Cruel Vows

A flood of relief coils through me, even though I don’t allow my body language to communicate it. “Now down to business,” I say, nodding at the empty chair for Spartak, who has remained standing the entire time.

He sits down, and that’s when I hear a gun cocking behind me. All of us turn to see Adrik standing in the doorway, eyes ablaze with such rage. “Not so fucking fast, old man.”

The blood drains from my body as I search the room for my wife, knowing instantly I made a mistake in bringing her here. Paisley is on one side, looking terrified as she stands with my cousin, Imalia.

I notice the woman by his side is Eliza Estrada. Her eyes are red and puffy, as if she’s been crying, and she has handcuffs around her wrists.

“We had a deal, and now you go behind my back and abandon a plan we’ve had in place for months?” He shakes his head. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

Hernandez narrows his eyes as they switch between his daughter and Adrik. “Let her go, Adrik.”

He smirks. “She’s my wife. I’ll do what I want with her.”

“Fiancé,” Hernandez says, shaking his head. “You aren’t married yet.”

Adrik holds up a piece of paper. “As of an hour ago, she is married to me. Eliza Estrada Volkov.”

Hernandez stares at him with his mouth unhinged, shaking his head as if he’s broken.

Spartak stands, his hands balled into fists. “When I get my hands on you, I’ll—”

“You’ll what, Uncle? Torture me?” he laughs, and it’s a grating, sharp laugh that sets my nerves on edge. “Do your worst. I’ll kill you first.”

Spartak growls and starts forward, only for Maxim to stop him in his tracks.

“I don’t take being betrayed lightly, Hernandez,” Adrik says, eyes fixed on the man he had intended to partner with to destroy all of us. I see the intent in his eyes before he acts, so when he pulls the trigger, it’s not a shock. The bullet soars through the air and embeds into Hernandez’s skull before he can move an inch. His blood splatters Thiago’s face as his two sons stare in utter shock at their father’s lifeless body.

Eliza screams, dropping to her knees as tears flood her face.

“I just married Eliza, which makes me the rightful ruler of the Estrada Cartel,” Adrik announces, as everyone else tries to compute what just happened. I always thought Spartak was the crazy one, but right now Adrik is acting unhinged. His focus is fixed on Thiago, the rightful heir to his father’s throne. I can sense he’s itching to pull the trigger the moment he contests Adrik’s claim.

“Is that correct?” Thiago asks, eyes narrowing. “Eliza may be the eldest, but that’s not how succession works.”

“If you have a problem with it, I’ve got no issue taking you out of the equation, too.”

“No,” Eliza shouts, jumping to her feet and trying to yank at Adrik’s arm. “Don’t, please.”

Adrik shrugs her off rather viciously, and she loses her balance. “Do we have an understanding, Thiago?”

I can sense the tension in Thiago’s body language. His father has just been murdered in front of his eyes and this asshole is trying to steal his crown to add insult to injury. My fingers itch for the gun under my jacket, as I can sense this will not go smoothly. Thiago would be a fool to back down so easily.

As I glance at the rest of the men in the room, I can sense they’re also ready for a fight. Spartak’s hands are already beneath his jacket, ready to strike the moment his nephew makes a move.

“No, we don’t.” He pulls his gun out of his pocket and aims it at Adrik, ducking as Adrik pulls the trigger and the bullet goes over his head.

Chaos explodes as I pull my gun from under my jacket and duck behind the chair I’d been sitting on, using it as a shield. My heart pounds frantically in my chest as I search for Paisley, coming up empty. There’s no sign of her or Imalia.

I may have just made the worst mistake of my life bringing Paisley to this meeting. If she dies, I know I won’t be able to live with the consequences. A bullet ricochets off the table and grazes my arm. “Cazzo,” I growl, aiming and firing at the man with Adrik who caught me, hitting him dead center in the forehead.

The thump of his body hitting the floor is a satisfying sound as Adrik backs out of the room and retreats, his men dropping like flies around him. “All of you will pay for this,” he shouts, before yanking a rather grief-stricken looking Eliza out of the room and fleeing.

Where the fuck is Spartak’s security?

The shooting continues as the men in the room rush forward, chasing after Adrik. I glance between the door he disappeared through and the back of the room where Paisley was. I can’t follow though, as my mind is fixed solely on finding Paisley.

“Paisley?” I call her name, jumping to my feet.

I search under every table in the room, but there’s no sign of her.

“Imalia?” I call, and the answer is silence.

My heart pounds and that’s when I notice a door at the back. It’s literally the only way she and Imalia could have gone if they’re not in this room. I rush through the door and run down a long corridor, which leads to a fire door at the end. My heart pounds and adrenaline floods my veins as I tighten my grasp on my gun, grabbing the handle and pushing the door open.

A flood of bright sunlight hits me and I squint, trying to see through it. And that’s when I hear it.

“Massimo,” Paisley calls, panic lacing her voice.

I see Adrik with his hands on her and my entire world feels like it rushes out from under me. One of his men is dragging Imalia toward an SUV. He must have avoided the front entrance and gone out the back, since he’s Spartak’s nephew and probably knows the building as well as anyone. Adrenaline spikes through my veins as I rush after them, my gun firm in my hand, knowing that I’ll die before I let him take her. Once close enough, I lift my gun and cock it, aiming it right at him. “Release her or I’ll sink a bullet in your skull before you can turn around.”

This has to work. I won’t lose my wife, not when everything was finally settling down. Paisley may not love me yet, and perhaps she never will, but her acceptance of me as her husband has been coming slowly but surely. Adrik won’t screw this up for me, not while my heart is still beating in my chest.