Page 37 of Ruined Vows
“It’s not a matter of believing. Not for me. I base my decisions on facts and make choices that will lead to a successful future for our organization. You pledged your loyalty to a dead man. He’s in the past. I’m planning a prosperous future for all of us.” I say. “You need to look to the future. But make no mistakes, even if you disagree with my decisions, I’ll still have her.”
My word is law, and he’d better fall in line—quickly.
He grunts with disapproval before he walks out without saying another word. He is smart to do so because he was trying my patience.
And I let him walk because I have more pressing things to attend to.
Namely, a woman who thinks she can break me.
I can’t lie. She jabs well, and her punches are solid. I have a high pain tolerance, but when no one’s around, Ishake pain relievers into my hand and reach for another ice pack.
And I hope she’ll fall in love soon, otherwise she might kill me.
Later in the day,David meets me at the end of the shooting range. No words. Just a nod, a box of ammo, and a silent offer to watch my six.
He’s always known when to talk and when to let the fire of silence burn.
The weight of the Glock feels good in my hand. It’s predictable and trustworthy. Unlike the men who want to overthrow me, who smile with their teeth and poison their loyalty the second they think no one’s watching.
“You heard?” I ask, lining up a shot.
David loads a magazine beside me. “Radovan’s been whispering.”
I fire. It’s a clean shot, dead center.
“He’s saying Miloš died because of me,” I say, interjecting.
David doesn’t flinch. “Miloš died because he couldn’t follow the code. We both know that.”
“And yet I’m the one who’s taking the fall,” I mutter.
I fire another shot. This one lands just left of center.
“Our Uncle is playing the long game,” David says. “Waiting for doubt to settle into the soft ones. No doubt he and Radovan are working together.”
“Then we tighten the ranks,” I say. “Pull in the men who remember what we saved them from.”
David looks over. “You thinking about taking Radovan out?”
I pause. I’d love to take him and my uncle out, but I need concrete evidence that they want to kill me. The optics of anotherfamily member dying so soon after my brother is one I won’t survive.
“I’m thinking about not having to kill anyone yet. I can’t kill everyone with an opposing opinion—there wouldn’t be many men left. I doubt they’ll fall in line, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt for now. If they move, we’ll be on them.”
And we both know what that means.
Realistically, Radovan probably won’t stop until I give him a reason to. And when that moment comes, it will probably be too late, but I’ll make sure he earns his death. And that’s something I can live with.
Milan, on the other hand, is a wild card. I don’t know what he’s capable of. He’s been on the sidelines for years, but I know he’s still seething because he’s never agreed with the chain of command after my father died. He’s never acted on his anger before, so maybe he’ll settle down. I can only hope.
“I’ll keep my ears out for betrayers, like always,” David says. He fires a few rounds, hitting the black dot on the target repeatedly.
I pause as he pushes bullets into the .45 cartridge.
“I appreciate that. Keep it low, but no one is beyond scrutiny.”
He nods. “And Bianca?” he asks.
I glance toward the door, then back to him.
