Chapter 17

Maxim

It wasn't the first time I had called Ada Murphy, who was hands down one of the most powerful Irish mafia bosses here in Boston along with her brothers, Kieran, Cormac, Aidan, and the twins Connor and Caden.

It was, however, the first time I had called her and told her that I was in love with an Irish girl half my age, and I wanted her family's help planning the wedding.

With a deep breath, I dialed her number and waited for her to pick up, all the while my heart hammering in my chest.

"Maxim," she greeted, her voice smooth as butter on the other line.

"Ada," I began with a deep steadying breath, "I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?" she asked.

"I've met someone, someone very special," I continued, keeping my voice strong.

"Oh, really… Tell me, who is the girl that snapped up the ruthless Maxim Morozov?"

"Her name is Riley O'Brien and she's incredible."

"I see," she answered thoughtfully. "And what kind of favor are you asking for?"

"I need your help planning the wedding. She's from Ireland and she wants a ceremony that touches on her Irish roots," I explained, holding my breath slightly as soon as I got the words out.

"Well, Maxim, you've got my attention and my interest. The Murphys would be honored to help set up a proper Irish wedding. We'll make sure it's everything she—and you—could ever want," she said, her genuine warmth shining through with her words.

"Thank you, Ada. I knew I could count on you," I replied, more than a little relieved.

"Of course you can. But be warned, Maxim, I'll need to meet this girl who's stolen the heart of the most feared Russian mobster in Boston. We need to ensure she's Murphy-approved."

Her words were playful, but the underlying message was quite clear. Ada took family seriously, whether by blood or by alliance. My family and hers had aligned through the marriage of my daughter to her brother, so that included me and my soon-to-be wife.

"Agreed. We'll set something up soon," I promised.

"Good. And Maxim," Ada added, her voice turning serious again, "she's under our protection too now. Anyone thinks to harm a hair on her head, they'll have the Murphys to answer to as well."

"Thank you, Ada. That means more than you know," I grinned.

"Of course," she replied.

"But there's something more you should know. It's about the Orlovs," I continued.

I took a few minutes and apprised her of the situation between my family and the Orlovs, how I'd killed Gregor and how the bratva's boss was demanding Riley as payment.

"Don't worry, you have us if you need us. A strike against the Morozovs is a strike against the Murphys."

"I appreciate that, Ada," I answered.

"We'll talk soon, Maxim. Give my regards to Riley."

"I will."

I hung up the phone and stared at it. I had one more call to make and it was going to be a difficult one.

I had to call my daughter and tell her too.

When I strode into the Iron Wolf Tavern later that day, there was already a glass of vodka waiting for me. Ivan and Sergei were camped out at our usual table with a bottle of our finest Russian vodka half-drunk between them.

How dare they get the party started without me?

With a grin, I slid into my seat beside them and Ivan slid a vodka in front of me. I threw back the glass, the sharp bite of the alcohol burning down my throat. With a grunt, I nodded to Ivan to pour me another. He did with a chuckle.

Sergei didn't waste any time. "The Orlovs are getting bold, Maxim. They're pushing into our territory with a ferocity we haven't seen before. I'll tell you one thing. I don't fucking like it."

Ivan nodded, his expression grim. "They've started leaning on local businesses, our businesses—extortion, protection rackets. And there's talk they're trafficking drugs too, trying to take over routes that have been under our control for decades."

"We can't let this stand," I stated flatly. "It's not just a challenge to our control; it's a blight on our community."

Sergei leaned forward, his eyes hardening. "We need to reinforce our presence on the streets. More patrols, more visibility. Let's remind the Orlovs why this city has been ours for a lot longer than it's been theirs."

Ivan tapped his finger against his glass thoughtfully. "Visibility is good, but we also need intelligence. Maybe it's time to plant a few of our people inside their operations, get a better look at their infrastructure."

"I agree, but let's put that strategy on the back burner for now," I said, considering the logistics. "We'll need to be careful about who we choose. It has to be someone they don't know, someone who can blend in without raising suspicion."

Sergei took a slow sip of his vodka, his gaze shifting to the crowd around us. "What about hitting them where it hurts? Their money. If we disrupt their cash flow, particularly the trafficking rings, we cut off a major source of their power here in the city and send them back to Chicago where they belong."

"It's risky," Ivan cautioned. "But effective. We could use our contacts in law enforcement to stage a few raids. Seize their assets before they have a chance to hide them."

"Good. I like it. Sergei, you handle the street presence. Increase our patrols, especially around the businesses they're targeting. Ivan, increase surveillance around those areas. I'll coordinate with our contacts in the police," I commanded and the two of them nodded in agreement.

"Do we need to put it to a vote?" Sergei asked and Ivan shook his head.

"Then we're all in agreement," I replied with a curt nod.

"Business settled," Ivan agreed.

"Not quite… On an entirely different note, this wedding of yours," Sergei started, raising an eyebrow as he turned his eyes on me. "When were you planning to put it to a family vote?"

Ivan chuckled, his gaze twinkling with amusement. "Yeah, Maxim. Planning a wedding without us? What if we had other ideas? Maybe a nice ballet performance instead of a band, eh?"

I rolled my eyes but couldn't keep myself from smiling. "I think Riley would prefer if we kept the ballet out of the wedding plans," I scoffed. "But don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to weigh in, especially on the vodka selection."

