Page 63 of Surprise Twins for the Mafia Prince
I slam the back of the SUV closed and get in the driver’s seat. Luca keeps his gun out as I head across the city to the Bratva’s territory. Trouble could come after us at any moment, but I’m not worried. I’m not planning to linger in this area.
The Bratva owns a restaurant that sells borscht and stroganoff and pelmeni, along with various other Russian dishes. It’s a popular place, not that I’ve ever eaten there. I would likely end up with rat poisoning in my food.
Pulling up to the back of the restaurant, I park by a loading bay where they probably take food deliveries. They’re getting something else tonight.
Popping open the back of the SUV, I yank out Andrey’s limp body. He’s still breathing when he hits the pavement, so I’m sure he’ll live. Good. I want Kozlov to get the message.
I don’t linger. There’s only two of us, and I don’t know if we’d survive getting jumped by a group of Kozlov’s armed men. The drive back into our own territory is quiet, but when I look over at Luca, there’s a smirk on his face.
“You feel better?” he asks.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’ve been walking around with a shit ton of pent-up aggression,” he points out. “Some of the men are afraid to approach you lately. No one wants to poke the bear.”
“I was shot. You’d be pissed too.”
“So, it has nothing to do with Paige?”
I’ve just pulled back into the parking lot of the bar, and I park next to his car. Turning to face him directly, I glare.
“You don’t get it. They tried to kill her and my babies. I’ll burn down the whole world if that’s what it takes to get my vengeance.”
Luca blinks. “Wow. I never thought I’d see my brother like this.”
“Like what?”
“Lovesick. Smitten. Homicidally devoted.”
I chuckle at that last one, the tension draining from my body.
“How about you come back inside with me?” Luca asks, opening his door. “We can have a drink to celebrate a successful evening.”
I shake my head. “Not tonight. I want to get home to Paige and help her unpack.”
It didn’t take long to find a house for us, and we just moved in a couple of days ago. I had the furniture delivered and placed exactly where we want it, but there’s still plenty to unpack and organize, and I don’t want Paige doing it alone.
Luca laughs. “You’re whipped.”
I shrug, unable to deny it. I don’t give a damn if everyone knows it. Taking care of Paige and the babies is my first priority.
“Alright, family man. I’ll talk to you later,” Luca says.
I wave at him as he walks away before driving to my new home.
The house we chose is located in a gated community minutes from the strip. The homes are large and expensive, and ours is no exception. It’s two stories with five bedrooms and a finished basement. The ceilings are high and the kitchen has been recently updated.
But what really sold the place to us was the backyard. It’s an oasis in the desert. There’s already a pool there, in-ground with a patio surrounding it. There’s a complete outdoor kitchen and a fence surrounding the green grass. The fantasy I created for Paige of having an amazing home to raise the kids can be a reality now.
Parking in the driveway, since the garage is currently full of boxes, I get out and walk onto the small front porch. The house is white stucco with wrought iron accents around the windows. The front door is a bold red, something that Paige told me she liked when we looked at this place. I think about that day.
She’d been stiff during the car ride over and reluctant to give her opinion when we got here. I was annoyed at first, because I’d hoped house hunting could be something we enjoyed together. After all, this was probably going to be the place where we raise our kids.
It was the backyard that finally got her to relax and give me an opinion. I don’t think she could help herself when she gasped and told me how beautiful it was. I’d told her that I would make an offer immediately, which made her tense up on me again.
Bothered by her behavior, I told the realtor to wait for us out front and pulled her back into the house.
“What’s wrong with you?” I asked. “You’re acting like you have no opinion on where we are going to live.”
