Bratva Sinner (A Possessive Mafia Romance)

Evgeni eyed Cara with a strange frown, his head tilted to the side. I wished I could read his mind, but the Pakhan was notoriously fickle and difficult. He was an intelligent man, but emotional and prone to outbursts of anger, and though I’d never been on the receiving end, he sometimes got violent with anyone he deemed as going against the family.

“What can I do for you today, Luke? You don’t normally come to me like this. I respect that about you, very much an independent man.”

“Thank you, Pakhan,” I said, nodding slightly. “Unfortunately, this isn’t a situation I can decide on my own. I’m sure you’ve heard that the Lionetti family is actively searching for Cara, although I’m not sure how much you know about that.”

Evgeni tilted his head with a shrug. “I know they want something her father took and they want to make an example of her, although looking at her now, I wonder if that’s a mistake.”

I grimaced slightly but tried not to let it be seen. “Her father stole some money and a dossier filled with compromising photographs of some very prominent politicians and local leaders.”

Evgeni’s bushy eyebrows shot up. “A blackmail folder?”

“I think so, yes,” I said. “I can’t imagine why else they’d have it. Cara didn’t know what it was when her father gave it to her, but she managed to hide it and keep it from the Lionettis.”

“And now you have it?” Evgeni sounded hungry as he leaned forward.

“Yes, Pakhan. I think now you can appreciate my situation.”

He roared a laugh. It made German flinch, and I halfway reached for the gun tucked into my belt. Cara’s face was pale and she looked like she might be sick as Evgeni leaned back and cackled, shaking his head.

“Fucking Lionettis think they’re so powerful. They own the biggest network of whores in the city and what, that makes them special? So they take a few photos of some politicians getting their dicks sucked, so the fuck what? But now we have the goddamn dossier. Luke, you’ve always been one of my favorite soldiers, but this is almost too much.”

“Thank you, Pakhan,” I said grimly. “It’s not that simple though. The Lionettis want the dossier back and they’ve already hired out some of the Doyle family to come get it.”

Evgeni waved a hand. “Let me guess, Maher is involved? That boy always is when you’re sniffing around something. Don’t worry, Luke, this is a good thing.”

I felt my stomach clench. It couldn’t be this easy. “What are we going to do about the folder?”

“We’ll make the Lionettis bleed for it, of course. Perhaps we make them pay for it, or perhaps we simply keep it and make it our own. Either way, this is going to give us a very nice advantage over them for some time.”

“I thought so too, but they’re not going to let us get away with this. They will hit back, and they’ll come hard, especially for Cara.”

Evgeni glanced at her. “Maybe she’s not so necessary for our plans.”

I clenched my jaw. “Pakhan, with all due respect, she’s necessary.”

“She’s some girl. Daughter of a piece-of-shit thief. What do we care about her?”

“She’s important to me,” I said, leaning toward the Pakhan and trying not to look at her. I felt her stiffen beside me when the words trickled from my lips, and I sensed the men around me paying closer attention.

Evgeni narrowed his eyes. “Important to you? What, you’ve fallen for some pussy, is that what you’re saying?”

“I’m saying that handing the girl over to the Lionettis as part of some deal is out of the question. I have some ideas about how to handle this, and I’m here asking for your support.”

He leaned back and stroked his scruffy chin. “I’ll admit, it takes balls to come here and say that.”

“Sir, it’s important that we don’t give Cara over to the Lionettis. You want to fuck them? Then let me keep her. They want to make an example of her, but the longer we keep her safe and protected, the weaker they look.”

“I do like the idea of a weakened Lionetti family.” He let out a rough grunt. “But you’re right, they won’t like this.”

“Let them be angry. That’s the idea, isn’t it?”

Evgeni looked from me over to Cara and leaned toward her. “What do you have to say about all this, girl?” he asked roughly. “It’s your life in the balance and you sit there all quiet and meek. Did Luke tell you not to say anything?”

She hesitated then nodded once. “He’s afraid I’ll make things worse.”

I leaned back, scowling, but said nothing.

Evgeni smiled. “Maybe he’s right. Luke knows me fairly well by now. How long have you been working for me?”

“Ten years.”

“And in those ten years, Luke has become one of my best soldiers, and he runs one of my best-earning crews. If he says we should spare you, I’m inclined to listen to him.”