"Good, because you know we wouldn't let you live it down if the vodka was anything less than perfect," Ivan added with a laugh, clinking his glass against mine.

Just as Sergei was opening his mouth to rag on me some more, the front door of the Iron Wolf Tavern slammed open.

Three men dressed in suits burst into the bar, their shoes thudding against the wooden floor as they entered. Their guns were already drawn. The bar fell silent, the atmosphere turning from jovial to deadly in an instant. All eyes fell on the intruders, and I took the briefest moment to study them.

The leader of the three had a scar tracing from the underside of his right eye all the way to his jawline. The other two looked just as fierce standing behind him, one tall and lanky, the other one short and stocky.

I glanced at my brothers.

Sergei's face hardened as he subtly reached under the table for the gun he kept hidden there. Ivan's eyes narrowed, coolly assessing the situation as he reached for his weapon. I stood slowly as my hand reached into my suit jacket where I had a 9mm of my own stowed away in a holster.

"Gentlemen," I began, my voice calm but cold, "this is a private establishment. I suggest you bring your business elsewhere."

"Mikhail Orlov sends his regards," the leader said as he stepped forward. He held up his gun, aiming it right at my head but I didn't back down. Instead, I just stood my ground.

I had a reputation to protect.

"What do you want?" I sneered.

"We know you've got the girl, Morozov. Riley, isn't it? You think hiding her will keep her safe from answering for Gregor's death?" the leader scoffed, his disdain for me clearly written all over his face.

That's alright.

The feeling was mutual.

The leader cocked his head as the two soldiers behind him smirked.

"Blood for blood," the tall one murmured.

"I've seen her. I bet she'd scream so pretty under the boss' knife," the stocky one said.

I saw red.

I wanted these men dead on my floor for even daring to think about touching my future wife. They'd never put a hand on a single hair on her head.

Over my fucking dead body.

I wrapped my fingers around the butt of my gun. The fabric of my suit jacket felt cool under my fingers as I slowly pulled it out, my gaze never leaving the three men.

Sergei stood next to me, his frame rigid with palpable anger, but he had reasons all of his own to be angry.

"This is Morozov territory, and we don't let harm come to women under our protection. Especially not to satisfy some vendetta," he declared, his voice thick with disdain. There was just the slightest amount of grief in his tone, but that was only because he was my brother, and I knew him well.

He'd lost someone very special to him to revenge a long time ago and he still bore the scars from that loss.

"If you think you can take her," I said, my voice low and deadly, "you'll have to go through me. I didn't hesitate to kill Gregor and I won't hesitate to kill all of you."

Ivan's hand clamped down on my shoulder, his grip firm, holding me back. I resisted for a moment, but his hand tightened, and I gritted my teeth.

"Let's keep this civilized, Maxim," he murmured. I huffed in annoyance, but I knew he was right. Acting rashly right now would only make things worse and I wouldn't risk something as serious as Riley's life over a fight at a bar, not with Mikhail's soldiers.

Mikhail himself, on the other hand…

"I won't let you touch her either," Sergei growled.

"Riley is going to be my wife," I announced, the words resonant and definitive. "If you want her, you'll have to go through me."

The leader's eyes narrowed, very clearly assessing the three of us. For a moment, he just processed this information before he lifted his chin.

"Think carefully about your next move," I warned them, my hand still on my weapon, ready to defend what was mine. "This is your only warning."

After a tense moment, the leader signaled to his men to leave, and they slowly backed away, their departure as sudden as their arrival.

As soon as the door slammed shut, I cleared my throat.

"Next round's on me," I roared, and the entire bar erupted into chaos. Laughter and chatter quickly resumed as drinks were poured. Glasses clinked together and the whole atmosphere immediately started to lighten.

I leaned back against the worn leather of my seat, my hand absentmindedly swirling the vodka in my glass. Despite the good-natured fun now resuming around me, my thoughts immediately turned back to my little girl…

My Riley.

I needed to see her, to reassure myself that she was safe, to hold her and feel her body flush against my chest. Every fiber of my being ached to be back at home, to show her exactly how much she meant to me both in my arms and then in my bed.

I knew I should be focusing on the Orlov threat, but I found myself unable to. This wasn't like me, but I'd reached a point where I didn't care anymore.

Riley was the light of my life. I wanted to give her everything she wanted and everything she needed.

She was mine and I took care of what's mine.

I lifted the glass and swallowed down the rest of my drink. I met my brother's gazes, each one in turn, and nodded my goodbye.

Sergei winked in my direction.

Of all of my brothers, he was the only one that understood what I was feeling, or at least I thought he might. One day, I hoped he'd find another to love as much as he'd loved her.

Ivan just shook his head. Honestly, if it wasn't lines of code or some new interesting technological invention, he wasn't interested.

I waved and ducked out the front door.

Riley would be waiting at home for me.

The thought of her made me hard immediately. I wondered if she was naughty that day and if I should pinken her bottom before I made her fall apart beneath me.

Maybe, just maybe, I should reward her with all of the above and remind her what a good little girl she could be when she was taking my cock.

I grinned.

I couldn't wait to get home to her. I was going to rip off all her clothes, spank that perfect little heart-shaped ass, and fuck her needy little pussy through one brutal climax after the next.

She'd be begging for mercy by the time I was through with her.

And I was going to enjoy every second of it.