Page 58 of Hers to Command

My brother is the one who’s supposed to go rogue and cut people’s eyes out, not me.

And yet, here we are.

“Bullshit,” I say, my voice firm. “You don’t get to take what’s mine and walk away unscathed.”

I might have left that guard tied up, but that won’t cut it now. This is where I become the person the Bratva needs.

A killer.

For a moment, there’s silence. Then Dmitri laughs, low and mocking. “You think you’re ready for this? Ready to play with the big boys? You’re out of your depth, little girl. You’re nothing without your Italian husband to back you up.”

His words sting, but I don’t let it show. “You’ll find out just how wrong you are soon enough.”

“And what’s your plan?” he sneers, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees, feeling way too confident. “Shoot me here and now? Make me disappear? Do you have any idea what kind of war you’d be starting? Besides, even if you are fast enough to put a bullet in me, my guy would shoot you at the same time and then you still lose.”

“I’m not afraid of war,” I reply, taking a step closer. “And I don’t plan to end up dead today.”

“You should be afraid,” Dmitri says, his tone darkening. “Because if you pull that trigger, you’ll find out just how little power you really have. My father would have your head and that of every single person you care for.”

“Maybe you’re right, but that’s why I’m taking the power that’s supposed to be mine right now.”

The scent of stale garbage and damp asphalt is starting to fill the air from the parking lot. I need to get this done, but Dmitri keeps talking and I’m still waiting for the pieces of my plan to fall into place.

“You think you can lead the Bratva? You can barely keep your house in order. Or is that why you married Angelo? Because you knew you couldn’t do it on your own?”

“Say what you want about Riccardo,” I snap, “but at least he doesn’t have to buy his women.”

Finally, Dmitri gets up and pulls his pants up. “You’re out of your depth, little girl. You don’t have the stomach to play this game.”

The fury in my chest burns hotter, but I keep my aim steady. “Try me.”

Finally, the sirens of an ambulance close in. It’s the moment I’ve been waiting for. The nearby hospital gets a steady amount of incoming emergency vehicles, but I didn’t leave this up tochance. I called that ambulance myself, knowing it would only take a few minutes to get here. Or rather, get to the old-folk’s home a couple of houses down.

I swivel and shoot, just as the ambulance passes by the club. Between the silencer and the loud sirens, nobody in the club could have heard the shot. And Dmitri’s guy is dead.

Katja makes a strangled noise, and I spare her a quick scolding glare. She presses her hand over her mouth. Her eyes are huge, darting between me and the dead guy, but she doesn’t scream.

Dmitri’s face is turning a darker shade. He’s pissed all right.

But he doesn’t pull a gun.

Is he seriously unarmed?

Riccardo

The tires crunch against loose gravel as Toni pulls the car into the parking lot of the club. The neon lights of the building flash like a cheap lure, illuminating shadows that flicker and distort in the dark.

Russians have fucking awful taste.

All except Anya. She’s hot as fuck and married me, after all.

My jaw clenches as I scan the lot, my pulse steady, but my thoughts are anything but.

“She’s here,” I say, already certain, even though the message we got from one of our men wasn’t certain it was actually Anya.

Toni glances at me from the driver’s seat, his fingers drumming against the wheel. “You sure about this? If we go in and it’s not her, this could cause a fucking shit storm.”

“She’s not with Sergei.” My voice is flat as I reiterate Anya’s betrayal. “And if I know anything about that woman, it’s that she goes after shit when she wants something bad enough. And she hates Solntsev. I bet my fucking wedding band that she wants to take him out herself after he got the better of her last time.”

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