Page 72 of Trapping His Assassin

Surely I hadn’t understood him correctly. I’d read about Alexie, but I didn’t take his escapades seriously. I mean, who fucked their enemy’s wife and got her pregnant? That sounded like something out of a crime drama.

It was widely rumored that the Don had murdered his wife, and potentially their unborn child. However, without a DNA test to confirm this, it was hearsay. I recall whispers in the streets of Italy, about how the Don didn’t hesitate to kill his heir, regardless of the consequences for the organization.

“A bastard heir is better than no heir,” the men had grumbled.

Probably one of the reasons the Don didn’t live long after getting out of his coma. His vengeful obsession had consumed him to the point that he was oblivious to the crumbling unity within the famiglia.

When soldiers were unhappy, mutiny stirred. That’s how Mateo came to power. We approached the couple as the blades were shut off.

As they reunited, Alexie embraced Roman in a hug that seemed uncomfortable and somewhat forced. “My son,” he said with emotion. “Did you miss me?”

“I just saw you,” Roman grumbled, slapping Alexie’s hands off his person.

Alexie paused, startled, a small tear in his eye. Was this the first time Roman had spoken to him of his own volition? I wasn’t certain, but I kept watching their strange dynamic unfold.

“And you,” Alexie’s gaze swung and caught on mine. His tear was gone as if it was a figment of my imagination. “Welcome to the family. Even though I wasn’t invited to the wedding.”

He reached out to shake my hand. I shook it and smirked. “There wasn’t a wedding to come to anyway. If I was a luckier woman, my shot would’ve killed him instead of incapacitating him for only a few hours.”

Silence reigned between all of us, and I could’ve sworn I heard crickets in the distance. Then, Alexie threw his head back and let out a full-on belly laugh. The men followed his example and all relaxed, as they laughed alongside him.

“Ahhh,” Alexie said, wiping the mirth from his eyes. “I like this one.” He walked right up to me, until our noses were almost touching. “Don’t make me kill you for hurting my son.”

I gulped. For the first time since Headmaster Mikhail, someone’s threat scared me. I didn’t know if it was because of Alexie and his reputation. Maybe I suddenly understood my husband’s blase attitude about killing. He could take a life without batting an eye. A Bratva soldier through and through.

My pussy shouldn’t be wet.

That’s the wrong reaction to have. Right?

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Roman

Why was my father here? The time when I needed a parent had long passed before I’d even met Alexie. However, I could see the concern on his face as he hugged me. I’d stiffened because I wasn’t a hugger.

Unless I counted Valentina.

Sloane wobbled alongside Alexie. He stabilized her body before placing a gentle kiss on her temple. It surprised me. I could feel my mouth hanging open in shock.

Alexie caught my gaze. “She’s pregnant.”

Ah, that explained his gentleness. Whenever Sloane was pregnant, the two would go into what I liked to call their honeymoon phase. They were sweet to each other. It sickened me. They always managed to shine like a normal family until Sloane lost the baby.

Tension crackled between all of us, but I stemmed my emotion in my father’s presence. A good little soldier, like he trained me. Valentina whispered she had to run to the ladies room and left, and the tension in the air dissipated as if it hadn’t been there to begin with.

Alexie may have told me to marry an Italian woman, but I damned sure hadn’t completely listened to him. He hadn’t said anything about marrying the enemy’s surrogate daughter at all. He should be more specific.

I glared at my father until my wife was back at my side. Valentina came back looking a little pale. Her eyes were red rimmed like she had been crying. She adjusted her top and wiped at the corners of her mouth, before gracing our uninvited guests with a fake warm smile.

Was she sick or something? She hadn’t been in the bathroom for too long. I’d try to remember to ask her about it later, once I got rid of the pest in front of me. Worried, I reached out and embraced her tightly.

“What are you both doing here?” I broke the tension.

Alexie shrugged. “You didn’t think I would allow you to attack one of the oldest traditions without a helluva lot of backup, did you? And you’re talking? My, oh my, how things have changed.”

“I mean I truly didn’t think you cared,” I deadpanned, ignoring the pain in my throat. I would be a stronger man for Valentina even if it hurt. Right now, my voice was needed.

Gone was that little boy who was almost killed. In his place was a man, ready to burn the world down for the woman he loved. My thoughts stopped when I realized what I’d uncovered.

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