Page 85 of Owned By The Bratva King

It’s clear I have only a slim chance of surviving this, so there’s no reason to hold back, but I’m still afraid.

Can I do this? I’m not only worried about my physical strength. I’ve never been the type to fight back, but I’ve changed. Roman found the steel beneath my soft exterior. He believes in me. I can do the same.

Balls or eyes, Roman said. I can do it.

Now.

I swing my legs and bring both feet up hard into Silvio’s crotch. He roars with pain and shock, dropping the gun, and I hurl myself to the ground, scrabbling for it. Roman tosses the shotgun out of reach and grabs a fistful of Silvio’s hair, dragging him away from me.

“I’ll make sure you live long enough to regret this,” Roman snarls.

He rolls Silvio face-up and straddles him, delivering a solid punch to his face. “You’ll beg to die, you worthless psychopath. You killed my sister and dared to try and do the same to my,” he punches him again to emphasize his last word, “wife?”

Roman hits again and again. Blood flies, spraying onto his shirt, but he doesn’t care. His fists keep flying, filling the room with the sounds of each sickening impact.

I can’t watch the man I love beat another man to death. This isn’t who he is, who he can be.

“Stop,” I say.

He freezes, poised to land another blow. I pick up Silvio’s weapon and stand, stumbling slightly on my tired feet.

“I understand now, Roman. Some people aren’t worth the air they breathe, but you shouldn’t revel in their pain. That’s a shortcut to losing your humanity, and hasn’t Silvio taken enough from you already?”

I offer him the pistol. “It’s time to finish this. Don’t you understand? I fell in love with the man beneath the facade.” His eyes meet mine. “I learned to break away from my fear and show up for myself. You said you’d try to be the man I deserve. Now’s the time.”

Roman is panting from the exertion of the fight, but Silvio is done. His face is a mess, pulverized by the assault.

“Nah,” Silvio says, spitting blood. “Indulge your rage. You’re a vicious piece of shit, Kazanov, just like me. Why deny yourself the pleasure of slowly destroying me to appease the delicate sensibilities of this fat bitch?”

Clouds gather in Roman’s eyes. If the darkness sets in this time, he will be lost to me forever.

“No,” I say, my voice cracking. “Don’t let him run the show. Don’t you see that this is how you become him?”

“I thought you wanted me to beg.” Silvio’s split lip twists into an expression of pure hatred. “I don’t give a fuck anymore. To live, to die—It’s all the same to me.

But you better believe Bianca begged. She told me she’d found out they were having a boy and would name him after his father.” His laugh turns into a gargling cough. “She pleaded for the life of her unborn baby. Don’t it just break your heart?”

Time seems to slow to a crawl. Roman’s chest heaves, and he holds his breath before exhaling slowly. He reaches for me, and I press the gun into his palm.

“Turn away,” he murmurs. “You don’t need to see this.”

I face the wall, and Roman clicks off the safety. Then he says three words to tell Silvio all he needs to know.

“I forgive you.”

“No!” Silvio’s yell is pure anguish. “It’s your fault, not mine! You can’t?—”

The gunshot reverberates off the walls, fading into a thundering silence.

Roman’s hand lands on my shoulder, and I sink into his arms, my legs buckling beneath me.

“Easy, rusalka.” He holds onto me, keeping me on my feet. “Let’s get out of here.”

63

Roman

“Don’t look,” I whisper, holding Quinn’s head against my chest. “It’s not pretty, but it’s over.”

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