Chapter 93 — A Deal With The Cali Alpha

MYKAELA.

The party ended roughly two hours after dinner. My family and the last of our guests just left.

Except Rafa. He'd be sleeping in the guest room tonight, and most likely for the next few days, until he was due to go back to Rome.

Or Florence? I forgot to ask. I wasn't sure if Alodia was allowed to leave her ex's vacation house. Or if she still wanted to hang out with Raffaele from time to time.

Enzo mentioned they were no longer an item.

My breaths formed light mists in the crisp air as I tidied up his dimly lit backyard. The clatter of plates, clinking glasses, and the sounds of laughter lingered in my head. But the cold breeze only emphasized the emptiness I felt now.

The heavy silence made room for darker thoughts. To keep distracting myself, I went back inside the house to fix the mess in Enzo's kitchen, scowling at the remnants of the party clinging to the countertops. I was used to this, though. Cleaning at the dead of night and being alone with my thoughts. I actually enjoyed it.

As I washed the glasses with steady precision, the rhythmic beats in my chest reminded me of the music playing while Enzo and I entertained our party guests. The yard was brimming with warmth and chatter just hours ago. Now it felt empty, almost eerily silent.

The party was somewhat a charade, where Enzo and I played the role of happy newlyweds-to-be, while I was trying my best to hide the aches that gnawed at my heart. I blamed the thoughts running through my head all evening.

They betrayed the mask I put on in front of my family and our friends. Relief mingled with sorrow, but of course I didn't tell my mom. A miscarriage and a secret pregnancy would only earn me another earful.

The wall clock's hands crept toward eleven, signaling my bedtime. I nearly jumped at the sound of my ringtone. I turned off the faucet. I wasn't expecting a call from anyone at this hour.

It must be my mom. Or Gaia.

My guesses turned into a moment of gawking at my phone screen as Niccolo's alias stared back at me. What did he want? Did he hear about the party?

I didn't tell Miles about it. Not because I thought he didn't care to know about what happened. Ricchar had texted me about Miles being out of rehab. I supposed Miles was too busy with work and taking care of Adreana, who I just heard was in her second trimester.

"Nicco?" I murmured after taking the call, pressing my phone to my ear.

"Hi, Kel. Were you sleeping?"

"No." I felt my gut wrench at the nervous edge in his raspy, slightly pinched voice. "Why?"

"Are you alone?"

"Yes." Did he intentionally call me at this hour thinking I'd be alone?

"Good. I just need five minutes."

"Five minutes for what?" I held my breath. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just need you to talk to him for a bit. That cool with you?"

"Who?"

Niccolo paused and sighed on the other end, as if he thought he wouldn't like the answer I'd give him. "Magnus wants to do a video call."

***

What I thought would be some harmless catching up over the phone ended in an unsettling proposition: a video call with my brother. The first ever.

Nicco said it was a "debt" he owed Magnus, which I believed. I had no real reason to think Niccolo would lie to me about it. I supposed he owed Magnus real money, if not a bunch of big favors.

Clutching my phone, I rushed past the guest room to sneak into the first-floor bathroom, my thoughts taking on a dark route. I entered the shower area. The cold and quiet confinement offered the privacy I needed, somewhat taming the heat of my conflicted emotions.

Enough privacy to make sure my first ever video call with my brother wouldn't be interrupted by any unwanted distractions. Total silence accompanied me as I stood beside the showerhead. With a deep breath, I accepted the video call, the fiberglass doors tall and wide enough to hide me and muffle my voice.

The screen flickered to life. Seconds later, I was finally staring at my brother's face.

On the screen, he looked like a younger version of Ilya, but only in some angles. They had the same complexion and hairline. Magnus had no streaks of grays, though. No stubble below his aquiline nose, either, or around his well-defined jaw. He had a memorable, angular face, like in the photos I'd seen, and his bare neck looked muscular just like his broad shoulders. "Hi, Mykaela."

Sheesh.

Why did he sound like Lorenzio? His voice was a rich baritone like Enzo's. Not too deep, but commanding enough to hold anyone's attention. Their accents didn't sound the same, though.

Magnus spoke with a faint Eastern European accent. For months, he seemed like an enigma I had long avoided but now couldn't escape.

"Hi." I put on a smile, my back growing cold against the tiled wall. Should I say "nice to meet you"?

Did he expect me to?

My hands weren't trembling or anything, but the nervousness made me wish I agreed to do this at a better time. "Are you in LA?" I asked.

"No. I'm out of the country at the moment with Evonne, my wife."

"Oh."

"Congratulations on your engagement."

"Thanks." I blinked at him, almost stuttering.

Did Nicco tell him about the party?

"That's your fiancé's house in New York. Correct?" Magnus said with a lopsided grin.

I nodded. Some awkwardness filled the pause as I mustered the courage to breach the subject that had fueled a nightmare or two in the past few weeks.

"Fun party?"

"Pretty fun." I wanted to make a face. We shouldn't be wasting any more time doing small talk.

