“Please.”

  Another ten seconds passed.

  “Fine.” She bolted around me, yanking open one of the drawers in her side cupboard, jerking out the envelope that had been lying directly on top. Even from where I stood, I could tell the flap had been ripped open, a portion of the letter showing. She stood where she was, the letter fisted in her hand. As she looked back and forth between Maksim then back to me, I realized she was debating what she wanted to tell me.

  “It’s okay, Mama. Just let me read the letter.”

  “Who is he?” she demanded, throwing her arm out in Maksim’s direction.

  “I already told you, he’s a friend of mine.”

  “Don’t lie to me. Don’t you ever lie to your mother.”

  The vehemence in her voice was something I rarely heard. She was on the edge, her trembling only getting worse. “Maksim is with the Novikov Bratva out of Chicago. My father’s family is considered an enemy and because of who I am, I’m being used as a pawn for some reason. That’s why this letter is important.”

  After reluctantly handing me the letter, she walked closer to him, shifting her gaze into the living room. “Is that your daughter?”

  “Yes, ma’am, she is.”

  “Then do yourself a favor and give her to someone who can raise her far removed from your lifestyle. I did what I could to protect my little girl. And I failed.”

  I could tell the words hit him hard by the look in his eyes. As I unfolded the letter, scanning it twice, I realized that it was nothing more than a love letter, hoping that one day she would find it in her heart to tell me about my father. There was nothing that I read that helped us in any way.

  As Maksim moved closer, taking it from my hand, I felt an odd sense of being let down as well as grateful for knowing the truth. The knot in my stomach remained, but slowly I was already starting to accept who my father had been. However, I was frustrated that there wasn’t something else in the two pages.

  I heard the slight growl he emitted and knew he was disgusted.

  “Now, just go. Okay?” my mother stated with far too much emphasis.

  “Why?” I demanded. She was suddenly finding it difficult to look into my eyes.

  “You have another life to live.”

  When she tried to walk away, I blocked her. “Did something else happen?”

  “No!”

  She answered far too quickly.

  “Mother. If something happened or someone hurt you, then you need to tell us.”

  “Why, so Maksim will come to my defense?” Her laugh was almost as if she was becoming unhinged.

  I gripped her arms, shaking my head out of exasperation. “Did someone hurt you?”

  “I can’t. I just can’t,” she said, sobbing all over again.

  “Jesus. Who threatened you? Who?”

  “If I tell you then they’ll kill you and you have a new life ahead of you, a marriage. I just…”

  Marriage?

  Maksim lifted her chin with his knuckle, giving her a respectful nod. “I will never allow anything to happen to you or to Walker, but you need to be honest with us. Who issued the threat, Andrea?”

  “Some man with a gun. Okay? He came to visit me after you’d left.”

  I held my breath as I looked at Maksim. “What did this person say to you? Did he hurt you?”

  “No, he didn’t hurt me. But I knew he would if I said anything. He told me that if I tried to contact you again or convince you to return that they would kill you. Why? Who do they want you to marry? He said a deal had been made. What deal?”

  Maksim pulled her into a hug, turning his head so he could look me squarely in the eyes. “I promise you that you’ll be protected for the rest of your life.” He reached out for me, taking my hand and at that moment, I realized I never wanted him to let me go.

  With him, I felt safe.

  And loved.

  CHAPTER 17

  “Lies and secrets are like cancer in the soul. They eat away what is good and leave only destruction behind.”

  —Cassandra Clare

  Maksim

  If I should have taken a single piece of advice my mother had given me, it was that secrets and lies were a black hole sucking away your soul. I knew that to be true more than most. Now I hated everything about lying to myself, the destruction that doing so had already caused and not only in my life.

  I’d been forced to place my trust in someone, and I’d relied on my instinct to do so.

  Now I had to pray that I’d made the right decisions. If not, I’d just sealed Walker’s fate as well as that of Andrea and my sweet Jasmine. At least they were safe for now, the location far removed from what I knew would be a bloodbath.

  But the situation had to be handled without any further waste of time or hesitation.

  The call had been terrible to make, the answer even worse. But I’d learned something valuable about loyalty, trust, and respect. While blood was thicker than water, it was all about the way a person handled themselves and the business that truly mattered. Once any of the three were destroyed, they could never be restored.

  A line had been crossed.

  A deal made with the devil.

  Now it was time to face the consequences.

  I got out of the car, waiting as several vehicles spilled into the parking lot of one of the warehouses we owned. I held my loaded weapon in front of me, waiting with as much patience as I could tolerate. Night would soon fall and while I didn’t mind the darkness, I was antsy to get this taken care of. I had a different life to lead.

  As the two dozen men approached, I looked from one to the other, finally settling my heated gaze directly on Brick. I could tell he knew what I was thinking and that I’d questioned his loyalty.

  He bowed his head, the respect noticed by everyone else in the group who did the same.

  “Mr. Calderon,” Brick said, awaiting whatever order I would give him.

  I walked closer to the man I knew I could trust but made certain that every other soldier heard every word of what I was about to say.

