Page 81 of Married to the Don (Kornilov Bratva Duet 1)

I pull my gun from my waistband, make sure it’s loaded, and watch as the soldiers grow closer to the hole in the wall.

The second they’re out of my sight and only a few steps from moving inside the building, I catapult myself up and over the blown-out window.

I land hard on my left knee, but there isn’t any time to recover. I push through the pain and stay low as I run the ten steps to where Rio is hiding behind his soldiers. He doesn’t even turn to inspect the noise until I’m a foot behind him, my gun aimed at his head.

“What the—” he starts, but the words die in his mouth as I wrap an arm around his neck and press the muzzle of my gun to his temple.

His soldiers spin around, guns raised, but when they see the precarious situation their leader is in, they lower their weapons, looking around nervously.

“End this,” I growl in his ear. “Call it off and let’s talk.”

Rio is pinned to my chest, but he turns his head as much as he can and spits. It misses me by a wide margin, but the move is still disrespectful, and I know there will be no negotiating with him.

So, I plow my knee into the back of his legs and force him to the ground, never lowering my weapon. I could kill him now. I could blow out his brains and claim this war as a victory, but it would spiral into more fighting and death. And for what? In the name of Fedor’s short fuse.

No, I’ve always been the rational one. The thoughtful one. And that won’t change now.

I call out for my men. Several of them move through the fog, guns raised, and force Rio’s soldiers to drop their weapons. They comply.

“This fight is over.” I send one of my men and one of Rio’s men to spread the word. Then, I send for Petr.

He’s injured and limping, but okay. His color has returned.

“Call Mario,” I command. “Get him here now.”

“You don’t need to talk to my father,” Rio argues. “Talk to me.”

I press my foot into his spine and repeat the command. “We’ll wait for the don of the Mazzeo family. In the meantime, if anyone fires another shot, they’ll be killed on sight. And only I get to kill Rio.”

I will kill him if it comes to that. I’ll kill them all to save my men and myself. But not if I don’t have to.

* * *

No one has said a word.

“We’re all here because of your fucking brother,” Rio spits after several minutes of tense silence.

“I’ve just let you move to a sitting position. Do you want to lie flat on your stomach again?” I ask.

Rio’s shoulders tense, and he bristles at my show of power.

Rio hates Fedor, and I think it’s because they’re so much alike. Rio has a hot head and acts on instinct. Though, we both know he’s right. Fedor started this. We wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t been for him.

“I don’t know why my father insists on making nice with you,” Rio continues. “Do you know our fathers wanted to try and convince you to marry my sister? They thought it would make a lasting alliance between our families.”

“Yes,” I said. “Unfortunately, it’s too late for that. I’m a married man.”

I feel married, even if I only spent one night with my “wife.” Besides, I don’t care about any other women right now. Maybe when this mess is over, I can focus on finding her.

Rio seems confused by my admission, but before the conversation can go any further, I hear several car doors slam shut at the front of the building. Then, figures round the corner.

Mario arrives like a president to a press event. He walks around the side of the building with four guards forming a square around him, each one armed and making up a corner of his security detail. I have no doubt they would throw themselves in front of him to save his life in an instant. Hopefully, that won’t be necessary.

When he sees his son on the ground, Mario’s mouth tightens into a frown. Then, it eases, and he focuses on me and the gun I have trained on his heir.

“I think we’ve had a misunderstanding,” he says.

“I agree.”

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