Ravaged Throne: A Russian Mafia Romance (Solovev Bratva #2)(96)

We both watch as smoke billows from the far right of the compound. Then, black jeeps appear through the smoke like the four horsemen of the apocalypse, raining bullets as they approach. Mikhailov men fall dead on the grass.

“Jesus,” the woman breathes.

Wrong, I think to myself. Leo.

He’s come for us.

A few minutes of chaos and gunsmoke pass by. It’s hard to make out anything, just the vague, thrashing silhouettes of men doing violence to one another.

Then I see him.

Tall and confident, he fights his way through a line of men. To my surprise, he veers left and jumps onto the roof of one of his own jeeps.

The men before him stop fighting and turn to him, enamored with him the way I am. He was born to be a leader. Born to the power he wields like a deadly weapon.

I strain to hear what he’s saying, but I can’t make out his words. Whatever it is, it seems to get through to the men fighting.

When I see Leo jump down from the jeep and walk into the house, I want to flee the room and run to him. I want to meet him at the front door.

But this fight isn’t over.

Not yet.

The door clicks open, and I pray it will be Leo, even though I know it’s too soon for that. My heart drops when I see the nurse enter the room. She is still wearing the blood-speckled uniform she had on when she slit Semyon’s throat.

Pasha’s nanny rushes forward. “What’s going on? Where are our men?”

“Dead or deserted,” the nurse says coolly. Her eyes flicker to me.

“Oh God… they’re going to kill us…”

“Don’t worry, dear. They won’t kill you,” the nurse says calmly. “I will.”

Then she pulls out a gun and shoots the nanny in the head.

I barely have time to turn and shield Pasha. When I look back, the nanny is on the floor, a pool of blood growing around her.

I face the nurse. I don’t even know her name “Please…”

But before I can finish my thought, we hear footsteps approaching. The nurse turns the gun to me. She closes the distance between us and presses the muzzle to my head.

I squeeze my eyes closed, say a silent prayer, and kiss my son’s forehead.

Whatever happens next is out of my control. I can only cling to my son and think of Leo.





38





LEO





I find him in a boardroom.

“Watching your legacy go up in flames?” I ask. “Seems a little masochistic, even for you.”

Spartak turns to me, his gun lying casually in his hand. “You think this is the end?”

He’s sitting at the end of a long table. The room is empty apart from him. His men have either abandoned him or died.

“I know it is.” I brandish my gun. “It’s time for your final speech, Belov.”

He gives me a smile. “You think because you’ve got me cornered, I’m done? You don’t think I have a contingency plan?”

“I’m sure you do,” I say. “I never thought you were stupid. Merely misguided.”

His eyes narrow as he tries to brush off the insult. “I have your wife. And your son.”

“They’ll be fine.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Just show me where they are,” I say. I don’t want to play any more games. I’m ready for this to end.

He smiles. “It would be my pleasure.”

Belov rises slowly and leads me out of the room and down the hall. He heads up a flight of stairs, seemingly unconcerned that his back is to me and I’m armed.

On the way, we run into Gaiman and Jax.

“Go back down and make sure everything is under control,” I tell both of them.

“What about you?” Jax asks.

“I can handle this.”

“Cocky,” Belov murmurs thoughtfully. “Every don’s downfall.”

Jax and Gaiman hesitate, but when I glare at them, they sigh and do as they’re told. Spartak leads me down a long corridor and stops in front of a plain door with a golden handle.

“After you,” he says.

I shake my head. “You first.”

He exhales impatiently and walks in. I follow him into the room and find Willow standing there, clutching a small bundle in her arms.

“Leo…” Her eyes go wide when they land on me.

And so do mine…

When I see that Semyon’s nurse has a gun pointed at her head.

“Don’t worry,” I tell her. “Just trust me.”

“Trust you?” Spartak laughs. “Trusting you is going to get her killed. Trusting me is going to make her a Bratva queen. Now, unless you want Marika here to blow your wife’s brains out, lower your weapon.”

Without hesitation, I drop my arm. Belov gives a satisfied smile and relaxes.

“See, my dear? I’m the horse you should have tied your wagon to,” he says. “Any last words to your dearly beloved husband?”

“Don’t kill him,” she begs. “Please.”

“My beauty, don’t make this harder on yourself than it has to be. Say what you need to say while you still can.”

She says nothing, but I can see tears start to pool in her eyes.