Page 55 of Malevolent King

An involuntary chuckle left me at that. “Well, shit,bratan, when you put it like that, it makes it hard to hate you. Please don’t tell me you want to be just like me when you grow up. Molly would divorce you.”

“Niko, be serious.”

“I’m being serious. I’m spending my time here handcuffed to a pipe, with a couple of cracked ribs and loose teeth. That’s pretty fucking serious.”

Kirill cursed under his breath. “That was never part of the deal.”

“What can I say? I have a gift for making things worse.”

“Yeah, and it goes hand in hand with your talent for pissing people off. I’m going to speak to Antonio.”

“No. You need to satisfy your part, and I can take it. I don’t want my bratva being ripped apart by the Italians.”

“Your bratva?”

“Fine.” I grinned at the handset. “Ours. Besides, I’ve someone I want to keep my eye on in here.”

“Fuck’s sake, Niko. You’re still as obsessed with Sofia as ever,” Kirill cursed.

“From one obsessive man to another, keep your nose out of my business. I accept your olive branch,bratan. When I get out of here, I won’t try to kill you unless you piss me off.”

“That’s generous of you. Don’t leave it too long. Get out and come and see me. Molly’s upset. She’s worried about you. Let’s find a position for you in the brotherhood. I need good men to watch my back.”

I laughed at that, a real, genuine boom of sound. “Only you’d be fucked up enough to trust your rival to watch your back.”

“Yeah, and you’re the only fucked-up rival honorable enough to do it.”

I glanced at Angelo, who was hovering and looking anxiously toward the door.

“We’ll see. I’ve been thinking about retiring. A cabin in the woods or a shack by the sea. I haven’t decided yet.”

“There’s no way you could keep out of trouble long enough to retire. Take care of yourself, and don’t overstay your welcome just to get close to Sofia. She hates you, remember?”

“Yeah, well, so did Molly, and now you’re married. Don’t worry about me, Kirill. Do me a favor,” I added before I hung up.

“What?”

“Bury Viktor in an unmarked grave, somewhere he’d absolutely hate.”

I sensed Kirill’s smile over the phone. “Will do.”

“Good. I’ll be seeing you soon, big brother.”

I hung up and handed the cell back to Angelo.

“Well?” The older man was sweating.

“We have a deal. You’ll get me out when I want out. Kirill will see you paid generously and free to run off wherever you want with the woman you want. But you’ll do what I say when I say it, no questions asked. That’s the deal,” I said.

I could practically see the thoughts chasing through Angelo’s brain. I had him over a barrel since he’d been so very obliging in giving me ammunition against him. Chiara was his greatest weakness and my trump card. Fear for a loved one was the greatest motivator.

“Okay, agreed. But Sofia…” Angelo trailed off. He’d been her bodyguard since before I’d even met my little obsession. Worrying about her had to be second nature to him by now.

“Is my business. Don’t worry your pretty head about Sofia. Leave that to me. Cuff me back up and don’t raise suspicion,” I ordered him.

The cuffs hurt when they went back on, but now it was an invigorating kind of pain. I had Angelo dancing on strings for me, Silvio De Sanctis to kill, and a Mafia princess to win to my side.

I smiled in the darkness. In chaos, I thrived.

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