“Or lose everything?” Ana’s voice goes deep.
Pierce pales to ghost white. “W…wait.” He swallows as a dark smile splits Sergie’s lips.
I sit frozen as the enforcer draws the blade upward, slow and threatening, until it rests beneath Pierce’s jaw. Another bead of blood appears. Sergei curls his fingers into my ex’s hair and wrenches his head back. The knife slices a deeper line of red. Pierce screams, and I cover my mouth.
Ana doesn’t flinch.
“Stop!” Pierce’s voice jumps up an octave. “Okay, okay, fine, Jesus, I’ll make a formal statement.”
Ana pockets her knife and sits back, composed. “Good boy. You may be scum, but you’re not a fool.”
Sergei withdraws the blade and smacks Pierce in the head. “I’m missing football game for this.”
I hide a spit of laughter, all while my pulse is hammering. I could have easily sat here and witnessed not a murder, but a dismemberment.
But God, this was exhilarating. Justice. Power.
Pierce’s glare darts to me again. “So…this is your thing now? Mafia intimidation?”
I lean forward, elbows on my knees. “Youchose to fuck with the mafia.”
“He chose to fuck with the Bratva, sister,” Ana corrects me with a tap on my knee.
“Bratva…” Pierce mutters. “Fuck.”
“You have twenty-four hours to make your public apology. Clear Dr. O’Rourke’s name. Praise his notable and outstanding achievements as you should have done last night and beg for his forgiveness.” Ana’s voice only gets quieter and more terrifying. “If you fail, you’ll never practice medicine again, one way or another.”
Sergei wiggles his fingers, making the threat abundantly clear.
“Fine. Yes. Whatever.” Pierce nods frantically. “Let me the fuck out of this car.”
Ana nods once to Sergei. The enforcer shoves my ex sideways out the still-open door.
Pierce falls out and hits the sidewalk hard, scrambling away on hands and knees while Sergei looms above him, fists curled. My ex gets to his feet, and he’s on the phone in seconds. We don’t wait to see who he thinks will show up and rescue him.
Sergei returns to the fold-down seat, slamming the door on a man he no longer cares about.
Ana straightens her already smooth pants, perfectly calm. “You handled your first shakedown admirably.”
My heart spikes with pride and adrenalin. “Thank you.”
She taps the roof of the car. “Home.”
The SUV peels away from the curb, and this is already forgotten.
I joined a family. Two, really.
An Irish Mob and Bratva empire.
And God help anyone who tries to take me away from it now.
Chapter 50
Cormac
Imanage to somewhat block out that my wife is with the entire Bratva enforcement team because I’m still a professor with a class and finals.
Time folds in on itself as I focus on schoolwork, but I breathe in relief when the door to the apartment opens. I quickly save my work on the laptop and rise to my feet.