Page 95 of The Bonventi War
Ares smiles. "No fun in being late. I can't risk letting you have all the fun." He gestures to one of his men, who comes forward with a tablet. "I've got some more intel, as promised."
I check the magazine on my Glock, sliding it back into place with a satisfying click. "Let's hear it."
"Turns out there's been a little confusion about who was after Raven," Ares says, glancing at the tablet. "Viktor Sokolov is the right person, but he's not the son of the Russian family. He's a cousin from a separate family in Moscow who was brought over to help operate just outside the Don's realm so nothing could be directly tied back to the Russian family here in Chicago."
I pause, looking up at him. "Okay, what kind of help?"
"His first order of business was to kill your brother, Marco." Ares's eyes meet mine, stoic and focused. "He's also an art collector, which brought him to Raven's father."
The pieces snap into place in my mind, creating a clear picture that makes my blood boil. "Frank screwed him over on the painting," I say firmly. "So he had them do what his main objective was all along—kill my brother."
My hand tightens around the gun I'm holding, imagining it's Viktor's throat. The thought of Marco lying in that hospital bed, tubes keeping him alive. The memory of Raven's tears as she watched her gallery burn. All of it—every bit of pain, every drop of blood—because of this piece of shit.
"There's more," Ares continues, seemingly unfazed by the rage building in me. "He plans on taking Raven back with him to Russia, so who knows what would happen to her if he succeeds."
My jaw clenches. The thought of Raven—my Raven, my future wife, future mother of my child—in that monster's hands makes me see red.
"So he's a real asshole, huh?" Ares says, laughing, putting the tablet away. "Uses his personal bodyguard, this Mikhail Petrov guy, who also came with him from Russia, to do his bidding."
"Makes sense. Frank told me before he died about these two pricks," I say, pacing, trying to calm my anger.
"Whoa, her father's dead?" Ares asks.
I nod.
"Did you—" He asks and then stops when I give him a look.
"Jesus, Gio. This is all like a fucking telenovela," Ares mutters, dragging a hand down his face.
"What?"
"A soap opera," he grins and places a hand on my shoulder. "I'm not going to ask anymore about you two. I just better be invited to the wedding."
"You help me kill these two motherfuckers, and I'll put you in the damn thing."
Ares smiles. "Well, tonight Viktor will be here, along with Mikhail. This will be the biggest message we can send." He looks me straight in the eyes. "Are you ready?"
I cock my gun, the sound sharp in the night air. "Fuck yes."
I strap on my shoulder holster, checking that my backup piece is secure. I slide a knife into the sheath at my ankle, another at my waist. I give my earpiece a check. Ares nods that he can hear me.
"So, Raven know you're here?" Ares asks casually, checking his own weapon.
The thought of her makes something in my chest tighten. Not guilt—I never feel guilty about what I do to protect what's mine. But something else.
"She's at the house," I say, unwilling to elaborate. To tell him how I kissed her goodbye as she slept, how I slipped the engagement ring back onto her finger after she'd taken it off to shower. How I whispered promises against her skin that I'd come back to her.
Ares nods, understanding the unspoken. "My men will take the perimeter," he says, switching to business. "Yours can handle the east entrance. We'll take the front approach."
I check my watch. Fifteen minutes until Viktor's meet is supposed to start.
"You take out Mikhail," I tell Ares. "Viktor is mine."
There's no argument from him. He knows what this means to me. What family means to me. What Raven means to me.
My men spread out at my signal, moving silently between containers, taking up their positions. Ares's crew does the same.I stay low, moving with stealth toward the warehouse where the meet is set to take place.
I'm going to make sure Raven never regrets accepting me and the world I live in. Starting tonight, by removing every threat to her safety.
