Page 49 of Ruthless God

I leaned back against the chair just as a waitress dressed in a skimpy black lacy skirt that covered nothing and a matching bra came by with drinks. She quietly placed them down, her gaze moving to mine briefly before straightening and walking away. I didn’t bother to look at her. I recognized the girl as the one I frequently fucked when I came here, but fuck if I could remember her name.

“How many are a few guests?” I asked, taking a small sip of the scotch.

“Three. Anatoly Novikov, his boy, Boris, and hisbrigadier, Sergei Popkov. I’m sure they brought more men with them to Chicago, but those were the men invited to stay at the Lombardi residence.”

“How nice of them,” Matteo sneered.

“And how old is Boris now?” I asked.

“Twenty-one. But the fucker’s big and was already rumored to be just as cruel as his old man. Once good old Anatoly kicks the bucket, Boris could be a problem for us. And if they’re doing what I think they’re doing, that problem is coming sooner rather than later.”

My brothers turned to me. I didn’t say anything, thinking about it carefully. What would Andre have to gain by allying with the Novikov Bratva mere days after my wedding to Luna, one that was supposed to help form an alliance between our two families? They should know we were on the cusp of warring with the Novikov Bratva, especially since they have taken it upon themselves to align with the Devil’s Wings MC in California.

And this fucking marriage had been Enzo’s idea. I had no doubt the fucker knew what Andre was doing. Not that he would ever admit to that.

How interesting, indeed.

“Are they marrying off the youngest sister?” I asked out loud.

Elio seemed surprised. Valentino nodded. “It looks that way. I couldn’t get close enough to plant anything, so all my information is based on mere observations from a distance, but it seems Andre is pushing his youngest toward the heir.”

I cracked a small smile. “What a stupid fucker.”

“Do you want me to stop the marriage?” Romeo asked.

“And how do you propose we do that?”

“Take away the bride. If there’s no bride, there’s no wedding.”

“And where should we stash her while we let the Lombardis and Novikov fight among themselves over their missing bride?”

His eyes told me where he thought he could stash Lina. With me. With Luna. I nearly grimaced at the thought. There were things I’d much rather endure than to have the little brat live with me.

Like getting tortured by the fucking Russians again.

“No, let the marriage go through,” I said.

My brothers shared a look. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

“The Novikov Bratva is a weak family. Even with the backing of the Lombardi family, I doubt they could take us on. They know that too. So I want to see what their plans are. What Enzo’s plans are. And I want to know if Emilio is a part of this. Sometimes, we just have to sit back and let things fall into their place. Matteo, keep a closer watch on Marco.”

No doubt Marco would be the one to do Enzo’s dirty work. If dear old Uncle Enzo was working with Andre, he was going to need backing. They wouldn’t act unless they knew they could turn a good portion of my men to their side, like the traditionalists who had followed my father.

One way to do it was to prove I had killed my father.

The traditionalists could stand for a lot of things from theircapo dei capi. Killing the old king wasn’t one of them. My mindmoved to the blade that I always had with me and kept tucked by my side. It wouldn’t be hard to match the wound from my father’s body to this blade. Forensics was done on the bastard’s body when they found him, at Enzo’s insistence. I was sure he was banking on the hope that he would discover that blade on me one day and convince the old traditionalists of my treason.

I should have gotten rid of the murder weapon ages ago. But I didn’t. It was my fucking pride and joy. My only regret was not prolonging the kill.

And there was a chance my getting rid of the blade could leave a trace behind for Marco to sniff out.

No, it was safer with me. Or perhaps I was being cocky, never believing Enzo or Marco would ever be able to make me fall. I didn’t fucking care.

“Valentino will go to New York while they prepare for the wedding. I want you to be my eyes and ears of the place. Take backup if you must. I want to know where and when it’s happening. Can’t miss my chance to personally congratulate the bride and groom on their big day.”

Matteo smiled a little at that. No doubt he would want to come with me to the wedding.

“Elio, you and Romeo split up, go to Mexico and Canada, and call up our allies. Just because the Novikov Bratva is weak now doesn’t mean that would always be the case. I want to prepare for the worst. And I know I don’t have to say this, but keep this between us.”

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