The number of times I watched the fight between my wife and that huge man was unhealthy. At first, I almost didn’t believe that she took down an assassin three times her size on her own.
Until I watched the tape.
The CCTV captured the whole thing, from the way she killed the man who’d shot Konstantin to the battle in the hallway. I blamed myself for not being there when all of this was happening. But at the same time, I was filled with so much pride while watching the tape.
She proved to be stronger than I thought; she was capable of handling herself in trouble. I wondered what was going through her mind as everything was happening. Because the woman in that video was a vicious beast.
That naive, innocent little girl was nowhere to be found in the face of trouble. She was gone, allowing the lioness to take the wheel. I hadn’t been more shocked in my whole life. Nothing surprised me like this version of her.
I never imagined for a moment that there was a killer lurking somewhere inside her. The joke was on me. I should’ve known better. As proud as I was, I never wanted her to cross that line. And I would change that reality if I could.
But I couldn’t.
She was one of us now. A killer.
Not because she enjoyed it.
But because she’d had no choice.
What she did was proof that she’d make a good leader and an even better mother. She would protect her flock against predators.
Now, that was a partner worth having for life.
The more I watched the video, the more I realized she didn’t win that fight by chance. It wasn’t luck. It was her sheer will to survive, to protect one of her own. And I couldn’t have been prouder.
However, it was time I put an end to that bastard, Rocco, for good. Twice now, he’d launched an attack on me. In my house. He was reckless enough to bring the fight to my home. Twice. That was a slap to my face.
He’d proven to be a formidable enemy, one I shouldn’t underestimate. The bastard was a cancer, a thorn in my flesh, and I was going to pluck him off. I needed to take care of this problem quickly because I had two lives to protect at all costs.
Rocco wasn’t working alone, and neither should I. He’d made himself some new friends—powerful and influential people who wanted me out of the way. They joined forces, and together, they’d been planning my downfall.
To make matters worse for me, the Bratva elites were pulling their resources gradually. They blamed me for letting this escalate and spiral out of control. They called me sloppy, accusing me of becoming weak and out of touch with reality.
They didn’t say it to my face, but I knew they believed my wife was the reason for my “weakness.” They cast a vote to decide whether or not they’d intervene and help out.
At the end of the day, the results weren’t in my favor—as expected. A good number of them voted against lending a helping hand.
Essentially, I was on my own.
Rocco’s fight was with me. Not the Bratva.
It was my responsibility to end this feud once and for all. With or without their assistance.
Most of my best men were injured during the most recent battle. So I was short-manned. My cousins all had their handsfull at the moment, and I didn’t want to bother anyone with my problems.
I was in my study that afternoon when Konstantin’s temporary replacement walked in. He told me someone was at the gate, waiting to be ushered in.
“Who?” I asked, seated behind my desk.
“Anatoli Petrov,” he replied.
Anatoli Petrov was an ally of mine, one of the very few ones that hadn’t been compromised. He was the man who made Celine laugh at the gala and tricked her into thinking he was nice.
“Let him in.”
He nodded and walked away.
A few minutes later, Anatoli was escorted in by two men who left shortly after.