“Then so be it.”

  As I suspected, the front door of the cottage had been kicked in, but there were no cars. There were two points of access, the road allowing anyone inside to see an approaching vehicle. The only other way was by boat, although the waters of Lake Michigan were torrid at this time of year. However, it offered exactly what Vadim had been seeking, an element of surprise.

  A sudden calm washed over me as I exited the vehicle, scanning the perimeter. There were no outside guards. It would appear that Vadim had been expecting my arrival, his final act of betrayal something he wanted to make certain I was a part of.

  I snapped another clip of ammunition into my Sig before heading for the front door. As soon as I walked inside, the sound I heard was the most disturbing of all.

  Jasmine’s giggle.

  Brick hissed beside me, and I pressed my arm against his chest. We had to be very careful how we handled this, or my baby girl would be a victim of crossfire and Vadim knew I wouldn’t risk her life under any circumstances. I’d swept the entire cottage when I’d brought Walker, her mother, and Jasmine only a few hours before. I’d even left a weapon for Walker, knowing she wouldn’t hesitate to use it if necessary.

  I took a deep breath before following the sound of Jasmine’s sweet voice into the living room.

  “It’s about time you got here,” Vadim said as he chuckled.

  “Maksim!” Walker exclaimed.

  “Shush, darling,” Vadim told her, jerking her closer to him.

  My rage rose to the surface again, but I shoved it aside, thankful that up to this point there hadn’t been any bloodshed or injuries inflicted. While there were two of Vadim’s soldiers in the room, the only visible weapon was the one Vadim held out of sight from Jasmine yet pointed at Walker in a casual manner.

  “Daddy!” Jasmine yelled and held up a stuffed animal. “Look what Unkie Vadim brought for me.” She jumped up, racing toward me and Vadim stood where he was, a smile on his face.

  “Hiya, baby girl. That’s a very nice bear. Did Walker show you your room?” I kept my eyes locked on my little bird, praying to God that she was really alright.

  “Yes. It’s purty. Purple!”

  “Could you do me a favor and go play for a little while? Daddy and Uncle Vadim need to have an adult discussion.” I leaned down, tugging on one of her locks of hair, trying to keep an emotionless smile on my face. I would rip the man apart for putting a child in this situation.

  Jasmine gave me a pouting look, stomping one foot then broke into a smile of her own. “Okay, Daddy. But you owe me.”

  I laughed on purpose, hating how hollow it sounded, taking a deep breath as she scampered out of the room. “Let Andrea go with the child. She has nothing to do with this.” The last thing I wanted was for Walker’s mother to witness what had to happen.

  “I don’t think so, cousin. She’s likely to escape. I think one big family gathering is very special. Don’t you?”

  “Goddamn it, Vadim. Let. Her. Go.”

  He reared back, glancing at Andrea. “Fine, but if the woman tries to run, I will kill her. It’s that simple. However, since she’s going to be my mother-in-law, I’ll grant you this single wish.”

  The taste of blood formed in my mouth as the anger continued to increase.

  I moved toward Andrea, taking her by the arm and helping her to her feet. “Can you take care of Jasmine for me?”

  Andrea swallowed, tossing a nasty look in Vadim’s direction. “I’ll protect her with my life, Maksim.”

  As she walked out of the room, I moved closer to the asshole, trying to remain calm. “You killed your own mother and father. You are one sick fuck.”

  He laughed, enjoying the moment. “They were in my way. It was that simple. I tried to convince my dearly departed father to step down. I told him I’d allow him to live, but he refused me. He even tried to have his soldiers gun me down. Imagine that. I simply couldn’t trust him any longer.”

  “You’re a fucking bastard.”

  “Yes, my father taught me well that if you want more power, you simply take it.”

  I’d spent a significant number of years learning about our enemies, able to detect their stench before walking into a room. At this moment, Vadim was drunk on power he hadn’t earned.

  “Why the games?” I asked, giving him a hard look.

