Page 71 of Married to the Bratva

“But if you shoot me then Grandma dies. You see the bind you’re in.” His voice softens to a mockery of sympathy. “The great Maxim Abramov, undone by a woman. Just like your father.”

My jaw tightens, the burn of his words striking deeper than I’d like to admit. He’s baiting me, trying to throw me off balance, but I won’t let him. Not here. Not now.

“You know nothing about my father,” I say, my voice low, steady.

“Don’t I?” Federico takes a step closer, his gaze never leaving mine. “A man who trusted too much, loved too deeply, and paid the ultimate price. And now here you are, walking the same path. Tell me, Maxim, how does it feel to repeat history?”

“That’s enough,” I growl, raising the gun. “What happened to the code? We don’t touch the wives.”

Federico laughs, the sound cold and sharp. “Some rules are meant to be broken. Go ahead. Pull the trigger and show her the real monster inside the man. You don’t care about her, you care about beating me.”

Sophie lifts her chin slightly, her gaze steady despite the fear flickering in her eyes. “You think you’re in control?” she says, her voice laced with defiance. “You’re nothing but a coward hiding behind a gun.”

Evan’s smirk falters. “Watch your mouth, sweetheart. You’re not in a position to insult your fiancé.”

“Fuck you,” she counters, her voice unwavering. “I’m done letting you control my life.”

“You won’t do it,” Evan says. “You’re too much of a pussy.”

He raises his gun, preparing to shoot Sophie, but she moves faster, pulling her trigger first. Everyone fires at once. I feel a sting in my stomach but I ignore it.

Evan stumbles back, his eyes wide with shock as blood blooms across his chest. He collapses to the floor, the gun slipping from his hand. Federico slumps beside him, gasping for air.

Sophie lowers the pistol, her breath ragged, her entire body shaking. I move to her side in an instant, pulling her into my arms as she gasps for air.

“You’re okay,” I murmur, holding her tightly. “You’re okay.”

Her fingers clutch at my shirt, her voice breaking as she whispers, “I had to… I couldn’t let him…”

“I know,” I say, brushing a hand over her hair. “You did what you had to do.”

“Is Grandma okay?”

I glance over at where Amber’s climbing to her feet. “She’s fine,” I say.

Federico is on his knees, his gun slipping to the floor. His gaze flicks between Evan’s body and Sophie, his expression unreadable. I rise slowly, positioning myself between him and his gun.

“This ends now,” I say, my voice cold and final.

He smirks, his hand twitching toward his side as if he’s contemplating drawing a hidden weapon. “You really think this ends here, Maxim? Men like us don’t just walk away clean. This world swallows us all. It doesn’t ever let us escape.”

“I’m not like you,” I say, my voice low and deadly. My body is coiled tight, every muscle primed. “And that’s why you’ll die here and I’ll walk away with my wife.”

“You think killing me changes anything?” he taunts, taking a slow step forward. “You’ll still be the same cold bastard, trusting no one, alone in the dark with your shadows. You think you’ve won? You’ll destroy her. She’ll end up like your mother soon enough.”

He laughs, the sound sharp and grating. “You’ve got a weakness now. Her.” He nods toward Sophie, still trembling behind me. “And that makes you just as pathetic as your father. That’s why Dimitri came to me. He knew your light was fading and mine was growing.”

His talk is a distraction I don’t notice in time. He lunges for his gun. There’s a shot, deafeningly loud. I look at Sophie but she’s staring back at me, unhurt.

Federico slumps to the floor, half his face gone. Sophie’s gun is still pointing at him. “No one talks shit about my husband,” she says.

The room is eerily quiet for a moment, save for the sound of Sophie’s uneven breathing.

“You okay?” I ask, my voice low and steady.

She looks up at me, her lips quivering, but she nods. “Peachy,” she whispers, hugging her grandmother.

“Come on,” I say softly, sliding the gun into my waistband. “Let’s get out of here.”

---