Page 91 of Savage Bratva King

“I’m talking about my sister, Gianna. She’s in love with Leonid Ivanov.”

His face has already darkened like the sun just passed overhead throwing us all into shadow.

“If you kill him, she’s walking out of here and she’s never coming back.” Mel’s tone is serious but surprisingly calm, so that there’s no ambiguity in what she’s about to say. “And if she goes, I go.”

28

LEONID

The city is coveringits ears against the wails of the emergency services speeding towards the ever-growing number of fires. Chicago is sporting a dirty-gray hat made of smoke like a gangster who just walked into a bar and forgot to remove it.

And the rat is still in its hidey hole, cleaning its whiskers and plotting its next move.

I never had Xander Amory down for a coward, not really. I expected him to help me bring this feud to its natural conclusion tonight, one way or another. But it seems that I misjudged him—he is only prepared to fight when he isn’t on the defensive.

Or perhaps he believes that I’m done with Gianna Sedric already.

This will be his biggest error yet, and one for which he will pay dearly.

“Why doesn’t he come to stop us?” Tamara stands beside me watching as my men set fire to yet another building in yet another territory that is unofficially claimed by the Sicilians.

“He thinks that because he forced his way onto my land and took Gianna, he has the upper hand. But he has learned nothing since he became the head of his family. I will not stop until I have destroyed everything that he owns.”

“Pakhan.” Ivana flanks the other side of me. “We might not be able to stroll into the next Amory territory quite so easily.”

“I think you’ve made your point,” Tamara adds.

“Which point do you think I’ve made?”

I’ve yet to deal with her part in Gianna’s failed escape attempt, but while I’m cleansing the city of Sicilians, I might as well flush out all the moles digging holes in my soil.

Tamara doesn’t flinch. “You’ve shown him that you’re angry about the printzessa’s abduction. Now that he has her, he will never hand her over. It’s a matter of principle.”

“So, what do you suggest I do now?”

“Arrange a meeting. On neutral territory, the way your fathers would’ve done.”

“I disagree.” Ivana’s voice could be mistaken for her sister’s apart from the abrasive edge that grates its way into the listener’s ears. “The Sicilians can’t be trusted. We might not be able to protect you. I think we should continue to flush him out. It will be seen as a sign of weakness if he doesn’t try to stop you; he might as well walk away with his hands in the air and divide the Amory Corp between his enemies.”

“So, you think I should fight, and Tamara thinks I should talk.”

I stare at the burning warehouse in front of us, the acrid smoke creeping into my lungs and making my eyes feel gritty.

This war has become personal. It is no longer about two families trying to prove that they are more powerful than the other, or that they deserve the largest slice of the city’s action. This isn’t about money or reputation or respect. It isn’t about casinos or weapons or drugs or any other organized crime that takes place in plain sight in the city of Chicago.

Xander Amory has stolen what’s most important to me and, whether he realizes it or not, I won’t rest until she is back in my life.

Ivana’s hand brushes mine to get my attention.. It opens up a tiny hole in my heart for the little kids who reached out to me from that stinking container as if I were an angel in disguise sent from heaven to save them. Somewhere beneath their tough exterior, there are two little girls still desperate for affection.

“I guess it depends on the outcome you want,” she says.

“There can only be one outcome.” I look at each of them in turn. “I am not going home without Gianna.”

“Then you have your answer, Pakhan,” Ivana says. “You must let Xander Amory know what you want. His response will decide whether you talk or fight.”

“Tamara?”

I know what she did. I don’t fully understand her motive, perhaps because I don’t love her in the same way she loves me, but I know that she encouraged Gianna to run away so that our lives could return to normal. Perhaps now she understands that what was normal before no longer exists.

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