Enzo
Ican’t get the beautiful blonde out of my head. Kira Petrov. Gregor Petrov’s daughter. The Bratva.
The woman that Nikolai Volkov, head of the Bratva, wants me to marry so we can make peace.
I lean back in my office chair with a smirk. It’s funny how Nikolai and Gregor and Maksim think I’ll just cave and marry anyone they want. I shot Maksim in the back because it pissed me off that he was going to win. That he was going to make me look like a fool.
And no one makes me look like a fool.
The Italian mafia is doing very well for itself but a war would hurt us. It could make us lose money. Lose men. A marriage alliance with the Bratva would allow me and my men to not always be on our toes. We could relax.
But that would mean having to marry that little wildcard I met at my club. Kira is very sexy, I’ll give her that. Tight body. Nice skin. Bouncy blonde hair. Any man would want her based on her looks.
The problem is: she came to my club and got drunk. I don’t want that in a wife. Not one that could make me look like a fool. She’s trouble, that much is obvious. And I can be the only one in this relationship that causes trouble.
She would be a fun woman to fuck and flirt with but to marry? No. Not after she insulted me. Not after she gave me attitude.
I always expected to marry a woman who was docile. This is the mafia. Arranged marriages for political gain happen all the time. I figured it would happen for me one day. Just not today and not with a woman like Kira.
Yet, I have to think about stopping this war that’s brewing between the Italian mafia and the Bratva. I have my younger sister, Gianna, to think about. She lives with our aunt and uncle in Connecticut. I didn’t want her around New York where things are dangerous. She can live in peace while I take on the brunt force of everything. I doubt she even knows about the war I’m entangled in. The more innocent she is, the better her life will be.
The door to my office opens and in strolls Marco Amato. Wearing a suit that’s almost as good as mine. An attitude that shows he’s arrogant and he doesn’t care who knows it.
He doesn’t sit down in the chair across from me. Instead, he makes a point of towering over me while I’m seated. Fucker. We’ve worked together in the mafia for years but there’s always been tension between us. Just because we’re in the mafia doesn’t mean we all have the same goals.
“I heard that you’re making a marriage pact with the Bratva. Is that true?” His lips barely move as he asks it. Too much Botox in my opinion but Marco will deny it.
“I’m considering it,” I lie. After meeting Kira in person, I know she would drive me up the fucking wall. But I can’t let Marco just storm into my office and act like he can demand what I do or can’t do.
“With the Bratva? What are you bringing our organization to, Enzo? You will bring us to ruin, that’s what.”
I pick up my phone and keep my eyes on it, just to annoy Marco further. “I’m the head of the mafia here in New York. If I want to make a deal with the Bratva, it would benefit us all. You don’t get to talk down to me like this, Marco.”
“You’re just a boy.”
“I’m thirty-one. And you’re only forty, Marco. It’s not like you’re ancient.”
“That’s not the point. You should never have become the boss. It should have been me.”
“Well, thanks for sharing that with me. You can go now.” I wave my hand towards the door. Marco’s lips only turn downward more. So maybe no Botox then.
“Think about what you’re doing. You could get us all hurt if you really think you can trust the fucking Bratva.” As quickly as he stormed into my office, he storms out.
I set my phone down, considering his words. When Nikolai Volkov reached out to me to make a peace deal by marrying Kira Petrov, I considered it. I was almost killed by Nikolai a few weeks ago and yet, he spared my life. He doesn’t want a war either.
But I know I can’t marry Kira. Not when she came to my club, got drunk, and insulted me. It’s a wound that my pride won’t stand for.
However, now that Marco is against the marriage deal with the Bratva, it’s making me reconsider. I like to piss people off just for the fun of it sometimes and pissing Marco off would be funny. Maybe I should marry someone within the Bratva… just not Kira.
I call Nikolai’s number, which he gave to me as a sign of trust.
“Enzo,” he says in a tone I can’t make out. “Have you called to say you agree to our deal?”
“Give me someone else. Someone other than Kira within the Bratva.”
Nikolai is quiet for a moment. “There’s no one better though. She’s the daughter of Gregor Petrov. He’s the closest you’ll get to the top.”
Damn it. He’s right. It’s why he offered Kira to me in the first place. It takes everything inside of me to grit my teeth but I have to say this. “Anyone else. Find some other daughter of a high ranking Bratva man. I don’t fucking care. Just make sure she’s docile and not annoying.” I hang up before he can reply.
