Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
All hell will break loose in the Bratva, and I want my family up in the air while the worst of it goes down, not stuck on the ground where they can be targeted.
Heading through the house, I open the front door and call out, “It’s time, Vadim. Get the men ready.”
While Andrei and Sergei are staying with me, Vadim, who’s in charge of security here at the estate, and my entire team of guards will accompany my family to keep them safe.
My men begin moving, opening the doors to the armored SUVs and checking their weapons.
“Are you sure about this, son?” my father asks from behind me, his tone tense with worry.
Honestly, Artem takes more after my dad than his own father, and I’m more like my late uncle. Dad has never been a part of the Bratva and finds endless joy in gardening.
“We have no choice,” I answer as I turn around to look at him. “You’ll be safe up in the air while the worst goes down. Only Vadim knows the destination.” I place my hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Enjoy the vacation.”
Worry has darkened my father’s eyes, and the corners of his mouth tremble slightly. “How can I enjoy a vacation knowing the danger you will face?”
We stare at each other for a long moment until it’s broken by my mother and aunt hurrying down the grand staircase.
“Artem,” Aunt Marina calls, panic lacing her tone.
“I’m here, Mam,” my cousin suddenly replies from the open front door behind me.
Aunt Marina calms when she sees him, and stepping closer to me, she lifts her hand and pats my cheek softly. “Your uncle would be very proud of you.” Her gaze stays locked on mine for a moment longer, then she says, “If anyone can take down Fedorov, it’s you.”
Unlike my mother, Aunt Marina was raised in the Bratva, so she’s tougher and understands how most of the politics work.
My aunt moves past me and gestures for Artem to walk with her so I can have a moment alone with my parents.
Mom takes a deep breath and glances around the foyer before she meets my gaze, then her chin quivers and her eyes begin to shine with unshed tears.
When I discovered Yegor was behind the disappearance of one of the Cosa Nostra’s capos, I formed an alliance with them. Mom begged me not to go through with the war.
I’m well aware many will die today, but there’s no turning back. This isn’t for me. It’s for the future of the Bratva and the families who depend on the organization.
New leadership is long overdue. We have to move away from sex slavery and human trafficking. It sickens me that more than half our income still comes from those operations when there are billions to be made manufacturing weapons.
The Cosa Nostra aren’t backing me just because they want revenge against Yegor. The Bulgarians, Romanians, Turks, and Yakuza have also thrown their support behind this war because they see the same future I do. Once Yegor is gone, they’ll have a reliable supplier capable of manufacturing the volume of weapons they need instead of relying on scattered shipments from smugglers.
It’s a future worth going to war for.
Reaching for Mom, I pull her into a hug and say, “Try not to worry. Today will be successful.”
She grips me tightly, letting out a soft sob. “I won’t survive losing you.”
“I’m not going to die.” I push her backward so I can lock eyes with her. “With the other organizations backing me, Yegor is outnumbered. It will all be over in an hour.”
Not having much of a choice, Mom latches onto the hope. When I lean down and press a kiss to her temple, she peppers my cheeks with kisses and gives me two hugs. “I love you more than anything, Rodian. Call me as soon as you’re able to. Please.”
“I will.”
Covering her mouth, Mom rushes out of the house to where Aunt Marina is waiting with open arms to comfort her.
I exhale slowly while turning my attention to my father. His coloring is gray from all the worry, and I can see he’s struggling to control his emotions.
“I’ll be fine,” I whisper.
He nods, then pats my shoulder. Just as he begins to walk, he pauses to haul me into a hug. A rough breath escapes him, then he pulls away and rushes out of the front door.
While my family climbs into the SUVs, I pull my phone out to call Andrei.
“Wait!” Artem shouts before running toward me. My cousin grabs my hand and shoves a scrap of paper into it. “Keep it on you at all times for protection.”
While he goes back to the SUV and gets in beside Aunt Marina, I look down at the paper and see it’s a cut-out of an eight-pointed star.