He was an influential, full-fledged, private jet-bound businessman with limited free time most days. According to Nicco, at least. Did Magnus think I preferred some small talk before I'd feel comfortable enough to open up to him?

"D'you know Vlad?" I blurted out. My voice sounded quite frail, betraying the mix of curiosity and fear I wanted to conceal.

Magnus turned serious and sighed. The heavy exhale seemed to echo through the screen, and his nod was enough acknowledgment. "Nicco said Vlad showed up at your workplace."

"Yes. But he's dead now," I replied, opting for a droning tone. I hoped it sounded believable.

"Just for the record, I had nothing to do with Vlad being there in New York."

"Oh. Okay."

So, that was all Ilya's doing? Magnus didn't help that whitman find me?

The thought offered a fragile sense of comfort, but not the reality that Ilya was still the puppet master pulling the strings from the shadows. Even in his deathbed. A clump of nerves descended to the pit of my stomach.

"Never paid for his services or his contacts, in case you're wondering."

"So, it was Ilya who sent Vlad to kidnap me?" I swallowed. The words tasted bitter as they left my lips. The elusive truth lingered in the tense silence that followed.

"It's likely," Magnus sighed, his dark brows furrowing.

The tension in my shoulders crept up to my neck. It was the confirmation I'd been waiting to hear, but not quite the truth I was ready to deal with. "Okay. Thanks."

"No. I should be the one thanking you."

I scowled and stared at his clean-shaven face on my screen.

Wow. Amazing how we had the exact same eye color.

"Me?"

Why did he want to thank me?

"For agreeing to do this."

"I just don't wanna have to worry about Enzo's bodyguards hurting Jenson," I reasoned.

"Sure. It shouldn't be another thing you have to worry about."

"I have enough problems keeping me up at night."

Enzo still called Jenson my "stalker". The truth was, he was my brother's most trusted right-hand guy and nephew. We met in person just recently. After I asked him if his late father used to be a whitman for Ilya, Jenson said Magnus wanted to personally escort me and Enzo to Ilya's estate in Belgrade.

Our conversation also gave me a better understanding of the roles alphas and hybrids played in today's society. It was an interesting first meeting, in fairness to the guy.

"Free tomorrow?" Feigning another close-lipped smile, Magnus stared at me and moved away from the camera, his muscular arms crossed and wrinkling his plain gray shirt.

"Why?"

"I want to meet up with you. I'll be there in New York late afternoon."

"Um..."

"Kel, I'm nothing like Ilya," he said with another sigh. "If you haven't heard, we're far from a father-son tandem. I'm not like my brothers, which is why he hates me. Most of the time, I'd say."

Desperation gripped my chest as my thoughts drifted off to other matters. I wanted to meet him as soon as tomorrow, but, I needed to voice my deepest concern first. "I-I just wanna make sure Enzo's gonna be safe," I replied, hoping the vulnerability in my words showed how I really felt about meeting him and going to Belgrade.

"If you and him agree to come with me, you won't have to worry about that. You're gonna be safer with me."

With my heartbeat ratcheting up, I eyed him as my phone grew warmer in my hand. "Why d'you have to come with us? It won't be our first time in Belgrade. And Enzo said we can use the jet."

"Insurance," Magnus said matter-of-factly.

"What?"

"If I'm there with you every minute, every step, my greedy brothers will think twice about harming you and fixing another hit to get rid of me. We'll bring a dozen security staff if that'll make you and Lorenzio feel better."

Seriously? What the heck?

Did Ilya's younger sons actually hire some trigger men to get rid of Magnus? Just because they didn't want to share Ilya's drug money with their half-brother, apparently.

"We'll go straight to the estate. Pay Ilya a visit. Talk to his lawyer about the will. Then we'll be on our way back to New York."

That's it?

"We'll fly out of there the next day," Magnus said in a slightly louder voice, his smile more of a confident smirk. "Three days tops."

"Enzo and I can't stay in Belgrade that long."

Magnus glanced away and nodded faintly. "Of course. I'll keep that in mind."

"Tell Ilya."

"Deal."

"Okay." I cleared my throat, hoping it would get rid of the growing lump of apprehension behind my mouth. "See you."

"What time tomorrow?"

"Dinner sound good to you?"

Magnus gave me another grin that showed his white teeth. It was another smile that didn't reach his pale green eyes. "Sounds perfect."

***

A quick trip to Serbia. No longer than a few days. A meeting that would reveal a tangled web of secrets and potentially resolve our family's longstanding issues.

That video call only stirred up my anxious thoughts. Loud, mostly ominous thoughts that only worsened my restlessness, forcing me to grapple with conflicting emotions and the bunch of half-truths I'd been telling myself.

I stepped out of the bathroom. The rest of the house remained dead silent. Was Enzo asleep? Or hanging out with Rafa in the workout room?

The weather outside mirrored the cold that lingered inside me. My chest felt heavy and hollow at the same time. Weird. Exhaustion coursed through my veins, but the need for sleep wouldn't shut my brain off, leaving me wide awake and on edge as I climbed up the stairs.

I had to tell Enzo we're meeting my brother tomorrow.