  “I found them fun. Plus, my partner in crime was vacillating about what he wanted to do.”

  “Interesting. What exactly do you and Riccardo have planned?” While I was curious, I simply wanted the man to keep talking. I inched closer, my action something he either didn’t notice or give a shit about. He thought he was invincible.

  He laughed, raking the forearm holding his weapon across his brow. The slight tremor in his hand meant one of two things. His adrenaline was far too high, or he was uncertain of what I could and would do. It was an advantage, albeit slight.

  “First, I’m marrying this luscious creature. That will forge my relationship with the Marciano family. After that? I’ll allow your imagination to envision the possibilities. Let’s just say I’ll become one of the most powerful men in the world.”

  “And what happens when Riccardo realizes you killed his brother?”

  I could tell my question angered him. As if I gave a shit.

  “We eliminate our enemies, Maksim. That’s what my father taught us.”

  “Samuel made a promise to Antonio. He was determined to protect Walker.”

  “You mean Rafaella?” he asked, fisting Walker’s hair and dragging her closer.

  “Don’t touch me, you fuck!” she snarled, slamming her fist into his gut.

  He continued laughing, pulling her even closer, nipping her earlobe as if she already belonged to him. “She is a lovely creature and you’re right. The reason I killed Samuel is that he and his buddies tried to protect her against her rightful husband. I assure you that Riccardo had no issue with the elimination of his brother, the very one who’d left the family fold years before, even changing his name to try and erase his heritage. That kind of treachery wasn’t acceptable.”

  Riccardo Marciano was as hungry for power as Vadim, killing his father and allowing the murder of his only remaining brother in his quest for taking the Marciano throne. What a tangled, vicious web both men had weaved.

  It was time to stop the madness.

  “You can’t have Walker. She belongs to me,” I stated, giving the woman who I’d fallen in love with a longing stare. In her eyes, I could see a mixture of ragged emotions as well as a determination to get out of the man’s clutches.

  “That’s where you’re wrong, cousin.”

  Vadim made the mistake of snapping his weaponed hand in my direction, believing that he could get off a clear and easy shot, eliminating his final enemy without a fight.

  The man was wrong.

  He’d forgotten that I’d become a crack shot, spending hundreds of hours perfecting the skill. With a simple lift of my arm, I managed to get off two shots before he was able to react.

  As Brick roared, the sound of gunfire exploding just behind me, I lunged forward, dragging Walker out of Vadim’s clutches and pummeling us both to the floor. While I kept my body over hers, I twisted, prepared to fire again.

  But it wasn’t necessary. Brick had my back, terminating the two soldiers Vadim had counted on.

  “No. No!” Walker scrambled underneath me, her entire body undulating. It was the first time I noticed she had the gun I’d given her nestled in her hand.

  “Shhh… It’s okay. You’re okay,” I whispered, pressing my hand against the side of her face.

  “Jasmine! We need to get to Jasmine.” She continued to struggle, her eyes becoming wild with fury.

  She managed to push hard against me, jerking to a sitting position, doing everything she could to get out of my hold. And the second her eyes lit up like a firecracker, the air in the room was sucked into a vacuum.

  “No!” she bellowed. “You’re not going to destroy anyone else I care about. You threatened my mother, the man I love and his beautiful child. That will never happen again.”

  “I wanted you to suffer while I killed them one by one. My wedding gift to you,” Vadim hissed then made the mistake of bursting into laughter.

  As everything moved into slow motion, she raised her arm, firing off several shots in rapid succession.

  As Vadim’s body slowly slid to the floor, his smile began to fade.

  Then all was quiet.

  CHAPTER 18

  Walker

  Family.

  Maybe I’d taken the concept for granted my entire life. My beautiful mother had given up the love of her life in order to protect the child growing inside of her. She’d had the instinct that raising me in that violent world wouldn’t be best for her little girl. In turn, she’d never been able to get over the man who’d swept her off her feet.

