Chapter 97: He’s Dangerous

The line clicked to hold.

Antonio immediately dialed Lorenzo, who answered on the first ring.

"Well?"

"He’s willing to negotiate. But he wants you on the line. Wants to hear your agreement directly."

"Of course he does. The boy doesn’t trust anyone." Lorenzo’s voice held grudging respect. "What are the terms?"

Antonio outlined them quickly.

Lorenzo was quiet for a moment. "He’s protecting her. Making sure we can’t move against the girl without breaking our word to him directly."

"Yes."

"Smart. Ruthless, even." Lorenzo chuckled darkly. "Fine. I’ll agree to his terms. For now. But Antonio....this doesn’t end well. You know that, don’t you? Eventually, he’ll have to choose. His empire or his woman. And when he chooses the woman...."

"Then we’ll deal with it. But not today." Antonio switched back to the three-way call. "Dimitri. Lorenzo is on the line."

"Lorenzo," Dimitri said, his voice neutral.

"Dimitri." Lorenzo’s voice was equally controlled. "I understand we have terms to discuss."

"We have terms for you to accept," Dimitri corrected. "Isabella stays away from Eve. Completely. You call off any investigators, surveillance, or ’removal’ plans you have regarding her. In exchange, Isabella can remain in the city. Do you agree?"

"I do. With one caveat."

"No caveats..."

"Hear me out." Lorenzo’s voice turned hard. "Isabella is your betrothed. She has been for fourteen years. While I agree she’ll stay away from Eve, you need to show respect for the arrangement. That means no public displays of affection with this woman. No flaunting her in front of Isabella. No rubbing salt in the wound."

"I’m not going to hide my relationship..."

"I’m not asking you to hide it. I’m asking you to be discreet. To show respect for the woman who was raised from childhood to be your wife. To not humiliate her further than you already have." Lorenzo paused. "Do that, and we have a deal. Refuse, and Isabella comes home tonight and you deal with whatever comes next."

Dimitri was quiet for a long moment.

"Fine," he said finally. "I’ll be discreet where appropriate. But Lorenzo, if I find out you’ve lied, if you make any move against Eve, the deal is off and we’re at war. Do you understand?"

"Perfectly."

"And one more thing." Dimitri’s voice dropped to something absolutely lethal. "You called this a ’reality check.’ Let me give you one in return. If Eve is harmed, if she’s kidnapped, threatened, or touched in any way by anyone connected to you, I won’t just start a war. I’ll end the Russo family. Completely. I’ll dismantle everything you’ve built until the Russo name is nothing but a memory and a warning. That’s not a threat. It’s a promise."

The silence that followed was absolute.

Finally, Lorenzo spoke, and there was something almost like respect in his voice.

"Understood. We have an accord."

"Good." Dimitri’s voice was ice. "Father. I assume you’ll be arriving in the city within the week to supervise Isabella?"

"I’ll be there in three days," Antonio confirmed.

"Excellent. I’ll have Marco arrange appropriate accommodations. Far from my penthouse." The emphasis on the last three words was pointed. "And father? Don’t mistake this compromise for weakness. I’m allowing Isabella to stay because it keeps Eve safer. Not because I’ve changed my mind about anything. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Antonio said softly.

"Then this conversation is over." The line went dead.

Antonio set down his phone, picked up his scotch, and took a long drink.

Lorenzo’s voice came through the speaker. "He’s dangerous."

"He always has been. I raised him to be."

"No. Not dangerous like we’re dangerous. Dangerous like men who have nothing left to lose." Lorenzo’s voice was thoughtful. "He meant what he said. About ending the Russo family if we harm the girl."

"I know."

"So what do we do?"

Antonio stared out at the sunrise, his mind already working through contingencies.

"We honor the agreement. For now. We keep Isabella away from Eve. We maintain the appearance of an alliance." He took another sip. "And we wait. Because eventually, Dimitri will make a mistake. Will leave an opening. And when he does...."

"We take it," Lorenzo finished. "But carefully. Very carefully."

"Exactly."

They ended the call.

Antonio sat alone in his study, watching the sun climb higher.

His son had grown stronger than he’d anticipated. More ruthless. More willing to risk everything for what he wanted.

Claire would have been proud.

Antonio crushed that thought before it could take root.

Sentiment was weakness.

And eventually, Dimitri would learn that lesson.

Even if Antonio had to teach it to him the hard way.

****

POV: DIMITRI

Dimitri stood in his office, the conference call ended, his hands clenched into fists on the desk.

He’d made a deal with the devil.

Two devils, actually.

Antonio and Lorenzo.

To keep Eve safe.

Mike sat across from him, had listened to the entire conversation.

"You bought time," Mike said quietly. "That’s something."

"I bought a temporary truce. Not peace." Dimitri moved to the window. "They’ll wait. Watch. Look for an opening. And the second they find one...."

"They’ll take it. I know." Mike stood. "So we make sure they don’t find one. We tighten security on Eve. We watch Isabella constantly. We prepare for the worst while hoping for the best."

"And we don’t tell Eve about the threats."

Mike’s eyes sharpened. "You’re going to keep this from her?"

"For now. Until I’ve built better defenses. Until I’m sure she’s protected." Dimitri’s voice was tight. "If she knew Lorenzo was planning to ’remove’ her, if she knew Antonio was coming to the city, if she knew Isabella was staying..."

"She’d want to handle it herself," Mike finished. "Want to be part of the strategy."

"Exactly. And I can’t risk that. Not yet. Not when Lorenzo is still circling." Dimitri turned from the window. "I need you to help me, Mike. Keep this quiet. Help me build the defenses. And when the time is right, when she’s safer I’ll tell her everything."

Mike was quiet for a long moment.

"This is a mistake," he said finally. "Keeping her in the dark. She asked you to treat her as a partner."

"I am treating her as a partner. By keeping her alive." Dimitri’s voice was absolute. "She can hate me for it later. As long as she’s alive to hate me."

Mike shook his head but didn’t argue further. "What do you need?"

"Everything. Triple security at Phoenix Talent. Sweep the entire building for more devices. Put surveillance on Isabella, I want to know everywhere she goes, everyone she meets. And when my father arrives, I want eyes on him too."

"On your own father?"

"Especially on my father." Dimitri’s smile was cold. "I don’t trust him any further than I can throw him. This compromise was too easy. He’s planning something."

"Agreed." Mike pulled out his phone. "I’ll get started. Anything else?"

"Yes. Find out who Viktor Kozlov reported to besides Lorenzo. The man’s ex-FSB. He doesn’t work alone. Someone else knows about Eve. I want to know who."

"I’ll dig."

Mike headed for the door, paused.

"For what it’s worth," he said quietly, "I think you made the right call. Even if Eve won’t see it that way when she finds out."

"If she finds out."

"When," Mike corrected. "She’s too smart not to notice eventually. And when she does, when she realizes you’ve been keeping this from her, it’s going to cost you."

"I know." Dimitri’s voice was weary. "But I’d rather pay that cost than bury her."

Mike nodded and left.

Dimitri stood alone in his office, watching the sun rise over his city.

He’d just made a deal that bought Eve time.

But at what cost?

Antonio was coming.

Isabella was staying.

And Lorenzo was circling.

The storm wasn’t over.

It had just begun.