His eyes narrow. “You’ll regret this.”
“I doubt it.”
He looks around the room, taking in all the witnesses. All the family heads watching this confrontation. He’s losing face with every second he stands here, and he knows it.
“I’m going to the restroom,” Sofia says.
She’s not running, but she’s stepping away. I want to go with her. Not to the restroom. But to the space she’s escaping to.
But I can’t. I will not leave Yuri in this room without me watching.
I snap my fingers to get Nelson’s attention. He moves, falling in behind Sofia.
Yuri is trying to save face. He shakes a few hands. And then he walks to the bar to where Viktor Romanov is nursing a drink. An enforcer and one of the legitimate business managers from the Baranov empire. A man who should be loyal to Sofia.
I watch as they shake hands. It’s brief but everyone saw it. It’s a signal. A message.
I file the information away. Viktor just showed his hand. Showed where his loyalty lies. That’s valuable intelligence, even if Sofia doesn’t realize it yet.
Yuri heads for the door, but he pauses at the threshold. Turns back to look at me.
“This isn’t over,” he says. “Not even close.”
And then he’s gone.
Slowly, conversation resumes. People pretend nothing happened. But we all know things are about to get rough. The peace we’ve enjoyed for the last year is over.
“Well,” Kirill says from beside me. “That went well.”
I almost laugh.
Sofia returns and sits back down. She reaches for her wine glass and drains half of it in one swallow.
“It’ll be okay,” I say.
“How about we agree not to lie to one another.”
“Fine. Tonight, we finish dinner. We smile. We make sure everyone in this room knows we’re united.”
“I don’t feel very united.”
“I don’t care how you feel right now. I care how you look.” The words come out cold. I see her flinch. I don’t try to make it better. I want her pissed. I hate seeing her scared.
“You’re right.” She straightens. “This is performance. I can perform.”
And she does. For the next two hours, she plays the perfect bride. Leans into me when appropriate, maintaining the illusion that this is a real marriage.
“We’ve done this long enough,” I say.
“What?”
“I’m ready to go.”
She nods once. Doesn’t speak. I see her throat work as she swallows.
I get Nelson’s attention. Kirill goes out to get the SUV. Three men surround her as we walk to the waiting SUV. I don’t trust Yuri. He might be lying in wait.
The ride back to the brownstone is silent. Sofia stares out the window, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. I catch her trembling. Just slightly. Enough that I notice.