  “I checked on that birth certificate,” he added, hoping that following my orders would help. “It’s just like you thought, although someone tried to change it.”

  I took a deep breath before saying anything.

  “I value loyalty more than anything. Loyalty leads to trust, trust to being considered a member of the family. Betrayal leads to death, and I assure you that it won’t be quick or without a heightened level of pain. What we’re about to do will be difficult if not deadly for some of you. Therefore, you have a single chance at walking away and I’ll allow you to live. However, if you stay, I expect nothing less than absolute allegiance. Is that understood?”

  I kept my eyes locked on Brick, taking a deep breath. When I let it go, he shuddered, knowing that he’d crossed the line in providing information to the wrong man. In doing so, he’s almost cost the woman I loved her life. However, he’d also trusted in someone within the organization, not realizing that everything he’d told the man had been used. My whereabouts. My intentions. Everything.

  “Absolute devotion, Maksim,” Brick stated. “And that goes for all of us.”

  The chorus of similar words was all I needed. Time was still not in my favor.

  “Excellent. Then you know what must happen.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Then we go hunting until it’s done and Brick. You’re coming with me.”

  “You got it, boss. There are four soldiers protecting your mother and father. No one will be able to get to them.”

  I’d done everything I could to protect those I loved. My choices had placed them in harm’s way, my mother refusing to continue being a part of a family that she loved, yet a lifestyle she feared. And I’d placed her once again in the middle of a turf war, only on the soil of the country she’d adopted and fallen in love with.

  Just like my father.

  While the man would never be able to understand the reasons behind the decisions I’d made, that would never stop me from doing everything I could to protect them.

  There was no need to provide additional commands. They’d been laid out to Brick after our initial discussion, and he’d delivered the information. While some of my soldiers had once been loyal to Ivan’s regime, they’d all pledged an oath to serve my command.

  Now they knew what would happen if they crossed it.

  Brick dispatched several of the men to different locations, my soldiers prepared to eliminate those who’d joined Vadim’s treachery.

  As I drove, I thought about Walker and the last words she’d said to me. They would burn me until I returned or was forced to take my last breath.

  “Come back to me, Maksim. You have a home.”

  A home.

  I wasn’t certain any longer what that meant.

  But I was determined to find out.

  My job was a simple one.

  Eliminate the traitor.

  Vadim.

  I remained quiet as I drove to Ivan’s house, still seething from everything that had occurred. That Vadim had entered into a deal with the Marciano family, using marriage to the daughter of the once notorious mafia prince as the binding tie was treacherous and disgusting. Vadim had looked the other way when Samuel had taken the money because he’d orchestrated it.

  Unfortunately, Samuel had placed his trust in Vadim given the deal made between the two families. I did find it interesting that Samuel had been used as a scapegoat in the entire scam, his murder at Vadim’s hands the only piece of the puzzle that remained missing.

  “Did you hear about Luigi Marciano’s murder?” Brick asked. “That idiot Riccardo Marciano is running things now. I heard he’s a real savage.”

  Savage. That’s the way I’d described Vadim.

  I turned my head, my stomach churning, the last pieces suddenly snapping into place. “When?”

  “Two days ago. He was gunned down in his own home.” Suddenly, Brick exhaled. “Wait a minute. You don’t think that something happened to Ivan. Do you?”

  “Jesus Christ. That’s exactly what I know happened.” I’d called Ivan, wanting nothing more than to have a chance to see him face to face. He must have called Vadim in his rage. Dear God. What had I done to the man?

  As soon as I turned into the driveway, I knew my gut had been right. There were none of Ivan’s usual guards standing at his entrance.

  “What the fuck?” Brick hissed as he leaned forward.

  “Get some of the others here,” I barked. They’d been sent to hunt down those most loyal to Vadim. I couldn’t risk a single one of them remaining in our employ. But I’d miscalculated Vadim’s hatred of his family or his need to grab every aspect of Ivan’s power.

  I jerked the car to a stop, jumping out as soon as I’d cut the engine and running toward the front door. The massive wooden piece had been left ajar. Fuck. Fuck! I eased to the side, giving Brick a hard look as he flanked the other side. After I pushed against it, I hesitated before rushing inside.

  There was no spray of bullets, no soldiers jumping out of the shadows, but I sensed a horrific tragedy.

  And I’d been right. Just taking two additional steps, I could see a trail of blood.

  “Dear God. That’s one of the housekeepers,” Brick snarled.

  I glanced down at the woman, hissing under my breath. We were too late. I swung my weapon from side to side, moving into the family room, a roaring fire still going in the stone fireplace. There were no words to describe the sight of my aunt. She’d been sitting by the fire, a glass of wine in her hand. And she’d been reading a book. I walked closer, disgusted to the point all I could think about was torturing Vadim, taking days and days to do so, ignoring his cries for leniency.

  Fuck him.

  At least she’d been shot in the back of the head, never seeing her own son’s merciless betrayal.

