand, where a man in a velvet oxblood suit takes over.
“Right this way, Mrs. De Luca.”
My cheeks heat. I’m still not used to being called by that name.
Self-consciousness pangs through my chest. Even dressed in the designer clothes Nero bought me, I feel like an outsider. Can everyone tell I don’t belong here? Or am I just imagining it? I remind myself I’m not in Darkwater Hollow anymore—no one here knows me. Everyone is just minding their own business, and the stories looping through my head about being inferior aren’t doing anything to help me.
Enough.
If I’m going to help execute this plan against the Bratva, I need to summon every ounce of confidence I have.
A moment later, I spot Vita sitting gracefully behind a round table.
Dressed in an elegant floral-print dress, she gives me a friendly wave and rises to embrace me. “Lovely to see you again, Blake. I was pleased to get your call.”
We sit down. Vita must sense my unease, because she takes the initiative and orders two glasses of champagne along with our coffee. “It’s never too early for some bubbles.” Her smile is reassuring.
We exchange stilted small talk until the champagne arrives. I take a few sips of liquid courage, order eggs Benedict from the waiter, and then take a deep breath. “I’m here to negotiate.”
Vita’s eyes light up with interest. “Smart girl.”
“I think I can convince Nero to do this.” My voice is surprisingly steady. “But I want something in exchange.”
Vita arches a brow. “Your husband’s promotion isn’t enough of an incentive?”
“Clearly not. You heard his answer. It won’t be easy to get him to agree, and I’m not doing that until I know I’ll be rewarded.”
Her eyes narrow slightly. “What is it that you want?”
I want a ticket out of your world. The words are on the tip of my tongue, but I hold them back.
Last night, as I lay in bed, it dawned on me that I can’t simply tell Vita that I married Nero against my will, or that our marriage isn’t real. Not if their whole plan for finding the pakhan rides on Nero and me putting on a united front.
If she knew the truth, she might reconsider letting us try at all. Then both Nero and I would be right back at square one.
I have to hide the truth from her, just as I’ll have to hide it from the Russians. If anything, this is a good test to see if I can do it.
“I’d like a favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
“I can’t say.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I want your promise that if Nero and I help you locate the pakhan, you will grant me this favor when the time comes, no questions asked.”
Vita’s gaze turns calculating. “I’d feel more comfortable knowing what the favor entails. There are things beyond my influence, and I wouldn’t want you to expect something I can’t give you.”
A new passport, a ticket to somewhere far away, and a promise she won’t let Nero find me? “I can guarantee that what I want falls within your power.”
She assesses me for a long moment and then shifts her attention to the breakfast the waiter just delivered. We both take a few bites of our food. My eggs Benedict look decadently good, but I can barely taste anything. If she says no, I’m not sure what I’ll do.
I’m worried about my own fate and I’m also worried about Nero’s. Now that I understand how precarious his position is, I don’t want to leave him alone here until I can be confident the Ferraros won’t retaliate against him.
“All right,” Vita says, pressing her napkin to her lips. “I’ll grant you your favor, under the condition that it’s nothing that will harm my family.”
Yes. Relief spreads through me. “Understood.”
“Then we have a deal.”
“If— Once I get Nero to agree to this, what comes next?”
“You’ll make contact with someone in two weeks. One of the pakhan’s five brigadiers, a man called Maksim Garin. His wife is a Russian-American socialite and has landed in New York well-equipped with connections. We will arrange an encounter while they’re out and about in society.”
“Two weeks? I thought you’d want to move more quickly.”
“We need to be patient. Let it appear as if Nero is at his breaking point.” She takes a measured sip of champagne. “And you’ll need to be fully prepared.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re new to our world, darling. If you don’t want to end up as prey, you need to grow your own teeth.”
“I’m not as clueless as you think.” I wonder if Vita knows about my connection to the Iron Raptors. Just because I kept my distance from my father’s friends after he died doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten what I saw growing up. I know what people are capable of, and I’m not naive enough to think this will be easy.
“It’s not about being clueless. It’s about being willing to do what it takes. The Bratva men are smart. Their women even more so. Behind their thick accents, plumped lips, and smoky eyes, they conceal sharp minds capable of understanding complex geopolitics and advanced economics. Don’t let their appearances fool you. Maksim will task his wife with cracking you open like an egg, and she’ll sift through the contents of your mind with her sharp nails.”
“How can I prepare for that?”
Vita smiles. “I can help you. But the most crucial aspect will be establishing the right dynamic with Nero. It won’t suffice to just share the same story. You must be able to read each other’s minds.”
My chest tightens. Can Nero and I do that? I won’t be able to keep him at arm’s length if we want to have a chance of pulling this off. We’ll have to work as a team. I’ll have to allow myself to get close to him but keep my heart under lock and key.
My nerves spike. I’m already experiencing pangs of longing for him, even though I know he isn’t right for me. I could never love a criminal like my mom did. But if this is my only chance to reclaim my life and help Nero, I have to do whatever it takes.
Nero can never know about my deal with Vita. If he gets even a hint of my ultimate goal, he’ll never let me escape.
“It’s a good thing you’re in love,” Vita murmurs. “Love makes this kind of deception far easier.”
More doubts creep in. Am I still in love with Nero? No, I can’t be. Whatever affection I still have for him is nothing but an echo of what used to be there before.
Vita picks up her knife. “The trick is to lean into the truth whenever possible, because that’s what will sell your eventual lie. You want to be ninety-five percent authentic and five percent fraudulent.”
“What is the truth?”
“You want a better life for your husband.” She slices through a piece of smoked salmon. “Right?”
As much as Nero’s hurt me, I don’t want to watch him suffer at the hands of the Ferraros.
Especially not for my own sake.
I bite down on my lip. “Yes. I do.”
“And you don’t like my family very much, do you?” she asks casually.
“Not really,” I admit.
“Or the Messeros, for that matter. After all, it was Nero’s old boss who got him in this situation in the first place.” She pops the salmon into her mouth and neatly crosses her cutlery on her plate. “That should be enough. Those are your islands of safety—topics you can always come back to when the conversation veers off course.”
I file that tip away in my mental folder—the one where I’ll keep all the compromises I’ll make, all the sins I’ll commit.
Hopefully, one day I can toss that folder out and leave this all behind.
Vita smiles. “Talk to Nero when he gets home tonight. If you manage to convince him, send me a text.”