34. Mauro #3
“God, look at you. You’re so in love it’s gross,” he teases, standing and straightening his shirt.
“I should get Dr. Rose to come check on you. But before I go… I just…” He clears his throat.
“I’m not one for emotions, but… I love you, Mauro.
And I’m proud to be your brother.” He swallows hard.
“And I know with certainty that our father would be proud of the man you’ve become. ”
His words mend the broken pieces of my heart that have been shattered since the day I lost my father.
They elicit an intense, persistent warmth throughout my chest.
Making me feel whole.
I know he doesn’t know the sign for I love you, so instead, I point to my eye, and then to the center of my chest, and finally at him.
“Hey, looks like I know ASL after all,” he muses with laughter.
I shake my head, waving him off, and right after he exits, Alina walks into the room with Dr. Rose by her side.
“I heard my patient was awake.” Dr. Rose smiles warmly as she approaches.
“You had a pretty nasty gash in your side. I’m guessing if that blade moved even another centimeter, it would have punctured your lung.
” She arches a brow. “You’re lucky your brothers got you here so fast.” She steps away, turning toward the sink, where she begins to scrub her hands.
“I’d like to change your bandages and make sure everything is healing properly before I release you.
Ideally, I’d keep you here for another day or two, but knowing how you and your brothers are, I’m guessing you’re in a hurry to get out of here as soon as possible.
” She briefly glances over her shoulder at me, and I nod in confirmation.
Alina steps to the side of the bed. “How are you feeling?”
Fine.
She arches a brow.
I tilt my head, side to side. Could be better. Just want to get out of here and rest at home. With you. Preferably naked.
A blush spreads over her cheeks as she peeks over at the doctor and then looks at me. No sex.
I scowl.
You need to give your body a chance to heal properly.
I raise my hands to protest when she signs…
There are other things we can do while we wait.
The corners of my lips curl up. I like the sound of that. Her eyes soften, her body inching forward. But first, there’s something I need to take care of.
“I’m fucking ready for summer,” Vin complains as he pulls his SUV before the warehouse, stopping in front of the large doors.
Stepping out into the cold air, I see my breath transform into a white puff of smoke as I rub my hands together.
This feels like the longest winter on record.
The warehouse doors part, and Alex, Leo, and Eli walk toward us.
“He’s pretty cranky,” Leo tells us, sliding his hands inside his pockets.
“I think after getting your ass kicked, then shot, then getting stitched up so you can await your impending death, all while spending a few days in your enemies’ territory might make you cranky, too,” Eli adds, slightly chuckling.
Alex looks at Vin. “You’re sure this is what you want? Because once we kill one of them, there’s no going back.”
Vin drags his fingers through his hair. “There’s no going forward as long as they’re breathing amongst us. Our family will always be in danger while they’re here.” He jerks his chin at me, gripping my shoulder. “This is all you, big guy.”
Nodding, I step toward the building while fury grows tenfold inside me. I’ve envisioned every single way I plan on bringing pain to Kazimir. Every way to make him pay for hurting my wife.
I don’t want his demise to come fast, but slow. So slow, he begs for mercy, which I will never show him.
I want to see fear in his eyes as I steal his last breath from his lungs.
I want to play God and decide the exact moment to end his miserable life.
I just need to do it before my pain medication wears off.
I lead the way inside, finding Kazimir hanging from chains that dig into his wrists. He looks like shit with his face barely recognizable, covered in bruises and gashes, dried blood plastered to his skin.
He deserves everything coming his way.
Kazimir’s puffy eyes focus on me. “So, I see you survived.” He spits at the ground inches from my feet. “That’s unfortunate.”
I circle him, trying to decide how to start my revenge. A pair of brass knuckles resides in my back pocket, but they don’t feel like enough. A revolver is in my coat pocket, but a bullet to the head is too quick and painless.
And I want this monster to suffer.
For blackmailing Alina.
For putting his hands on my wife.
For attempting to take her away from me.
For arranging to sell her like a piece of cattle to the highest bidder.
For every woman he and his brothers have sold on the black market.
For everything.
My eyes spot the baseball bat in the back of the room, leaning upright against the wall. A bat I custom-made with nails that stick out all around it.
A grin breaks free as I stride over to it and grip the handle, tightening my knuckles around it.
This will do nicely.
Kazimir tries to hide the terror in his eyes as I approach, but I don’t miss the way he swallows nervously, or the way he shifts against the chains.
“You can’t kill me,” he states matter-of-factly.
“Why the hell not?” Vin asks, grabbing a folding chair and settling in for the show.
“I’m a Vasiliev. You kill me, you’ll start a war. One you won’t win.”
Vin spreads his legs, resting his hands behind his head. “A war is exactly what we want. But believe me when I tell you, we will win it. And we will kill each and every single one of you in the process. The Vasiliev name will soon cease to exist.”
Kazimir’s lips curl up, a sinister smile growing. “And what about Liliya?”
Vin stills. “What about her?”
“You plan on killing her as well?”
“She’s innocent in all of this, so no.”
“Ah, I see,” Kazimir starts. “In that case, the Vasiliev name will live on, whether you want it to or not. The name will never truly die unless you destroy all of us. And seeing that you’re currently in a contract to wed her, it’s safe to assume you’ll fuck her, creating children— ”
Vin stands abruptly and steps toward him, stopping right in his face.
“There will be no wedding. I want nothing to do with your sister. Vasiliev blood runs in her veins, and I won’t let her taint our family’s name!
” He turns and steps away, gripping the nearby table as he struggles to control his temper.
“I’m sure your dear cousins won’t be too pleased to hear that, especially since it will cause Mikhail to pull out of—”
“Enough.” Alex folds his arms over his chest. “Nothing you say will get you out of this little mess. In fact, keep talking, and you’ll only make things worse for yourself.”
Kazimir narrows his eyes.
Leo walks forward, tapping a finger on the gun in his holster.
“You and your brothers blackmailed Alina for land that was never going to be yours. You held her father’s life over her head.
And when she told you no, you decided to take matters into your own hands by kidnapping her and her father with the intentions of selling her. ”
A fresh wave of rage washes over me.
“On top of all of that…” Eli advances toward him. “You and your brothers have been kidnapping women and children when Mikhail specifically told us you wouldn’t be following in your father’s footsteps.”
“Mikhail knew what you morons needed to hear.” He scoffs. “You really think we would give up something so lucrative? In the past six months, we’ve managed to pay off all the debt our father left us in and triple our profits.” He shakes his head. “Mikhail will never give up this business.”
“And that is why you will all die,” Vin says with not an ounce of remorse in his words.
His eyes grow cold as he faces Kazimir. “Every single one of you will pay for your sins, but we’ll start with you.
” He nods toward me. “Take me out of my misery and shut this fucker up. He’s giving me a headache. ” Vin rubs his temple and steps away.
Everyone around Kazimir backs up as I step forward, placing the tip of the bat beneath his chin.
“For…my…wife,” I manage to get out as pain scratches its talons up and down my throat.
“I’ll see you in hell,” Kazimir declares, holding his chin high.
And those are the last words he voices before I start the war.