  The past week had been nothing but an eventful, exhausting blur. Police. Interrogations. Being moved from one location to another. Nowhere felt safe except for Maksim’s arms. Yet there was a distance growing between us, his requirement to try to heal the horrific rifts and holes within the Novikov organization not only taking a significant amount of time but also a huge toll on the man who’d turned to stone.

  Blurred images of me firing off countless shots, every bullet slamming into Vadim remained in the forefront of my mind. I’d never shot anyone before, but the moment he’d reared up, his weapon pointed at Maksim’s head, I’d reacted on instinct and the fury that had furrowed within me since finding Jack’s body on my living room floor.

  There’d been explanations, Maksim allowing me to understand that in the world of powerful mafia men, even family wasn’t immune to betrayal. Samuel had learned of my father’s—his brother’s—death years before, the Marciano family certain Ivan had issued a command, requiring the assassination of the man I’d never met. From what Maksim had been able to decipher, Samuel had already left the family operation, trying to pursue a life of his own with the love of his life. Then she’d died unexpectedly. That had removed the last barrier stopping the man’s desperate attempt at seeking revenge against Ivan.

  From there, Samuel had enlisted the help of his old marine buddies, concocting what they’d thought was a perfect way of exacting retaliation. However, he’d underestimated Vadim’s greed as well as his determination to destroy everything that was important to a man he knew would ascend to the throne.

  And Maksim had almost died trying to protect me.

  I took a deep breath, glancing up at the bright sun. The day was frigid, yet with the sky a bright blue, not a cloud in sight, I was tingling from the warmth.

  I felt his presence behind me and sighed. As Maksim wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against the heat of his chest, I felt a combination of absolute happiness as well as a tremor of fear regarding the future.

  At this point, I didn’t think we’d have one. How could we? I longed to return to my normal life and to a job I adored.

  Yet the pull to be with the man I loved was strong, keeping me on edge, butterflies remaining in my stomach.

  “What do you think?” he asked before nuzzling against my neck.

  “An incredible winery. I’m surprised you remembered.”

  He chuckled, the sound creating a beautiful set of vibrations dancing down the length of my body. “I remember everything you’ve ever told me.”

  “You have, huh? What’s my favorite color?” I asked, purring afterward.

  “Purple, my little bird. You’re not that tough to figure out.” As he spun me around several times, all I could do was laugh.

  “Don’t make me spill my wine. This is my favorite one so far.” I pushed my hand against his chest, immediately kneading his thick shirt, drinking in his rugged scent. The recent light snow added to the festive ambiance, every structure of the small yet bustling winery glistening from the icicles forming overnight.

  “Then I’ll buy a case. No, make that three cases. Is that enough?” He lowered his head, his chest heaving.

  I wanted nothing more than to claw my fingers through the three layers he’d worn, finally pressing my palm against his chest. Maybe that would come later. “Make that four and we have a deal.”

  His laugh was genuine, his eyes twinkling in the sunlight. This had been our first time together and alone, my mother insisting that she babysit Jasmine. The two of them had developed quite a bond and I’d been surprised when she’d told me that Maksim was a keeper. I certainly hadn’t expected that.

  “You drive a hard bargain, but I’ll grant your wish, even if you haven’t been a good girl.”

  “Bullshit,” I mewed, sucking in my breath before he captured my mouth. I could kiss the man all day long, enjoying the way I felt in his arms. As I slid my arm around his neck, tangling my fingers in his hair, he pulled me off the ground, swinging me around as he’d done before. He dominated my tongue, growling around the moment of passion. His cock was hard, the scent of his testosterone only fueling the desire that always built into a frenzy around him. I was breathless and lightheaded, wanting nothing more than to find a quiet place while the man ravaged my body for his pleasure alone.

  When he finally broke the kiss, we both took a deep breath. I pushed against him, my face flushed. For some reason, just being around him made me nervous today. He’d remembered one of the few things I enjoyed doing, trying to make the day very special for us both.