  The stench of blood hung in the air, the coppery sweet odor an indication that everyone in the house had been gunned down. For what? The deal made with the Marciano family? Would Vadim take the house or had this been offered to the only surviving member of the Marciano syndicate? The single person left? A brutal man Vadim’s age. From what I knew about Riccardo Marciano, he was cut from the same cloth as Vadim, greedy as hell. That was the only answer that made any sense.

  “Take that side,” I directed him as I headed for the man’s office, bursting inside. My blood turned to ice as I stared at the horror scene. Blood was everywhere, covering every surface. Ivan’s most trusted soldiers had been lured in, all four of their bodies riddled with several bullets.

  And Ivan.

  He’d been like a surrogate father to me, even though he never attempted to be anything but my mentor as well as my uncle. He was in the same place I almost always found him, behind his beloved ornate desk that he’d had shipped from Honduras. I could still remember his gleeful smile the day it had arrived, the satisfaction he’d had when resting behind the massive piece of furniture for the first time.

  It had suited him.

  A man of honor.

  A man of respect.

  And a man I loved.

  Now, instead of commanding an empire, he was slumped over, his face resting in his own pool of blood.

  As I moved closer, I heard Brick from behind. I’d never realized how strong his love of the family was until at that moment when I heard a single sob erupt from his throat. Ivan had treated him well, ensuring him that I would also do the same in my leadership position.

  “Jesus. Fucking. Christ. Vadim did this?” he asked, although he already knew the answer.

  “Yes,” I hissed, moving very slowly around the desk, easing him back by the shoulder. His eyes remained open, the last thing he’d seen a reflection in his lifeless eyes.

  Treachery.

  Closing my eyes, I said a silent prayer that God would be kind to the man who’d nurtured me. While I wasn’t a praying man, on this day, I felt something change deep inside of me, an entirely different kind of rage taking over.

  I eased my hand down his eyelids, giving him the final nod of respect. “Rest in peace, Uncle. Your death will be avenged.” Seconds later, I snapped my head toward Brick. “Hunt. The. Fucker. Down.”

  As we ran toward the front door, a sick feeling swept through me. The man would attempt to take everything that mattered to me.

  Soldiers burst in through the door, both men out of breath.

  “He’s not at his house,” one of them yelled, his face twisted from the realization of what had happened and what was yet to come.

  I threw back my head and roared. I’d found a safe haven, or so I’d thought, but the house was one Ivan had offered. Was it possible Vadim had discovered where I’d hidden Walker and Jasmine?

  “What now, boss?” Brick asked, his voice as strangled as before.

  “I want every single soldier employed by Vadim killed. Find out where Vadim went. Torture his men if you need to. We’re going to finish this.”

  “You heard the man. Rusty. Giovanni. Hunt down Vadim. And hold him. This is Maksim’s call how he wants to handle the asshole,” Brick ordered.

  “We’ll find him,” Rusty snarled. “But it will be difficult not to slice his throat.”

  “Don’t!” I yelled. “The man is mine.”

  There was no time to waste, no lamenting over lost family or broken ties. This was about saving Walker, ensuring she could live the rest of her life as she wanted, not as Vadim demanded. If I had to guess, the deal of joining forces had been predicated on Vadim’s marriage to Walker. As such, the son of a bitch would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

  There would be no law enforcement agency, no cop on the beat who would stop me from getting to Walker. As I slammed my foot on the accelerator, weaving in and out of traffic, my entire system remained on edge. There was a chance it was already too late.

  It seemed like hours passed when it had been only twenty minutes, but in that time, whatever change had begun inside my system, my heart and my soul, was now complete. I was now and would be in the future nothing but a killing machine when necessary, incapable of showing mercy for anyone who dared to try to destroy the family.

  Family.

  The word remained in the forefront of my mind. A portion had already been stripped away from me.

  Tension remained in the car, Brick antsy to exact his own revenge. I remained on edge, only focused on getting to Walker and my daughter. They had to be okay. Blinded from rage, I continued driving recklessly, daring anyone to try to stop me. As I swung around the last corner, the house located at the end, visions of Walker’s face filtered into my mind. I could almost hear her laugh, could swear her scent remained with me, covering every inch of my skin.

  And my heart longed to touch her once again, if only to say goodbye in order to free her to live her life. I would accept those consequences for my actions and none other.

  There was an odd sense of quiet on the secluded street, the house on the lake one that Ivan had purchased to get away from his responsibilities. He’d shared the news of the purchase with me over a glass of whiskey almost two years before, purposely telling me that no one, including my amazing aunt knew of the location. It was his private retreat, the only place where he could be himself.

  I would never forget that day, the trust he’d placed in me to keep his secret. But my gut told me that Vadim had turned over every rock, finding everything he could about just how powerful his father had become. The plan had been in motion for a long time, every player who’d been involved ceremoniously eliminated.

  My fucking God. If the two factions came together, every other family would be targeted, their hunger for power knowing no bounds.

  “You need to have my back, Brick,” I said in a low and husky voice, turning toward him slightly.

  “You need to trust me, Maksim. You’re now the Pakhan. I will protect your life with mine if necessary.”

  Pakhan. I’d never considered the job, although there was no one else to take it. I refused to allow the Novikov organization to wither because of one man’s greed.