Chapter 6 - The Fall of the House of CardsBy midnight, the fallout was absolute.
Julian and Serena’s apartment in the Gold Coast had been locked down by Moretti auditors. Their bank accounts were frozen, their credit cards declined, and their social standing reduced to ash. My mother had attempted to call my phone seven times in a row before I finally blocked her number permanently.
I stood on the private wrap-around balcony of Nikolai’s penthouse suite on the forty-fifth floor, looking out over the glittering expanse of the Chicago skyline. The wind off the lake was biting, whipping my hair across my face, but I didn't care. For the first time in my life, I felt completely weightless.
The sliding glass door opened behind me. Heavy footsteps approached, and then a warm, heavy wool coat was draped over my shoulders.
“You’ll freeze out here,” Nikolai’s voice ranted gently beside me.
I pulled the coat tighter around myself, turning to look up at him. “I’m not cold. For the first time in twenty-eight years, I actually feel warm.”
Nikolai leaned against the stone railing beside me, a glass of bourbon in his hand. He looked relaxed—the sharp, dangerous edge of the mob boss softened by the quiet intimacy of the night.
“You destroyed him today without firing a single shot,” Nikolai noted, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest. “My captains are officially more terrified of you than they are of me.”
“Good,” I smiled, taking a sip from his glass before handing it back. “Fear keeps people honest.”
“Is that what you want, Evelyn? Fear?”
I turned fully to face him, the Chicago lights reflecting in his dark eyes. I reached out, my fingers tracing the lapel of his shirt where we had first met in that sterile service hallway just ten days ago.
“No,” I whispered. “I want partnership. I want power. And... I want an equal.”
Nikolai caught my hand, turning it over to press a warm, deliberate kiss against my palm, right over my pulse point.
May you like
“You have it,” he said softly. “Every inch of this city. Every contract, every building, every crown. It’s yours as much as mine.”
“Good,” I smiled, leaning my forehead against his shoulder. “Because I’m just getting started.”
