Chapter Twenty-Seven

Ilya

"N o one has to die, Oleg." My hands bunched into fists and flexed out wide as my anger grew. This situation was spiraling out of control and the bad feeling deep in my gut bubbled to the surface. I wanted to kill him, I wanted this to be a bloodbath, but two things were stopping me. I couldn't let my daughter see this, and also this was America—while my business often involved violence and retribution, Having Brooke's friend be a witness was not ideal, nor her brother, who, if everything went to plan, should be arriving here at any moment. I had been in two minds whether to get him involved, me and law enforcement are not natural allies, but perhaps, after this he will see that I can protect his sister and niece.

Oleg glared at me, but his scowl slowly morphed into a wicked smile. "You foolish and stupid boy. Just like your father."

My entire body stilled at that. I was no longer interested in playing nice with my uncle or working things out. He didn't know that I knew who he really was. A fucking snake. A traitor. "The only mistake my father made was trusting you."

Oleg laughed a boisterous laugh that shook his whole body. "You may be right, Ilya." His smile vanished. "It would be a shame if you made the same mistake."

My breathing slowed and that urge took over. There was a tingle that began in my extremities and worked its way out to my fingers and toes, and I knew what that meant. It was how my body prepared for war. My heart rate slowed and every detail around me sharpened and came into clearer focus. "Never," I would never trust him the way my father did. Not ever.

"Good." He seemed satisfied with what he mistook as my acquiescence. "Now kill this bitch so we can get on with our day."

Brooke cried out and my gaze swung to her wide green eyes as they slowly filled with tears. Ilya's henchman held a handful of her hair wrapped around his fist. His other hand gripped a silver pistol with the barrel pressed against her temple. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Keep her safe," she mouthed to me.

My jaw clenched and my heart squeezed at the sight of Brooke, of my woman, with tears in her eyes, thinking I would sacrifice her for anything. Even our daughter. I would save her. I would save them both.

I loved Brooke. I hadn't known what I was feeling for her until just this moment. I foolishly believed it was a blend of lust and nostalgia, but I knew now it was more than that. Seeing that gun pressed to her head, the fear in her eyes, and the trust that I would take care of our little girl, I knew without a doubt she was it for me. My heart.

My love.

Oleg's blue eyes lit with evil. "This will give you character."

"Like you would know," I snarled without sparing a glance for him. "Brooke."

Her eyes went wide as if she was trying to say something, and her gaze slid to her friend on the sofa with Dmitri.

I gave the smallest of nods to assure her that everyone would be safe, before I turned back to deal with my uncle. He thought he had already won, which grated on my fucking nerves. "You know, Oleg, I remember all the lessons you taught me over the past eight years. Every single one. Even when you were talking shit or giving me bad advice to see how I would react."

A hint of regret shone in his eyes, but I didn't buy it. Whatever his plan had been when he killed my father, he'd been playing a long game that somehow extended to me. "I taught you well," he replied after a long pause. "That is why I am certain you will do as I command and kill her." He spoke with confidence, but I saw it again, a flicker that I thought was regret but it wasn't. It was uncertainty, and it was there in the pinch at the corners of his mouth, the vein in his forehead that pulsed rapidly.

Excellent.

"If you don't put two bullets in her head, I will be forced to kill the little girl with the Kuznetsov blue eyes."

"No!" Brooke's anguished cry pierced the armor I'd mentally shrugged on to do what needed to be done.

Oleg's smile brightened as if he was enjoying torturing her.

His henchman yanked Brooke closer to him, tilting her back so she was unsteady on her feet.

He didn't know it yet, but he was also a dead man. I pulled my gun from the holster at my back and gently gripped the handle as I brought it up and aimed it at the space between where Oleg sat, and Brooke stood. Let him think I was wavering, let him think I would finally do his bidding.

"Now you are thinking clearly, my boy."

My boy. As if my father never fucking existed. Fury welled up within me at those words and I inhaled deeply, letting it out slowly. "Never be afraid to make a point." I repeated the words that Oleg drilled into me from the moment of my first kill. He stood beside me and spoke the words softly but full of encouragement.

Oleg visibly swallowed. He was catching on, but he hadn't gotten there quite yet. "Exactly. I am making a point." He nodded with his hands steepled, an air of authority that surrounded him.

I pivoted my hips just enough to shift my left foot back, out the corner of my eye I saw Dmitri tense, ready to act. "Swift and brutal, so that others know you can." I repeated the last line of his most important lesson and swung my arms towards Oleg, squeezing the trigger twice, shocking my dear uncle.

His eyes flashed wide when he realized what was happening, but it was already too late. The first bullet pierced his forehead, and he flew backwards, the second went through his heart.

Two more shots sounded as her brother burst through the front door. I heard Brooke screaming and she fell to the ground. I rushed over, but realized she'd fallen as Igor dropped dead. The henchman lay beside her a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead, Ryan standing over him with a smoking gun.

