"Go with Marcello."
"Saint—"
"Now." I don't look at her. Can't look at her. If I do, I'll remember she's the reason I want to strangle the life out of him. She's the reason he has something on me. And I'll do something I'll regret later.
She realizes this, and I watch as her shoulders fall.
Marcello takes her arm, pulls her away. She goes, casting one look back at me, and I know she wants to beg me. Months ago, I might have found that intriguing, but now, I hate the idea of her on her knees.
I want to kill Alexei, and no one is going to stop me.
The crowd parts. They know what's coming. Some try to stop me, Julian grabs my shoulder, Dominic steps in front of me, but I push past them.
Alexei doesn't run. He doesn't even stop smiling. He's fucking loving this.
"Saint. My condolences?—"
My fist connects with his jaw before he can finish.
He staggers back, blood spraying out. His men move forward, but he raises a hand, stopping them. His smile is still wide.
"You come here?" I hit him again. "To my uncle's funeral?"
He laughs, and I hit him again. "Go ahead," he goads. "Get it out, boy."
I'm on top of him now. Pounding his face into the cemetery grass. Blood flies everywhere. His men are shouting, movingforward. They don't know what to do. Igor isn't moving. Alexei told them to hold, and they are listening, but it goes against their nature.
He's going to be dead before they can stop me.
Someone fires a gun into the air, and I hear my men shouting.
"Saint!" Marcello's voice. "Saint, stop! You're going to kill him!"
Good.
I want to kill him. Want to beat his face until there's nothing left. Until he's unrecognizable. Until everyone knows what happens when you fuck with Saint Marini.
Hands grab me. Multiple people pulling me off. I'm fighting them, trying to get back to Alexei's body on the ground. The fucker's face is a bloody mess, and yet, he's still laughing, which means I didn't hurt him enough.
Marcello's in my face now. "You've made your point."
I'm breathing hard.
Igor grabs Alexei, hauling him to his feet.
He's conscious, barely. Looking at me through swollen eyes, a smirk on his face.
"This isn't over, Podonok," he laughs. "Not by a long shot."
I'm about to put a bullet in his head, but Marcello stands in front of me. "Think about where you are," he snaps.
And I do. Looking around, I realize the crowd is silent.
I turn to face them. Every captain. Every soldier. Every family representative who came to pay respects looks on at me with disgust.
"Antonio Marini built this family." My voice carries across the cemetery. "He made us strong. Made us feared. And as his successor, I will continue his work. Anyone who threatens us—" I gesture to where Alexei was. "—will face the same fate. Or worse."
No one speaks. But I see the looks. The doubt. The fear.