***

The workout room was empty. Rafa must be asleep. I found Enzo in the bedroom, alone and busy with something.

I hesitated at the threshold. My hands felt tired and clammy. Uncertainty gripped my resolve as he sat on the covers, typing on his phone with his legs crossed.

“Hi, love.” He stared, his slow-growing smile warming up all of me deep down to my core, revealing his crow's feet as I stood beside the door. “Where were you?”

“Kitchen. I was just cleaning up.” I put on a smile, my fingers toying with the diamond engagement ring on my finger. It still felt foreign. “You okay? Everything fine at work?”

“Everything's great. For now. Why?” The corner of pinkish lips quirked, curiosity and amusement narrowing his gaze. The way his voice sounded huskier when he posed the question sent a shiver down my spine.

I glanced at the nightstand clock. Almost midnight.

The lamps lit the room along with the soft glow of his phone screen, his laptop casting a long shadow on the sheets.

I sat on the other side of the bed, facing him with my legs under the covers. Some tension filled the room, but it was probably just me feeling uneasy. "So, um... I talked to Magnus. Just now. Video call," I confessed after an awkward exchange of glances.

Enzo looked up from his phone. A flash of annoyance etched small creases on his face. His silence turned into a long moment of tense seconds.

Something in my stomach twisted when he sighed. I couldn't tell for sure if it was a sigh of irritation or resignation. Perhaps both.

Then his scowl disappeared, before a reluctant acceptance flickered in his eyes. "What'd he say?"

"We talked about Vlad. He said he had nothing to do with it. Then he... I-I told him we'll meet with him tomorrow. Dinner." I braced myself, my nerves frayed. The room seemed too small all of a sudden.

Enzo wouldn't look at me.

"If you can't come with me, I'll bring Lele and Marco. You don't have to come. I know you'll be crazy busy all week."

He worked his jaw and let out a sigh. "I can't leave the lab before eight. The board meeting's till nine," he murmured.

"It's fine. Lele and Marco will be there with me," I replied as relief flooded through me. At least he didn't swear or berate me for what I just did. For a moment there, I really thought he would.

Enzo reached for my forearm to draw me nearer, his grip not too tight. His jaw tensed. Another scowl creased his brows.

"I'm gonna be okay. Relax. It's just dinner."

"Highly doubt it. You don't know him at all."

"Neither do you," I wanted to say. Instead I kept my mouth shut and pinched the bridge of my nose till it hurt. My mind churned with the ideas brewing in my head all week.

I would tell Magnus and Ilya that we're engaged because I was pregnant with Enzo's child, and our wedding was just weeks away. That should dissuade them from hurting him. A pretty desperate ploy. But it might work.

"Does he know about the party?" Enzo murmured, looking me in the eye now.

"Yes. Magnus said congratulations."

"Because you told him?"

"No."

"How did he know?"

"Nicco probably saw Jill's new uploads." I stared at Enzo until his eyes locked with mine. Something buzzed in my chest, and I was pretty sure it wasn't happy thoughts. I had a lot to make right, starting with a heartfelt apology. "Sorry. I know it's stressing you out."

Enzo gently let go of my forearm.

"And not just Belgrade. I mean, I know Mom's kinda pressuring you and..." I massaged my temples, racking my brain for the right words.

In my head, it wasn't the right time to get hitched. My logic enumerated quite a long list of reasons. A slapdash wedding seemed too risky, especially with the demands of my career and the state of the world right now.

But my conservative family of course expected us to get married soon. Especially now that they'd found out we're already living together.

Instead of replying to my apology, Enzo drew me to him and locked me in an embrace before I could finish my sentence.

I hugged him back, resting my chin on his shoulder, his crisp perfume quite intoxicating.

"No. I understand where your mum's coming from," he murmured. He cleared his throat when I didn't respond. "But you know it's still your decision to make."

"Yeah. I know."

"I want you to say yes because you want to get married, not 'cause you feel pressured."

Gripping his shoulder and savoring the warmth and firmness of his body, I pressed my cheek on his. I swallowed the lump in my throat. It didn't get rid of the guilt, though. I was still giving him a half-meant answer. "I do."

"No." He pulled away. "You don't."

"I'm serious. I-I wanna do it. This month. Or this weekend." The words just tumbled out of my mouth, even though I knew he could tell whenever I tried to lie.

My mom never pushed me to get married. It was his family's beef with Ilya's clan that forced me. Despite the bodyguards and the precautions we'd been taking, the fear of losing him still gave me sleepless nights.

Ilya was still a mob boss. No matter how much I wished it weren't true. No matter how much I wished I never met him.

If I had to lie to his face and tell all of them I was carrying Enzo's child, I would. In a heartbeat. "It doesn't have to be something big or fancy."

Doubt and other emotions narrowed his gaze, including what seemed to be restrained disappointment. The wrinkles between his dark brows deepened before he averted his gaze. "I don't wanna get married if you're only doin' it to protect me."

"Lorenzio—"

"We'll do it only if you really want to. Not just 'cause you're terrified of that criminal."