Chapter 27
Gavriil
Pressure pounds behind my eyes as I sit at my desk, staring at the glow of my computer monitor.
I fell asleep in my office chair this morning, the image of Alina and Dominik tangled together burned into my skull.
I expected an argument. Tears. Regret. I expected Alina to beg to be sent back to me.
But that didn’t fucking happen.
My jaw tightens as I watch Alina and Dominik eat breakfast together, their shoulders pressed close like they can’t bear to be apart by a centimeter.
Beside him, I’m still a shadow she barely notices.
I should rip them apart, but I thought that they would do that themselves. I thought Dominik would be furious about her keeping secrets from him, but he forgave her immediately. He was only pissed at me.
Why won’t they break?
I don’t understand how they still choose each other after everything.
A knock sounds on my cracked office door before it opens, Matvei appearing in the doorway. “Maximo and Enzo Luciani are due to arrive in a few minutes. Are you ready to see them?”
I rub my hand over my face, realizing that I’m still in the same clothes as yesterday and forgot to shave. I was so distracted watching Alina and Dominik that I forgot to properly prepare for my meeting.
The Italians are the last viable alliance on the board. If this deal collapses, there is no backup plan.
“Of course,” I say as I stand from my desk. “Wait five minutes, then bring them up to the meeting room. I just need to grab something first.”
Before he can say anything, I stride past him and to my bedroom. My stomach clenches at the sight of the empty cage. Last night was a mistake. Now, they’re closer than ever, and I’m fucking losing it before a vital meeting with a necessary ally.
Having Luciani’s help could turn the tide. The Italians are strong, organized fighters with important connections, and the Bratva needs that to defeat the Irish and win this war. We’re struggling on our own, and the Irish know that.
I just have to convince the Italians that getting involved in this conflict will be worth it for them.
After I brush my teeth and smooth down the strands of hair trying to stick up in different directions, I change into fresh clothes, then head to the meeting room, quickening my pace when I hear voices coming from the staircase.
I barely make it inside and take a seat before Matvei leads Maximo Luciani and his cousin Enzo into the room.
“Gavriil Morozov,” Maximo greets me, his dark eyes sizing me up as he extends his hand.
I stand from my seat and shake his hand firmly, ignoring the way my body aches from sleeping in my chair for a few hours last night. I need to pull myself together. “I appreciate you coming over.”
“I was intrigued,” Maximo replies as he steps out of the way so that I can shake Enzo’s hand. He sits on the right side of the table, adjacent to me, leaning back in his chair casually. “The Bratva don’t usually ask for help.”
The side of Enzo’s mouth curls up in amusement as he sits down on the other side of his cousin.
“This could be mutually beneficial for you,” I say as I take a seat, fighting to keep my voice level. We’re not crawling on our hands and knees to them for help.
I’m looking to strike a deal that could benefit us both and end this war.
“Oh, I’d hope so. The Irish are mean bastards,” Maximo replies as he rests one hand on the table, a gold watch shining on his wrist. “We’re not going to stick our necks out for nothing.”
I glance over at Matvei as he remains standing near the door. His face remains steady, and I reflect it, keeping my annoyed comments to myself. The Italians can certainly be full of themselves.
“What do you want from us exactly?” Enzo asks, sitting up straight with his hands clasped together on the table.
“After some strategizing, we’ve determined that extra men for retaliatory attacks and additional weapons and vehicles would help us put the Irish and any other enemies back in their place,” I state, my hands perching on the arms of my cushioned chair as I force myself to relax back into it.
“And what happens if our vehicles are blown up like some of yours have been?” Enzo questions me.
My fingers tighten around the arms a degree. “We’d either pay you the cost of the vehicle or replace it with the same model.”
“You’ve let your territory turn into a war zone,” Maximo says, a slight smirk playing out on his lips. “Buildings and cars blowing up. Men shot and killed. I’m sure you understand our hesitancy to send our men and equipment into your side of town.”
A spark of anger ignites within me, and I lose my cool for a millisecond, my eyes narrowing. “We have things under control. The Irish aren’t the only ones attacking us, so we’re outnumbered here.”
“No other Bratva families can come to your rescue?” Maximo asks.
I don’t like that they keep referring to us like we’re helpless. Like we haven’t been fending off multiple attacks for weeks now on our own.
“They’re dealing with their own business in their own territories. Some are currently hundreds of miles away,” I tell him. “If you’re too nervous to join this war, say it now.”
I hear Matvei draw in a sharp breath behind me.
Enzo’s face hardens, while Maximo raises an eyebrow at me.
