Page 104 of Declan

Ispit blood onto the floor, my eyes locked on Alek. Even now, he holds that arrogant glare, the bastard still thinking he has a chance. But he doesn’t. My men are here, and so are Flynns. The only edge Alek Koslov ever had was attacking us from the shadows. Now that we’ve found his lair, there’s no way out.

But I’m not going to killhim—not yet. He’s going to be a fucking example.

“I fucked her,” he snarls, spitting blood, nearly hitting my boots. “Did she tell you that? She was fucking sweet, bent her over, made her scream in pain, crying, begging me to stop.” His words drip with malice.

Fucker raped her, and he’s going to pay for it I don’t give him the satisfaction of finishing.

Grabbing a chair, I slam it into him. He tries to duck but isn’t fast enough. The chair crashes against his arm with a sickening crack, his scream echoing through the room, raw and agonized.

“Fucking idiot,” I roar, climbing on top of him. My fist connects with his nose, a brutal crunch following. “You just couldn’t stand sharing the fucking docks, could you?”

Blood sprays as I throw another punch. His head snaps to the side, but he’s still grinning.

“Your father was killed over the same shit! Don’t you Koslovs ever fucking learn?” Another punch. Harder. Faster. Blood splatters across my knuckles as he weakly raises his good arm, trying to shield himself.

“And Elva?” I snarl, leaning closer, my fist colliding with his jaw.

Alek laughs through the blood. “Elva was too easy. How the fuck did you let your future wife walk around with just a couple of guards?”

My fists move faster, pounding his chin, chest, and ribs. I straddle him, pinning him down, making it impossible for him to escape. His face is a mess of blood and swelling, but he keeps talking.

“You think you own the fucking world,” he spits, his voice hoarse. “You wanted more and more, raising taxes, taking profits you didn’t fucking need.”

“Who had men at the docks when shit went down?” I snarl, glaring at him. “Who had their name on the lease in case the FBI came sniffing around? Who paid off the fucking cops?”

He stops fighting back, just staring up at me, his chest heaving.

“We did!” I bellow, my voice shaking with fury. “Every shipment. Every bribe. Every fucking risk is under the Irish Consortium’s name, not the Koslovs or the Morellis!”

I push off him and stand, my chest rising and falling as I stare at his broken body. Blood pools around him, staining the floor, but he’s still smirking.

“You can kill me,” he rasps, his voice dripping with malice. “I’ve already done more than you ever expected. Elva, Nolan, your men… And you’ll always know I was inside Viviana.”

My jaw tightens, fists clenching as I step toward him, grabbing his shirt and yanking him forward. “I know what you’re doing, Koslov. It won’t work,” I grunt before shoving him back.

Dropping him like the filth he is, I turn and head outside, where the silence hits me, deafening. No more gunshots. No more screams. Just the groans of the dying as Connor and the rest of our men finish the job. The order is clear: no one is left alive this time.

“Kian, take that piece of shit back to the estate. Make sure he stays breathing until then,” I command, brushing the blood off my hands in my black shirt as I stride toward the woods.

My ribs ache, each step sending a jolt of pain through me, but I don’t stop. I find the SUV, her muffled yelling echoing inside the bulletproof car. Even now, she’s a firecracker. I smirk.

A guard stands by the tree, gun raised and eyes sharp. I signal him to unlock the doors. As soon as the lock clicks, Viviana bursts out like a storm, crashing into my arms. I catch her, barely managing to hide the wince as her weight presses against my ribs, probably

broken, definitely bruised. I could’ve ended Alek back there, put a bullet in his head, and been done with it. But no. I needed to feel his flesh tearing under my hands. I needed that fight.

“Are you okay?” she demands, her voice sharp, laced with fury, but beneath it, I hear the worry. Her body tenses, her right hand twitching, and I know what’s coming.

“I’m fine, firecracker,” I say, giving her some space. I’m not going to stop her.

Her right fist comes up and connects with my chin, snapping my head to the side. Pain shoots through me, sharp and bright, but honestly, I’m already too sore for it to matter much.

As soon as her hand drops, she throws her arms around me again. “You fucking locked me in there!” she yells into my chest, voice muffled by the fabric.

I bite back a laugh, putting on an exaggeratedly offended tone. “Me? I was fighting for my life! You should be hitting Kian!”

“I already did,” she mutters, and I feel her chuckle against me.

“Is it over? My father?” Her voice softens, the weight of the question hanging between us.

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