  But I had a feeling there was something important he wanted to tell me, and I already knew what that was.

  He took my hand, heading toward the vineyard itself. “When do you start work again?” he asked after we’d walked for a full minute.

  “Day after tomorrow.”

  “I’m glad. I know you want to get back to your life.”

  “I do. Plus, the hospital needs me.”

  “I’m still concerned Riccardo will try and contact you. He is your uncle.”

  “He means nothing to me, Maksim. He’s my birth father’s brother. So what?”

  Maksim’s sigh was rattled, and I could tell he was thinking about his own uncle. Ivan’s death had been hard on him, but Vadim’s betrayal had changed him. I was no longer certain who he was, not that I’d really known him at any point. I had to keep reminding myself of that for fear of losing what was left of the woman inside, the person I’d been before all the horrors.

  “Remember that family is important. He’s still blood.”

  “Blood isn’t always thicker than water.”

  Chuckling, he squeezed my hand, finishing off the small amount of wine. “I think you’re right.”

  “What are you going to do with Jasmine?”

  “Well, I won’t have an opportunity to decide. Sandy and Miles decided to take me back to court. They want my parental rights terminated.”

  “What?” I jerked free and turned to face him. “You are fighting it, right? They can’t do that!”

  “They have every right to do that. I’m not a good influence in Jasmine’s life. I put her in danger, which they were quick to tell their attorney.”

  “Maksim. You’re her father. She belongs with you.”

  “She has a heart condition on top of everything.”

  I shook my head. “She is growing out of it. The tests came back late yesterday.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief then snarled. “You’re smart enough to know how these things work. I currently don’t have a home that’s suitable for her and I doubt the judge wants to hear that I’m waiting for renovations to be complete because of gunfire. They want a stable environment and a real family, which I know isn’t going to happen.” The way he looked into my eyes let me know he was letting go, freeing his little bird. “Besides, I have new responsibilities and the danger level is just going to increase.”

  Tears formed in my eyes. “You’re going to remain Pakhan. Aren’t you?” It was the moment I knew was coming but had feared for several days. There’d been so many meetings with soldiers, men coming and going from the temporary location he’d rented for all of us, including my mother. He’d done everything in his power to make us feel safe while he’d picked up the pieces, making certain the business Ivan had built over the last four decades continued to run smoothly. And I’d seen the light leave his eyes. The one of hope.

  And I feared the one of love.

  He took my hand into his, rubbing his thumb back and forth across my knuckles. “It’s something I have to do. There’s no one else left. The men respect me.”

  “That means you’re giving up everything you care about.”

  Maksim lifted his head, looking into my eyes. When he shifted his hand to my cheek, the pain on his face brought tears to my eyes. “I love you with all my heart, Walker, but I can’t expect you to stay with me. How could you after everything I’ve put you through? You’re a beautiful, vibrant woman who deserves a much better life than what I can give you.”

  “So this is goodbye.”

  He took a deep breath, holding it for several seconds, then glanced at the sky. “I’m giving you the choice and I know it’s not an easy one to make. You need to realize that I’m not a good man and that you can’t change me or what I must do in the future.”

  “You are a good man, but you won’t allow yourself to believe that. You won’t fight for your daughter, and you refuse to fight for me.” The combination of anger and despair was too much.

  “I fight for the battles that I can win and the ones that are worth fighting for.” As he lifted his head, his eyes locking onto mine, I realized that he’d shut down altogether. He’d brought me to a lovely public location to tell me that what we’d shared hadn’t meant anything to him. What a fool I’d been.

  Well, no more.

  I was finished with being anyone’s pawn.

  And I was through with Maksim Calderon.

  Maksim

  “Are you ready for today, boss?” Brick asked as he came into my office.

  I took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to answer him. Was anyone actually ready to lose the last thing that mattered in their lives? “It has to happen.”