Dominic
With Cassandra tucked under my arm, I point two members of my cleanup crew toward the carnage that was once Anatoliy Kozlova.
With the bastard and the higher-ups in his organization dead, I’ve made a big enough dent in the Kozlova Bratva that I doubt we’ll hear much from them for a few decades, if ever.
The elevator on the top floor dings, and Leo strolls out, followed by my cousin and brother.
“All enemy operatives are accounted for,” Leo says, dropping his phone to his side. “These two”—he indicates to Marco and Nico—“Jonathon, and Victor took down ten guys on their own. In total, we were up against forty-five men. Not a single one is walking out of here tonight.”
The satisfied grin that forms on my face may seem callous to some, but as far as I’m concerned, those fuckwits got what they deserved. My celebratory mood dampens when I see some members of my crew carrying their fallen brothers.
“How many did we lose?” I ask Leo.
His mouth sets in a grim line as he brushes his wayward hair from his forehead. “From our team, eight men gave their lives. Plus, two from Boston and one from Victor’s crew. We have multiple injuries that are being addressed, but nothing life-threatening.”
Cassandra molds herself to my side. I know she’s grappling with the idea that good men lost their lives keeping us safe.
“They knew the risks,” I whisper into her ear.
“That doesn’t make it better.” With her eyes downcast, she picks at the stained lace on her dress.
Not for the first time, my gut twists when I realize Cassandra’s perfect day was ruined. Every bride deserves to be a queen, dressed in a beautiful gown and adorned with jewels, without leaving their ceremony covered in blood.
“Hey, guys, I hate to be that guy, but Amanda is wondering what’s going to happen now.” Marco lifts his phone to show the text thread with his wife.
Leo raises his brows as he scans the area, calculating the cleanup effort ahead of us. “We do have a ballroom’s worth of guests waiting for Mr. and Mrs. Tariello to make an entrance.”
“What do they know?” I ask, considering how the hell we’re even going to continue with the wedding.
“Well, the majority of our guests are business allies,” Leo says.
“However, for the few that aren’t, we gave a loose explanation involving a failed acquisition with a questionable source.
We explained that the two of you are fine, just secluded until we know the threat is under control.
Lucas had a crew go through mobile devices and delete photos and videos from the incident. ”
“So?” I peer down at Cassandra. “What do you think? Should we attend our reception?”
Her mouth drops open as she gestures to her gown. “Looking like this?”
Marco shrugs. “I mean, it’s kind of badass. Sends a real ‘don’t fuck with us’ message through the underworld.”
I cock a brow. He has a point.
She sucks her lip between her teeth as she weighs her options. When her eyes meet mine, they shine with devious electricity.
“Why not?”
With pride, I steer my bride toward the elevator bank. No other woman could be a more perfect fit to lead our organization. Not for the first time, I realize I am the luckiest bastard in the world.