1
VALENTINA
A bullet between the eyes.
That’s all it would take to end this stupid feud between my family and the Bratva.
Oh, sure, someone else would rise up to take the Pakhan’s place, but they’d think twice about messing with my family.
Especially if my brother Luca decided to stay in New York. He’s single-handedly taken out at least a dozen Bratva men.
But no. My eldest brother, Don Alessandro Dante, isn't planning to kill Pakhan Maksim Vasiliev.
He’s making a deal to broker peace.
I study the men gathered around the table.
Alessandro sits to my right, cool as always.
My younger brother, Adriano, keeps his dark gaze on Maksim as if he’s ready to fire that bullet that could end all this.
Maksim sits across from us.
His blue eyes are calculating, coldly assessing each of us in turn.
"The matter of territory in the west district remains unresolved." Alessandro's voice is diplomatic. He stepped into our father's role without missing a beat after his murder.
Our father’s death changed everything.
Luca returned from exile despite the cool reception from my brothers.
As expected, he created chaos, but he’d also discovered the Bratva’s scheme to destabilize the Dante family, starting with our father’s death.
"Your brother killed twelve of my men." Maksim's accent thickens with his anger. "Twelve."
I practically roll my eyes. Maksim is still going on about wanting us to hand over Luca to him.
It’s not enough that Luca nearly died and is currently recovering from a bullet to the chest.
“Are we back to this?” Adriano shakes his head. “You killed our father. Pyotr kidnapped Enzo, Luca’s son. You held Katerina, Luca’s woman, hostage. What did you expect? It’s not like you didn’t know Luca.”
I’d been the one to secretly message Luca after Father’s death because I knew he’d do something to make the Bratva pay.
While Alessandro and Adriano are more about planning and strategy, Luca is about action, even if it’s a suicide mission, which it nearly was when he broke into Maksim’s home to save the love of his life, Katerina.
Luckily, my brothers had his back, mobilizing every Dante soldier we had to help Luca save Katerina.
"We have all suffered losses." Alessandro straightens the cuffs of hisshirt, as if he’s growing tired of this conversation. "The question is whether we continue bleeding each other dry or find a compromise."
Maksim leans forward, his men shifting nervously behind him. "I want compensation."
"You'll get nothing," Adriano snaps. “You fucking killed a Don, you?—”
Alessandro places a hand on Adriano's arm, a silent command to stand down.
"What exactly are you proposing?" Alessandro asks.
Maksim's gaze slides to me, lingering in a way that makes my skin crawl. "An alliance."
