Chapter 24

Maxim

My Riley was so fucking beautiful.

The reception was in full swing, and I couldn't take my eyes off her as she spun on the dance floor in her dark blue dress, the color highlighting her eyes and setting off her radiant smile. The fabric flowed gracefully around her body as she laughed and danced, captivating everyone around her, including me.

She didn't know it yet, but I was going to take her hard that night.

Not just as my little girl, but as my wife.

I imagined her soft face beneath mine, moaning as she took every inch of my cock inside her, hard and fast and just the way she needed.

She snaked her hips from side to side, looking over her shoulder at me as she danced, teasing me with her body.

She'd get what was coming to her in a few hours.

I grinned, and she turned her head and shook her ass in my direction.

She should be careful, or I was going to fuck that too.

I shifted in my seat, adjusting my cock in a way that wasn't obvious as I looked around the room.

The Murphys were having the time of their lives on the other side of the hall. Kieran, ever the life of the party, was singing an Irish jig with a hearty voice that filled the room with joy and laughter. His wife Leah danced beside him. Nearby, the twins, Connor and Caden, were cracking jokes with their wife Anastasia, their infectious laughter spreading to everyone around them. She stood toe to toe with them and it was a delight to watch.

Aidan twirled my daughter around the dance floor, their faces alight with happiness. Cormac, usually reserved, was holding his wife Caitlin close, their affection for each other evident in every bit of their body language.

Ada, ever the firecracker, was engaged in a drinking contest with her husband Shane Kavanagh, both of them laughing as they knocked back shots of whiskey. The sight of them, fiercely competitive yet utterly in love, brought a smile to my face.

On the other side of the room, my brothers were having their own competition, this time a vodka-drinking contest. Ivan was trying to keep up with Sergei, who was easily outpacing him, while Nikolai egged them on. Aleksei was cheering from the sidelines, or more like he was taunting them as they downed one shot after the next.

It was a delight to watch.

Everything was perfect. It felt like everything was right on track in that moment.

Riley danced her way over to me, her wedding dress swirling around her, and sat down on my lap with a huff, clearly exhausted from all the dancing she was doing. She leaned into me and pressed her lips against mine, her eyes sparkling with joy and laughter, her cheeks flushed from all the excitement.

"You're going to get fucked so hard tonight, little girl. I saw you teasing me with that tight little ass out there on the dance floor," I promised, and her cheeks reddened absolutely delightfully. She curled up in my lap and pressed her lips to my ear.

"But Daddy, it's my wedding night," she pouted, but there was a twinkle in her eye that hadn't been there a second ago. Her voice was just low enough for me to hear, but no one else around me would be able to.

"And who decides which of your pretty little holes will be fucked tonight?" I asked her, and her cheeks turned cherry red.

"You do, Daddy," she whined.

"Maybe if you're a very good girl, Daddy will fuck both tonight," I ventured, and she immediately sat up straighter.

"I very much want to be your good girl, Daddy," she whispered, looking around to see if anyone was watching, but they weren't.

It was simply the two of us.

Without any warning at all, the doors to the hall burst open. Several men stormed in, their faces grim and determined, weapons drawn. Immediately, I went on the defensive.

The largest of them, a burly man with piercing eyes, stepped forward.

"Who the fuck are you?" I asked, and he sneered in my direction.

"I'm Boris," he announced, his voice cold and menacing. "I'm Gregor's brother."

My hand instinctively tightened around Riley's waist as Boris pointed a 9mm straight at her, his face devoid of any remorse and painted entirely with angry vengeance. The room fell completely silent, and my vision turned red.

No one threatened my girl and lived to tell about it.

"You killed my brother," Boris growled, his gaze locked on me, his gun still aimed at Riley. "And now, I'm going to make you suffer."

Immediately, I stood up and pushed Riley behind me, standing protectively in front of her.

"She had nothing to do with it," I said firmly, my voice low and deadly. "Your brother threatened her life, and I defended her. I was the one who ended his life. You want to settle this? Come at me, not her."

Boris's eyes flickered with rage. "You think I care about who's to blame? I want you to feel the same pain I felt when my brother died."

Kieran stepped forward, his large frame imposing as he spoke. "You Orlovs are trespassing," he said, his voice filled with authority. "You come here with threats and violence on a day meant for joy. You've made a grave mistake."

"You'll regret this, Boris. We don't take kindly to threats against our family," Ada added, her badass nature undeterred as she reached inside her clutch and pulled out a small 9mm of her own.

Boris sneered, raising his gun higher, but before he could act, I drew my weapon and aimed right between his eyes.

"This ends now," I said. "You point that gun at her one more time, and you won't live to regret it," I said, my voice cool, calm, and collected.

Boris raised his gun and I immediately fired off a warning shot. His eyes widened as my bullet zoomed past his ear, only just grazing him enough to take the thinnest ounce of flesh from him that I could.

"You motherfucker," he snarled. His eyes flicked between my family and the Murphys.

It was clear that he hadn't expected all of us to be aligned, but I didn't give a fuck. Maybe he should have done his research before threatening my wife and me on our wedding day.

My wife.

Mine.

My heart thudded in my chest as chaos erupted, suddenly engulfing the entire reception hall completely.

Bullets whizzed overhead, the loud cracks of gunfire blending with the sound of shattering glass and splintering wood.

Boris zeroed in on me and Riley, his eyes filled with rage and vengeance as he aimed his gun. I stood up, ready to defend my wife at all costs.

He squeezed the trigger, and I roughly forced my girl down to the floor and covered her with my body. One of the bullets grazed my arm, and I gritted my teeth. The pain was intense, but I clenched my jaw and focused on protecting Riley. The pain didn't matter as long as she was unhurt and alive.