"Brooke, sweetheart, talk to me."

She looked up at me, tears streaming down her blood-splattered cheeks as she gripped my shoulders tightly. "Ilya? Are you all right?"

I smiled. "I'm fine. Are you hit anywhere?" My hands roamed her body in search of injuries, but she was perfect. Absolutely fucking perfect.

"No, I'm fine." She looked to the left, to our daughter—Dmitri had thrown himself over Karina and Lara to protect them. We knew one another inside out and I'd signaled him earlier to be ready. My friend straightened himself up and brushed down his clothing. Lara and Karina were unhurt but clearly terrified, Dmitri helped them both up, shielding them from the carnage.

"Oh, thank god!" Brooke gasped.

I addressed her friend, "Lara, could you take Karina upstairs please," the woman did as I asked.

"Karina," Brooke cried softly, as if she was too exhausted to scream.

I grabbed Brooke's arms and brought her to her feet, kissing her cheek before I pressed my forehead to hers. "Brooke, I need you to go to your room and get cleaned up. Go with Lara and Karina. Can you do that?"

She took a step back, shrugging out of my hold, and instantly the air between us cooled. "I'm fine."

"Listen to me, you're in shock. Go get cleaned up and then sit with our little girl. I need to deal with this and then I'll find you. I promise. I'm not going anywhere." I knew she needed the assurance, and I was happy to give it to her because it was the truth. "Please."

She looked from me to her brother, and then at the two dead bodies in her living room. "You'll come back?"

I smiled. "Just try to get rid of me." I winked and walked her to her bedroom, leaving a too quick kiss on her sweet lips.

In the living room, Ryan approached me first while Dmitri was busy gathering the identifying items from the bodies. His broad shoulders were squared, his expression unhappy. "Ilya."

I flashed a smile. "So much for the off-duty police officer."

His lips twitched, but I knew he wasn't ready to let himself laugh. "I am always on duty." His words carried an additional weight that I immediately understood.

"Duly noted," I said seriously. "And thank you, for taking care of Oleg's man."

His expression turned thunderous. "You should have taken him out first," He nudged Igor's body with his foot.

In his place, I would have said the same thing. "Oleg was his boss, with him dead he would have a split second to decide whether to retaliate or swear allegiance to his pakhan's killer. That would have given me ample time to deal with him—luckily, you arrived saving me any moral dilemma. Besides, Brooke would never have forgiven me if a bullet had come anywhere near Karina. Oleg was the priority." He didn't need to know why. Not yet.

"Does she know that?"

"Yes," I answered.

Ryan stared at me for a long time, trying to test my strength or see down to my soul, I wasn't sure. "She doesn't seem to hate you anymore."

"That is good, because I love her. And she loves you, which makes you my family whether you like it or not."

"I don't."

I laughed. "I didn't think you would. And that's why I need you to get the hell out of here."

He crossed his arms, looking very much like a lawman. "Excuse me?"

"You are going to make me say it?"

He nodded. "I am."

"You want to call this in," I guessed correctly. "If you do that, there will be no hiding your connection to the bratva. Oleg is well known in many jurisdictions across the world."

"And?"

"And his dead body inside your sister's home will mean the end of your career. No promotions or special details, this is where you will stay. Also, it may put a target on your back, putting your family at risk." My words started to penetrate his stubborn brain. "That is not what you want or deserve."

"And when you and my sister figure your shit out?"

I smiled that he had confidence we would figure it out, and then I shrugged. "My father wasn't as well-known as bratva, just a businessman. The rumors will persist, but I will continue to chalk them up to American ignorance, believing all Russians to be mafia or spies."

He continued to glare at me, so I decided to open up to my—hopefully—future brother-in-law, "I have someone who can ensure this is covered up."

"You've got it all figured out, don't you?" he said shaking his head in disbelief.

"No," I sighed. "But this? I can do this. I will do this, and you will let me."

After a long pause, he finally agreed. "And the rest of your uncle's men, will we have to worry about them?"

"No. Never again."

The look on his face said he wanted more answers than I was prepared to give him.

"Never. You are safe, Ryan. So are they. I promise."

"You can't."

"I can and I will." I squeezed his shoulder and guided him towards the door. "See you soon. Brother."

That earned me a glare, which only made me smile. "Too soon," he said, and left, leaving Dmitri and me to take care of the mess.

"Papa is on his way with supplies and manpower," Dmitri offered with a grim smile. "Ilya, I am—"

"If you apologize, I will shoot you in the thigh." I knew my friend too well. "If you had not called me and told me about Karina, Brooke and I would have been fucking all afternoon while Oleg slaughtered everyone who matters to us."

His lips twitched. "So you got angry, fought, and demanded to meet the little girl?"

My own smile widened. "Something like that."

"Then we're good?"

I nodded. "Better than good. You know what comes next."

"Of course. Are you ready?"

"I was born ready." We looked around the living room with satisfied smiles. "Let's clean up this trash."