Obsessed with His Bride

“I understand,” she said.

“Good.” I reached out and took her hand, drawing her toward me. I kissed her, one hand cupping her ass. “Come on.”

I pulled her along behind me. We descended the steps together and walked to the front door. I unlocked it and opened it up.

My soldiers stood out on the sidewalk. Black SUVs were parked all over the place. I recognized each man, knew their names, their stories, their friends and family and parents. I knew them like I knew Gino, and I wasn’t going to lose another.

Twenty-nine men stood arrayed before me. I used to have thirty, but that wouldn’t matter. I had at least double Vlas’s strength.

I stood up on my stoop, at the top of the steps, with Aida by my side. Her damp hair hung down around her shoulders, but she didn’t seem scared by the men standing before her. They were hard men, most of them killers. They were all men I’d trust with my life if it came to it. Steven lingered in the back, leaning against the hood of his car with his arms crossed, a scowl on his face.

“By now, I think you all heard what happened,” I said.

Every man stood at attention and stared back at me. “We won’t let him get away with this, boss,” Biagio said.

I nodded to him and he clenched his fists. I could see his anger reflected in all their eyes.

“These past weeks have been hard,” I said, speaking slowly and meeting the gaze of every man there. “Vlas has come at me hard over and over again. We tried to avoid all-out war, tried to do this the smart way, but the greedy piece of shit wouldn’t back down. So we hit him hard, killed most of his top guys, and gutted his organization. And he still won’t back down.” I stood there, letting rage flow through me. I looked at Aida, and was surprised at the look on her face.

She seemed confident, like she belonged by my side. She exuded a presence and a strength, even wearing nothing more than an old t-shirt and an old pair of gym shorts. She was a small girl, practically swimming in my old baggy clothes, but she still looked beautiful and in control. I was proud to have her by my side and I looked back at my men with a renewed vigor.

“We’re going to hunt Vlas down,” I said. “Spread the word. Ten thousand for any tips that lead to his capture. Twenty thousand for him outright. If any of you finds him, that’s fifty thousand. But I want him alive, do you hear me?”

“Yes, sir,” Ryan barked, and a few more man echoed him.

“Good,” I said. “Find Vlas, bring him back, and make sure he can talk. I want to hear him beg before I put a bullet through his fucked-up skull. This isn’t just about the family anymore, this is about the city, about our fucking city. That worm Vlas is dangerous, and he’s willing to go to any lengths to hurt us. He’ll burn this place down before he’s finished, and we can’t allow that. Find him, bring him to me, and we’ll end this right now.”

I stared at my men again then nodded once.

“Now get the fuck out there,” I said.

The guys turned and walked off without a word. I saw the determination on their faces and knew they were going to take this seriously. The hunt for Vlas was on, and I knew my boys would rip up every single corner of this city before this was all over.

Vlas was done. He didn’t have the muscle to hold my men back, and unless he ran to some other fucking country, there was no hiding.

Steven walked toward me with a little smile on his face. He put one foot on the bottom steps and stretched his back. “Nice speech,” he said.

“Wasn’t a speech,” I said. “They needed to know what’s going on. Vlas is finished.”

“Yeah, he is.” Steven frowned. “I’d bet anything that little stunt back at your Mt. Airy place was his last desperate move.”

“Doesn’t matter. He’s going to pay for all this.”

“Dante,” Aida spoke up, her voice soft. “Did you… did you talk to Don Leone about this yet?”

I frowned and stared down at her for a moment. “There’s no time for that,” I said. “If he knew—”

“But he doesn’t know,” she said. “He wasn’t at the house.”

Steven laughed. “She’s right,” he said.

“The Don was really angry,” Aida said. “You need to go to him and ask permission before you start tearing up the city.”

I clenched my jaw and pressed my fist against the black railing that cordoned off my porch. I stared at her for a long moment before letting out a long breath and calming myself.