Connor and Caden fired back, their movements synchronized as they engaged the Orlovs, while Cormac and Aidan flanked Boris. Irina and Caitlin huddled behind another table, their faces pale with fear but also with fierce resolve. Neither of them had been exposed to much violence before this.

Slowly, I stood and dragged Riley up with me, fully intending to get her out of harm's way.

Boris fired again, aiming for Riley, but I stepped in front of her, taking another hit to my shoulder. The pain shot through me, but I didn't flinch. Blood seeped from the wound, staining my suit, but I ignored it, focusing only on protecting my wife.

She was the only thing that mattered.

The Murphys and Morozovs moved as a unit, their combined firepower overwhelming the Orlovs. Ada and Shane stood side by side, fearlessly unleashing a torrent of bullets. My brothers Ivan, Sergei, Nikolai, and Aleksei joined the fray, their guns blazing as they moved to protect one of their own.

Another bullet grazed my left ear. I fired off a few shots from my own weapon, but my focus was on protecting my girl and no one else.

Then Boris stood and took aim, narrowing in on Riley. I whipped my gun up, aimed quickly, and pulled the trigger, but another gunshot echoed in the room that somehow seemed louder than all the rest.

Boris's eyes widened in shock as a bullet struck him squarely between the eyes, the force of the shot snapping his head back. For a long moment, he stood there and wavered back and forth before he crumpled to the floor, completely lifeless with a loud thump.

The room fell silent, and his fellow soldiers stopped right where they were standing.

Ada stepped forward, the smoke from the end of her pistol still rising in the air.

"That's what happens when you mess with my family," she said, her voice as sharp as her shot.

She turned her gaze to Boris's soldiers, who stood there completely shellshocked and shaken. "The Orlovs are risking war with both the Murphys and the Morozovs," she warned, her voice laced with steel. "Do you really want to continue down this path?"

The Orlov soldiers hesitated, looking at each other with fear and uncertainty. Slowly, they began to lower their weapons, their resolve shattered.

"We understand," one of them offered and then they began to retreat one by one.

I raised my gun to shoot them, but Kieran stepped forward and raised his arm in front of me.

"Let them go. The Orlovs don't stand a chance against my family and yours together and they know it. They'll take the news back to Mikhail and if they want to risk all-out war with the both of us, then we'll deal with it together."

With a deep breath, I nodded and immediately turned my focus back to my wife.

I turned to her, my heart pounding with relief and adrenaline. My hands moved over her body, checking for any injuries, but thankfully, she had come out completely unscathed. Almost as if I needed to convince myself she was alright, I grazed my fingers over every inch of her just to be sure.

My baby girl was alright. Thank fucking God.

They hadn't harmed a single hair on her head, and it took several long moments for me to fully accept that.

"I'm alright," she murmured, but I wasn't hearing it. I needed to convince both of us that everything was alright.

"You're safe now," I whispered as my arms wrapped around her protectively. "As long as you're with me, you're safe."

I pulled Riley close, still lost in the relief that she was okay. As we held each other, she gasped softly and pulled back, her eyes widening.

"Maxim, you're bleeding!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with concern.

I glanced down at the wounds. The adrenaline pumping through me had kept the pain at bay, and now, even as the sensation returned, I shrugged it off. It hurt, but I'd taken worse in the past. This was nothing.

"It's just a few scratches," I said, trying to soothe her worry.

Her brow furrowed, and she pressed her hand gently against the wound.

"You shouldn't be so cavalier about this. You could have been seriously hurt."

I smiled, cupping her face with my free hand, my thumb gently brushing her cheek.

"I'd take a hundred bullets to keep you safe," I whispered, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "Besides, you should see the other guy," I added with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.

"You're impossible, you know that?" she murmured, shaking her head as her eyes glistened with concern.

"I'm yours, though," I replied, my voice soft and filled with love. "And as long as I have you, nothing else matters."

Ada stepped forward and holstered her gun. "You two lovebirds should probably get that looked at," she said, nodding toward my bleeding arm and shoulder. "Can't have the groom passing out on his wedding night."

"That's what I said," Riley whined, and I leveled her with a heated look.

"Why don't the two of you disappear and find some quiet? Let Riley take care of those wounds?" Ada suggested and Riley nodded her head.

"That sounds perfect," she agreed so wholeheartedly that it melted my heart just a little bit. Then she grabbed my hand and began leading me toward the door. "Come on, let's go!"

"Have a good night, you two," Ada winked, and I smirked as Riley dragged me out of the banquet hall and toward our wedding suite.

I let her tug me along every step of the way.

Once we were inside our suite, Riley hurried to the bathroom, and retrieved the first aid kit from beneath the sink.

"Sit down," she ordered gently, her voice firm but filled with concern. Honestly, it was kind of cute. I sat on the edge of the bed, watching as she set the kit beside me.

"Take off your shirt," she instructed, her cheeks flushing slightly as I complied, exposing the grazes on my shoulder and arm.

The wounds weren't serious, but they looked worse than they felt. Riley's touch was gentle as she cleaned and dressed them, her face a mixture of concentration and worry.

"You shouldn't be so reckless," she murmured, her fingers working deftly as she poured disinfectant onto bandages. "You scared me, Maxim."

I smiled softly, reaching up to touch her cheek. "I'm sorry," I said, my voice sincere. "But I'd do it again in a heartbeat if it meant keeping you safe."

She shook her head, her eyes filled with love and a touch of exasperation.

"You're insane," she said, her voice softening as she leaned in to kiss me gently.

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close as I whispered, "I'm yours, Riley. Always."