Page 45 of Sinful Wrath

And now I’m finally being given the opportunity to show them what I can do.

But instead of feeling a sense of relief, I feel torn.

On one hand, I still want to get Lucia to walk away from this marriage. But if it’s going to cost me my brothers’ respect, then perhaps I’m better off saying ‘I do’ to the spoiled mafia princess.

“Do we have any idea where he is?” Danil asks, interrupting my train of thought.

Dimitri shakes his head. “We’re still trying to track him down.”

Alexei looks right at me. “That’s part of the reason why we didn’t say anything. He might have survived at birth, but there’s no telling what Igor did with him.”

I nod. “If he knows that the child was our father’s, there’s no way he let him live. He would have posed a huge threat to Igor.”

“That’s what I’m thinking.”

Danil looks at the three of us in turn. “Why don’t we just ask Igor? He obviously knew about the affair and the child, considering that he went to all the trouble of making it look like a stillbirth.”

How can my youngest brother be so naïve? Is this what Alexei and Dimitri saw in me too?

He seriously thinks we can just ring the guy up and demand answers?

Alexei shakes his head. “If you thought Mario Gilanto played dirty, Igor Ivanov is ten times worse. The last thingwe want to do is alert him to the fact that we’re digging around for information.”

I frown. “What about Katya?”

“What about her?” Alexei turns to look at me.

“She might have some answers.”

Alexei nods. “Maybe. But though she might not be married to Igor anymore, that doesn’t mean she’s free of him. She might be unwilling to talk.”

“Surely, it’s worth a try?”

Alexei shrugs.“If you want to run with it, then be my guest.”

I dip my chin in a silent thanks.

My brothers and I talk for another half an hour before I finally make my excuses to leave. I need some alone time to decompress all of this new information before I head home to Lucia.

“Mikhail!” Alexei halts me in my tracks as I head across the living space toward the elevator. “There’s one other thing I need to discuss with you.”

I hold back a groan as I turn to face him.

“What is it?”

“I spoke to Massimo this morning.” Alexei tucks his hands into his pockets and presses his lips together in a firm line, which means whatever he’s about to tell me isn’t good.

“About the attack on Lucia?”

“No, about the wedding.”

“What about it?” My mouth goes dry.

“The attack has only made Massimo want to push the wedding forward. He wants our families officially bound in order to secure protection for Lucia.”

“How much time do I have?”

“One week. The ceremony will be held at Massimo’s place next Friday.”