He brings her hair to his nose and inhales it deeply. “So lovely,” he sighs. “You’re happy… aren’t you, my darling?”
Ariel’s eyes flicker to mine. There’s nothing in them but a burgeoning emptiness that she’s cultivated over the years. Even now, she makes me question her loyalty.
“Yes.”
The word comes out clipped and harsh, but it just makes Belov laugh. “She’s a little upset with me today,” he says. “She’s not so happy about this scheme of mine. But do you see? She’s still here, because I asked her to be. That’s love. That’s loyalty.”
Belov plants a kiss on the nape of her neck. How Brit doesn’t stab the motherfucker in the gut is beyond me. She’s made of powerful stuff.
As am I.
I know he’s going somewhere with this. There’s no way a man like Belov would start singing his woman’s praises if he didn’t have a point to make.
Sure enough, he isn’t finished yet. “The thing to know about me is that I’m a simple man. I only want respect and obedience. Isn’t that right, Brit, my dear?”
“Yes,” she intones robotically.
He smiles. “She knows me better than any other human being,” he says. “And she doesn’t have to worry. Even if I do marry you, her position will remain. She will always be the only woman in my life.”
“Is there a point you’re getting to any time soon?” I snap impatiently.
“The point I’m making is this: I’m not all bad, Willow,” he says, gazing fondly at my woman in a way that makes my blood run cold. “I can feel love. I feel it for this damsel and I can feel it for you, too. I won’t ever need to hurt you so long as you choose your side… and stick to it.”
He remains standing just behind Ariel. He’s curled her hair around his fingers and he’s tugging softly. She looks detached from his touch, but I can sense that it’s only because she’s suppressing the urge to push him off her.
When all this is over, I’m going to have to buy her a mansion in the French countryside, a cabin in the Alps, a villa on some tropical beach. Somewhere peaceful and quiet where she can overcome her remaining demons. She deserves that at the very least.
“And what if I turn you down?” Willow asks.
He sighs. “Then your son dies.”
She stiffens instantly. “You wouldn’t. They’d—your men, they’d turn on you.”
“Maybe,” he says with a shrug. “Maybe not. But whatever the outcome, your son would still be dead. Is that a risk you’re willing to take?”
Her eyes flicker to mine and I can see the panic in them. He’s succeeded in scaring her. She’s more than scared now—she’s desperate.
I grab her hand and force her to look at me. “Don’t listen to him.”
“You think I’m making an idle threat?” Belov asks. “Watch and learn.”
Quick as a snake, his fingers tighten around a fistful of Ariel’s hair. Then he uses it to throw her face down into the table. Something snaps.
Willow screams and jumps back, and I spring to my feet as Belov pulls Ariel upright again. Her eyes are wild from the sudden attack, and I can tell this is not rehearsed. He hasn’t planned or discussed this with her. Her nose is bleeding and she’s got a black eye that’s only going to get darker. When she opens her mouth, I realize part of her front tooth has chipped loose.
For a panicked moment, I wonder if he’s found out who she really is, but I dismiss that suspicion immediately. We’ve been too goddamn careful. He can’t know.
“What are you doing?” Willow screams.
“Making my point,” Belov retorts with his signature sickly smile. “I love this woman more than anything on earth, but I will kill her if I have to. I will kill her just to make a fucking point.”
The smile drops off his face instantly. As chilling as the effect is, it doesn’t make the slightest difference to me. The problem is that Willow has started to break under his pressure.
“Your son is not my heir yet. He is nothing to me. And I will not hesitate to slaughter him like a rabid dog if I have to. If you make me.”
Willow stares at him in horror. “He’s a baby… a tiny, innocent—”
“Innocent?” Spartak interrupts. “He’s not innocent at all. He’s guilty of being born to the wrong parents. He’s guilty of being born at all. But I’m the kind of man who looks for the silver lining in everything. And I’m willing to make something of his life… as long as I have control of it.”