Page 9 of Ruined Vows
Because I have to haveher.
I’ve never been so hard for a woman, which means one thing.
I will have her. And she will beg for me to take her.
In the warehouse, she thought she could take me. She punched me hard, but it didn’t faze me. I give her credit for her deftness in the field. Truthfully, she would have taken out lesser men.
I was impressed, to say the least. She didn’t anticipate I’d be so spry and muscular for my age because I quickly subdued her in my arms. She mouthed off, telling me to go fuck myself in Italian. I assume she did so in five other languages, as I didn’t understand anything she said after that.
I was captivated by her perfect lips. The green flash of her eyes was devastating.
She’s a woman who will start wars.
She’s a woman men will die over.
When she enters a room, she owns it, not because of what she wears or how well she wears it.
But because she commands it.
After the gunfire stilled, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.
And that’s why I used my favor with Matteo.
In our line of work, having some markers is always prudent, especially since I was involved in the plot to overthrow my brother.
It’s not taken likely, killing a king.
The fact that I planned it makes it worse. But that’s the secret that I’ll take to my grave.
Because Miloš was my older brother, the aftermath of the war left me with a fractured empire. Wars are frowned upon.But assuming the throne over an unnatural death is a sin that destroys empires.
My brother was unpredictable, and it was only rivaled by his cruelty. He was a psychopath. Half the men were worried over their future under his rule, and the other half did his bidding over fear of angering him, which meant death.
One way or another, he had to go. Our criminal syndicate would have collapsed if he had remained our leader much longer. The risk was being absorbed by another syndicate of falling into oblivion.
Sure, every leader has opposition. But Miloš courted dissension in the ranks. His personality fanned the flames of destruction due to his uneven temperament and arrogance.
Men were discontent. Grievances festered like sores. My brother was making one mess after another. Miloš wasn’t a rational man. He was self-absorbed. He surrounded himself with men who told him what he wanted to hear, not what he needed to hear.
I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t anticipate dissension in the ranks. I’m flirting with disaster. I have to clean up his messes and clean house.
I’m sure a takeover is brewing, and I need to be prepared because my men don’t like changes. The hierarchy will change with a new ruler, and some will feel slighted.
And I bring changes. Not only will I end the trafficking, but I will also bring a woman into the fold.
And that will not go over well with my council.
They’ll see my Italian bride as a weakness. They’ll say I sold out to the enemy. But nothing could be further from the truth.
But in the end, it doesn’t matter.
Because I will marry Bianca Borrelli.
Because she’s mine.
She just doesn’t know it—yet.
And I will protect my queen, no matter what the cost.
