Page 79 of Daddy's Reluctant Queen

If I could reach through the phone and strangle him…

“Anyway,” he goes on, “I’m not going to take up too much of your time. I’m just calling to offer you a solution to your problem. The way I see it, we both want something that the other has. You want your son back and I want your job.”

“You piece of shit.”

“Language,” he chides. “You know, you really have to work on that temper of yours.”

“Where is my son?” I growl at him.

“He’s safe,” he says. “For now, anyway. If you want him to stay safe, then you’ll consider stepping down as Pakhan. We need some new leadership around here. That’s become painfully clear thanks to your most recent choice of the company you’ve been keeping.”

I’m vibrating with anger. I have to take a deep breath and listen.

“Let’s meet to discuss the terms of your resignation,” he says. “Once you agree to step down, we can talk about you getting your son back.”

“I’ll never hand this Bratva over to you.”

“Oh, yes, you will. You will or I’ll blast the little shit’s brains out right in front of you.” He pauses, and I feel like I’m going to throw up. Fucking asshole has me by the short hairs.

Through clenched teeth, I finally say, “All right. Where do you want to meet?”

“Center parkway at noon,” he says. “Come alone. I’d also advise you to be on time. A minute late and my trigger finger might get itchy.”

“I’ll be there.” With that he hangs up. I look at the time on my phone. I’ve got about three hours…

I start moving, going for my arsenal in my office. There’s no time to gather my forces and even if there were, I can’t risk Cyrus seeing them coming and killing Luka.

“Titus. Hey, what are you doing?” I hear Sofia’s footsteps behind me as I walk and the desperation rising in her voice. “You’re not going to them, are you? You can’t go to them.”

“Stay out of this,” I tell her.

“I’m not staying out this. Dammit, Titus, stop!” She grabs my arm with both hands, forcing me to stop. I whirl around on her.

“They will kill him if I don’t go,” I bellow.

“They might kill him anyway,” she yells back. “Titus, just stop for a second and think about this.”

“There’s nothing to think about.” I turn away and she runs around me, blocking my path. “Move.”

She puts her hands on her hips. “Just listen to me for a second,” she says. “You know as well as I do that no one just leaves a Bratva. No one. Not the daughter of a Pakhan and most certainly not the Pakhan himself.”

“Make your point, Sofia.”

“I would think my point was pretty fucking obvious. If you meet with the twins, they will kill you. It’s not going to go like you think it is.”

“It sure as hell won’t,” I growl at her, “because if Luka is hurt, I’ll put a bullet in both their heads.”

“Well, that’s not off the table. But the only thing they want is your throne. Your place at the top. And there’s only one way they’ll ever get it legit. They are going to kill you.”

She glares at me with anger, but also pain, her eyes shaking with signs of panic. There is no doubt in her mind that if I leave, I won’t be coming back.

“Sofia,” I say, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “I have to do this. There isn’t any other way. At the very least, I need to get Luka safe before?—”

“Let me go with you.”

I scowl at her. “No.”

“Dammit, Titus.”