Page 10 of Bound Vows
“Iamreasonable. Marriage benefits us both. You gain protection from the chaos that’s coming, and I gain the legitimacy that comes with Mastroni blood.” I sit on the edge of the bed close enough to see the gold flecks in her green eyes. “Your alternative is watching your family burn while I reclaim what was stolen from mine.”
Maya stares at me for a long moment, and I see her weighing options and calculating odds. When she speaks again, her voice is steady.
“If I agree to this marriage, what guarantee do I have that you won’t kill me or my family once you have what you want?”
“None. But you’re more valuable to me alive than dead. A living Mastroni wife legitimizes my operations. A dead one just makes me a widower with a revenge complex.”
“And if I refuse?”
“I’ll kill Max first, then Vincent, then their wives, then anyone else who carries Mastroni blood until nothing remains but corpses and memories.” I lean close enough to smell the lingering jasmine of her perfume. “Including you, eventually. Though your death would come last, so you could watch everything you love burn first.”
Maya meets my eyes without flinching, and a begrudging respect stirs in my chest. Most people would be begging by now, but she’s calculating angles and planning her next move.
“You’re assuming I care enough about my family to sacrifice myself for them.”
“You killed three of my men to protect Vincent. You attended a charity gala you despised because Max asked you to. Everything about your behavior screams family loyalty.”
“Maybe I just enjoy violence.”
“Maybe. But I don’t think you’re quite as cold as you pretend to be.” I stand and walk back to the window, giving her space to think. “Take your time deciding. We have all day.”
“I’ll marry you,” Maya says after several minutes of silence.
The quick acceptance surprises me, though I keep my face neutral. “Just like that?”
“You’re going to destroy my family either way. The fact that you got me out of that event without anyone raising an eyebrow tells me you have the resources to do just that. At least this way, I’ll be close enough to kill you when the opportunity presents itself.” Maya’s smile is pointed enough to cut glass. “And trust me, Andrei Volkov, that opportunity will come.”
I find myself genuinely impressed by her honesty. Most people would lie, promising cooperation while secretly planning betrayal. Maya dispenses entirely with pretense.
“I appreciate your directness. It will make our working relationship much smoother.”
“Working relationship?”
“Marriage is a partnership, even when it begins with kidnapping and coercion. You’ll be my enforcer. Your name opens doors, and your blade keeps them open.”
She sputters and says, “You want me to betray my people.”
“I want you to help me build something better than the fractured territories and constant warfare your father’s generation created. Unity through strength rather than division through weakness.”
Maya laughs, and this time the sound carries genuine amusement. “You’re insane if you think I’ll help you conquer the families.”
“You’ll help me because the alternative is watching everyone you care about die slowly and painfully. I can be patient when motivated, Maya. I spent sixteen years planning this moment.”
Before Maya can respond, the bedroom door opens, and Alexei enters with a stride so quick I know right away that it means bad news.
“We have a problem,” he announces without preamble.
“What kind of problem?”
“Max Mastroni has mobilized every soldier in his organization. Three of our street dealers are dead, and our Brighton Beachoperations are under siege.” Alexei glances at Maya, then back at me. “Someone told him his sister was taken, not just feeling ill. They must’ve seen us.”
The timeline I planned for careful manipulation has just collapsed into an immediate crisis. Maya’s disappearance was supposed to remain secret for days, giving me time to establish terms and present our marriage as a diplomatic solution. Instead, Max is treating this as an act of war.
“How long before he traces the kidnapping back to us?” I ask.
“A few days, maybe less. Our men at the gala were careful, but if there was a witness, it’s only a matter of time before someone identifies our people.”
“Then we accelerate the timeline,” I decide. “Prepare the safe house in case it’s needed. If Max wants a war, he can have one, but we’ll be fighting from a position of strength.”
