Fire Bound (Sea Haven Sisters)(93)

Viktor went still. Scary still. The room shuddered. “That happens, sister, and her new husband won’t have long for this world.”



“Not a good idea to leave a woman alone for five years, brother,” Lissa continued, “especially if she’s smokin’ hot. And a runner. She goes running down the highway and she’s bound to stop traffic and then where are you going to be? Oh wait. I know. Somewhere deep undercover while she’s all alone and lonely. Surrounded by men who think she’s smokin’ hot, because she is.”



“What the hell, Giacinta?” Casimir demanded.



Beside him, Lissa moved restlessly, drawing Viktor’s sharp gaze. Lissa looked down at her wedding ring, the band that was tucked up tight against the diamond he’d given her earlier in the day.



“I just wouldn’t want you to ever do that kind of thing to me, Casimir,” Lissa said. “I wouldn’t be in the least understanding, and I’m a little outraged on all my fellow sisters’ behalf.”



There was a small silence, Viktor staring down at her face for a long moment before he sighed and changed the subject. “Tell me about the farm. You live there, right? Where my brothers live?”



Her gaze jumped to his face. “They’re happy.” Her voice was strictly neutral. “Even Gavriil. He’s still in a lot of pain, but Lexi is working with that and hopes to alleviate it, at least most of it. All of them are doing well.”



Casimir waited, but Lissa didn’t mention her other sisters. He took a breath and then let it out. The temperature in the room had gone up a couple of degrees. That wasn’t his brother’s temper. That was Lissa.



“Your brothers are going to want to know what your life is like.”



“My life?” Viktor echoed. “Baby, my life is totally fucked, but I put myself there and I’m going to get the job done no matter what. Then I’ll go claim my life.” There was no bitterness in his voice, only a statement of fact.



Casimir knew that no matter how bad they might think Viktor’s situation was it was probably a hundred times worse, or he would have at least contacted his brothers. “You know the Sorbacovs have a hit out on all of us, Ilya included.”



“I heard. I know that you told Lazzaro that your woman planned to go with you to take them out for us.”



Viktor didn’t sound in the least approving. In fact, he sounded like a freaking male chauvinist. Just looking at him, seeing the hard, set lines in his face, she could see he was implacable. He’d be hell to live with. Difficult to understand. And he wouldn’t care. His woman would be expected to live life his way. On his terms.



Lissa’s fingers tightened in Casimir’s. “Actually, Casimir is going with me,” she corrected, her chin going up. “We figured with him along the chances were better that we’d get them both and walk away alive.”



“You do that, call Lazzaro. He’ll be waiting for that call and he’ll get the two of you out of the country fast if you need it. He’s more than willing to help, and he’s one of the few we can absolutely count on.”



Casimir nodded, not bothering to correct his woman. He’d been planning all along to kill the Sorbacovs. He still wasn’t certain he liked the idea of Lissa going with him and taking center stage, but he knew there was no dissuading her. She had a stubborn streak and she’d made up her mind, even more so now that she knew he had planned to get rid of them.



“These men backing you up, Viktor. You’re sure of their loyalty?”



Viktor nodded. “They grew up with me. We’re all that’s left of the old school. Eighteen of us from one hundred and thirty. We stuck by one another in training and after. The strongest, all psychics, all men Kostya Sorbacov couldn’t control. He was afraid of every one of us. One by one, the others slipped Kostya’s leash and signed on with me. Our target was the president of the motorcycle club called Sword. The club started in the United States but now has chapters in Europe. He ran drugs, arms and was the number one suspect across Europe for human trafficking. He’s originally from Greece. His mother took him and ran to the United States to get away from her husband. She ran with the club in the States, and he detested her man. Actually, her man’s son. When I say detested him, I mean, he thinks about killing him every minute of every hour of every day. The target inherited a shitload of money from his brother and with that, the ships to help hide the worst of his trafficking, and that includes children.”



Lissa pulled in a breath. “You’re talking about Evan Shackler-Gratsos. Airiana and Max rescued four children from one of his ships. They say he’s a ghost.”