Page 94 of Her Silver Fox Mountain Men

I still have one shot. Maybe.

“I’m pregnant.”

“You’rewhat?” he gasps. I quickly decide that telling him was a bad idea as my confession only manages to make him angrier.

“You heard me. There are innocent children growing in my womb that deserve to live,” I say, my voice trembling as fear ties thick knots in my throat. “Don’t kill me, Igor. You got what you wanted. You have the ledger. You have men loyal to you within the organization. You have everything you need to push your father aside and take over. It’s what you’ve always wanted, isn’t it?”

“You did something unforgivable,” Igor says, not lowering his weapon. “You betrayed me, Elise. Me. Your husband.”

“You betrayed me first, Igor, when you murdered my parents. You then had the audacity to lie about it. If you want to talk about not having any other choice, I’m afraid I’m the one whowas out of options. I’m the one who had to do what I did.”

“What about our wedding vows? Did those words mean anything to you?”

“Those words meant everything! And I was ready to be your wife until the end of my days,” I cry out, tears streaming down my cheeks. “I was ready to support you. Had you told me about what you’d done, maybe I would’ve found a way to forgive you.”

That’s a complete lie but I’m staring down the barrel of his gun. I’ll say anything at this point to protect my unborn children. “You kept lying to me. Even when I confronted you about it, you called me crazy. You bullied me. You hurt me. Abused me. What was I supposed to do? Just sit there and take it while you got away with murdering my parents? While you gave Mikey brotherly advice as you lied to his face?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” he exhales sharply. “It all ends here.”

“You’re such a coward, Igor. Don’t think for a second that killing me will get you the respect you so desperately desire.”

Igor seems confused. “What do you mean?”

“How many men do you have supporting you right now within the Bratva?” I ask.

Piotr and the two others exchange nervous glances.

I was raised in the Bratva. I know how these people think. The fake loyalty and respect they show before turning around and stabbing you in the back.

“Enough.”

“Not enough clearly,” I chuckle dryly, my synapses firing rapidly. The pregnancy angle didn’t work, but I am still determined to survive, for my baby to survive. So if I have to fuck with Igor’s head, I will.

“What about Lev’s lieutenants? How many can you squeeze the door on? How many can you keep under your control with the ledger? What of the others?”

“Since when are you a fucking strategist of the Bratva?” Piotr cuts in, somewhat annoyed.

I point a finger at him. “You’re a snake. You turned on Kara in the blink of an eye. If I were Igor, I wouldn’t trust you. You’ll betray anyone if it suits you. What will it take for you to turn on Igor? Money? The promise of a seat at the table?”

“Nonsense. I’m loyal to Igor. It’s why I did what I did. I tried to get Dmitri on board,” Piotr insists.

“Ah, so you betrayed Dmitri, too,” I scoff. “Figures. It’s what you do. What you’ll always do.”

Igor frowns slightly. In his crazed desperation, he is no longer the calculated and thoughtful mastermind he’s been renowned for. Something just clicked in his mind.

“This is who you’re working with, Igor.” I keep drilling because I can see I’ve struck gold. “Traitors. Backstabbers. Do you really think Piotr will just kick back and let you lead the Bratva? He already disagreed with you on when and where to kill me. We’re here because of your emotional impulse. How do you think that makes you look?”

“You’re just trying to stir up shit!” Piotr shouts, reaching for his gun.

“And you’re a two-faced barbarian who could never make it past the security guard level within the Bratva. Why’d you choose to betray Kara and Lev in Igor’s favor, huh? What did he promise you? More money? To move up the ladder? What was it?”

“I can grow with Igor. I can go higher than his father would’ve let me.”

“Oh, no shit,” I laugh, mocking him. “Look at Igor. Look at the doubt in his eyes. He now sees you for what you are and he’s probably wondering if you’re worth it. What if you kill him when he least suspects it, like you did Dmitri? What if he puts a bullet in you like he did Kara? She’s his sister and he shot her without blinking an eye.”

“Elise, you are really playing with fire here,” Igor snaps and switches the safety off his gun. “I’ve had enough of this shit. We had a nice run but it’s over.”

Piotr is now distracted, though, and so are his colleagues. They keep nervously looking at each other.

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