Fuck. I probably shouldn’t have said that, but they’re pissing me off only minutes into the meeting.
“You’re the one asking for help,” Maximo points out. “We have the men, weapons, and vehicles to spare for your efforts, but you need to make us an offer in return. We want to come out of this war victorious too if we stand by your side.”
“We’ve had to spend a lot of money lately to replace what they’ve destroyed, so we wouldn’t be able to pay it upfront, but we could work out an amount that both of us agree is acceptable,” I offer.
Maximo hums under his breath. “That’s the offer? An undecided amount of money that we’ll only get a cut of upfront.”
My fingers slowly flex as my already shit amount of patience gets worn down even more. This morning has already started off terribly because I woke up to Alina and Dominik restless with their hands all over each other. They must know that I can see.
“Sir,” Matvei whispers behind me.
I snap out of my thoughts to see Maximo and Enzo giving me confused looks. “Is there something else that you want other than money?”
Maximo glances at Enzo, talking with their eyes before turning back to me. “The warehouse near the harbor.”
I blink at them. “What about it?”
“We want it,” Maximo says easily.
A humorless laugh breaks from me before I can stop it. They must be fucking with me. “That’s a vital storage and distribution center for the Bratva.”
“Well, it’s no good to you if the Irish storm in and take over everything, right?” Maximo points out with a shrug. “You might as well let us take control of it, and we’ll give you enough men and resources to equal it in value.”
That warehouse is perfectly and strategically placed near the harbor. We need it, and we’re lucky that it hasn’t been hit by our enemies yet. I’ve concentrated a lot of patrols around it, but I’m starting to worry that it’s only a matter of time.
“That won’t work,” I tell him with a firm shake of my head.
“Are you sure about that?” Maximo questions me. “I think it’s a good deal. Save the rest of your territory and cut out a little slice for us.”
It’s not that simple, and he knows that.
“Pick something else.”
“There’s nothing else that I want or need,” Maximo replies with a scoff. “That warehouse is the most valuable thing you could offer me.”
“It’s not for sale,” I grit out, my tone final.
Silence follows my words, and I can feel the shift in the air and the weight of disappointment now weighing down on it. They shouldn’t have asked for something so ridiculous.
“I’ve heard quite a few things about this war that you’re in,” Maximo comments, his tone turning icy.
“The Bratva are scrambling. The Irish have been chipping away at your forces for weeks now, and I suspect you will bury more men by the end of next week. Have you buried your brother yet, Gavriil? Is that why Dominik hasn’t been seen in weeks? ”
Something snaps within me at the mention of Dominik. He’s the one who started all this shit by getting attached to Archer’s innocent little sister and putting her above me and the orders that I gave him.
If he’d just let me do what I wanted with Alina, we could’ve avoided all of this. She would’ve been mine to play with however I wanted from the first night, and he would’ve stayed focused.
“That’s none of your business,” I tell him, my voice dipping lower in a stern warning. “We’re here to talk about the war. Not my brother.”
“Your brother should be helping you win this war. Is he not?” Enzo speaks up with a curious cock of his head.
“No, he’s not,” I grit out.
“Maybe that’s why you’re losing,” Maximo comments, his lips curling up in amusement.
A surge of fury hits me.
I slam my palms down on the table, the sound cracking through the room.
“I’m not losing. I thought you hated the Irish more than us enough to join our side and knock them down to size.”
Maximo looks over at Enzo, who subtly shakes his head. “You’re right. We don’t like the Irish, but it’s clear to me that joining the Bratva in this war will cost us more than benefit us.”
My stomach turns as I watch them get to their feet. My face burns hot, a mixture of frustration and shame hitting me. I did this.
This wasn’t how I operated. I didn’t lose deals because of irrational jealousy. I didn’t let emotion rot my judgment from the inside out.
And yet every decision lately has her fingerprints on it.
I lost my cool, and I scared them off. That’s something I would never do before…before Alina.
Maximo and Enzo walk out of the room, and I just stare at the empty table.
“I’ll try to change their minds,” Matvei tells me before hurrying after them.
It’s no use, but I can’t find my voice to tell him. We need the Italians to replace what we lost and strengthen attacks with more men and equipment, and I just detonated that deal.
I scrub my palms over my face, anger rattling through my body as Alina and Dominik flash through my mind. They’re two stories below me, and I still couldn’t get them out of my head enough to focus on the meeting.
Bringing Alina into my house was a mistake. She’s poison to my mind.
I keep choosing her anyway because I don’t think I can bring myself to send her away.
And that might be what finally destroys me.