Chapter 16

Jason

" A udrey's brother," I mutter, my gaze darting between them. "I didn't know you had a brother."

"Two, actually," Anton says, chuckling. "The Fedorovs are a large family."

"The Fedorovs?"

Audrey gives him a startled look. "What the hell, Anton? One thing, I asked you for one thing!"

"I'm sorry, little sister, but the man deserves the truth, and if you won't tell him, then I will," her brother replies. "It's not fair to Mr. Winchester, and you know it."

"Will you please just shut up, Anton?" she says through clenched teeth.

"Why should he shut up, exactly?" I ask, tempted to let my anger get the better of me. "From where I'm standing, I've got a feeling that Anton here is the only one interested in being honest with me."

"No, it's not that simple; there's more to this than—"

"Audrey," Anton cuts her off, placing a hand on her shoulder. As soon as he touches her, I notice that she instantly shuts down. There's respect there, but there is also a subtle threat in his presence, something that adds just enough tension to her frame, just enough for me to notice. She respects him, but she also fears him. "Jason needs to know who you are. Whatever else you want to tell him, that's on you. But at the very least, he needs to know who you are and why the Abramovic family is after you."

Something tells me the truth is about to hit me hard and right in the gut.

I'm not going to like it.

"I think your brother and I agree," I tell Audrey.

The pain in her blue eyes cuts right through my soul, but I'm certain she also understands how important the truth is at this moment. Now, more than ever. If I can't trust her, if she can't trust me, how will we make it work in the long run? I can't be with another woman who betrays me, who breaks me, and then leaves, only for me to pick up the pieces.

"Here's the deal, Jason. In Audrey's defense, she has been working hard to be true to herself," Anton begins. "She left us; she left New York, the only home she'd ever known, so that she could start fresh somewhere else. To my dismay, for some reason, she chose Chicago. I'll never understand it. She could've picked any other city in the country, but she chose the land of deep-dish pizza—"

"I suppose you're going somewhere with this," I exhale sharply.

"Yes. My point is, do not blame my sister for not telling you the truth. Honestly, I wouldn't have told you, either. You probably could've gone your whole life together without ever having to deal with this. But the problem is, somebody in Chicago recognized Audrey somewhere, at some point. Likely a rat from New York, here on business, or hiding out from my family."

"Your family."

"I'm Anton Fedorov. She is Audrey Fedorova. We have an older brother, Vitaly, who will inherit the family business. I'll be working alongside him, but Audrey chose a different path. My brother and I will never hold it against her. Our father, however, is not so pleased with her."

I shake my head slowly. "I'm still waiting for the conclusion."

"You've never heard of the Fedorovs?" Anton frowns, albeit slightly amused by my ignorance. I offer a shrug in return. "Well then, let's just say we rule New York from the shadows. How about that?"

The puzzle pieces click into place. "You're the mob."

"No, we're Bratva, Jason. The kind of people you want to be friends with, but not too friendly. You definitely don't want us as your enemies. You'd be better off if we don't know anything about you, in all honesty."

"And the Abramovic family … they're what, Chicago's rulers from the so-called shadows?"

"Also Bratva, yes," Anton says. "There used to be two families running business in New York in the early 1900s, but the Abramovic clan moved their operations to Chicago as soon as the Italians started their gang wars. They took advantage of the chaos and deregulation, the Abramovic becoming the Chicago Bratva, while we solidified our reign over New York."

"Why are they coming after Audrey, then?" I ask. "To get to you?"

She lowers her gaze, unable to look me in the eyes. I don't know whether it's fear or shame or both, but it's tearing me apart to see her like this. It also makes me furious, learning about all of this only now. She could've told me. She should've told me, dammit.

"Yes. Because she is still a Fedorov, fake ID notwithstanding, like I said, somebody probably recognized her, then ran straight to the Abramovics to tell them that she's in Chicago. They've probably had her under surveillance for a while, watching where she was going, who she was meeting with, what she was doing, that kind of thing," Anton says.

My blood starts to simmer until it reaches its boiling point as I glower at Audrey. "You knew, then? You knew that they were specifically after you, and you knew why, as well?"

"Yes. They snuck a note under my door," Audrey sighs heavily. "It's why I wanted to get away from The Emerald."

"So, you lied to me."

"I was scared, okay? I was ashamed. I'd already kept so much from you, and I couldn't risk your and Lily's safety," she says, her voice trembling with raw emotion. "Jason, I'm sorry."

"But do you realize that you put us in danger by not telling me the truth?" I ask, my throat tightening with unbridled fury. I know I need to get a grip on myself, but I'm struggling to do so. I draw the line where Lily's safety is concerned, especially after all the crap I went through with her mother, Ramona. "For fuck's sake, Audrey! You should've told me so I would've been better prepared. I would've been able to better protect you. They never would've gotten close enough to almost kidnap you or worse!"

"I'm sorry," Audrey sobs, blinking back tears as Anton puts his arm around her shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Jason. I panicked, okay? You have been so good to me, so kind and patient. We were doing so well that I almost believed I had a shot at a normal life. I just … I froze; I didn't know what to do. I wasn't sure what was worse—the fact that I was lying to you or that simply being in my presence was dangerous."

"It wasn't your decision to make. And it's not yours to make now either," I snap. "You lied to me. You kept secrets. I repeatedly asked you for the truth, and you repeatedly rebuffed me. Hell, you walked out in a fury the other day just because I pressed you further on the matter."

"I know."

"I'm sure Audrey had the best intentions," Anton tries to pitch in, but I'm too angry to make decent use of my reasoning capabilities, so I raise a hand to silence him.

"I can't have you anywhere near Lily anymore, you do understand that, right?"

She nods slowly, barely able to speak. It's killing me, but my instincts have taken over. I have to protect my daughter. I have to keep my baby safe, no matter what. Everything else fades into the darkness, simmering away into a dim background because my mind can't fathom anything except Lily's safety.

"I can't do this anymore," I say as I get up and walk away.

I hear Audrey's whimper as she watches me leave, held back by her brother while I keep my focus on the exit. A few more steps and I will be out in the street again, away from her and the Bratva. The farther away I get from her, the better it will be for Lily and Rita. I can't risk their lives. Had I been on my own, the conversation would've been completely different.

But I am not on my own.

I am a father first. And while my heart is bleeding, I can't go back.