Page 37 of Bound to a Monster

“We need to take over as much of my father’s business as we can,” I tell him and make myself stop pacing when Alex gives me a sharp glare and gestures for me to settle down. “That way, I’ll have a legitimate claim when the time comes.”

“And how hard will that be?” Adriano asks.

Alex answers for me. “Shouldn’t be difficult. Oleg’s been slowly phasing himself out for a while now. He focuses on Zeitsev business instead of his own family these days. Mostly, Lev needs to make it clear who’s in control in case anyone’s unsure.”

“That involves some finesse, but it’s doable.” I sit my ass down and cross my arms to keep from twitching all over the place. “Once my father’s more or less cut out, then it’s your turn.”

“And what do you need from me, exactly?” Adriano sits back in his chair, fingers laced together. “I assume you can just walk intoyour father’s room and shoot him in the face whenever you want to.”

Because I’m a very sick man, that image doesn’t bother me one bit.

If anything, it gets my blood up.

I grimace and shake my head. “Can’t do it like that. I need a show of strength, and I need my father to flinch first.”

“We’re going to set him up,” Alex says, hunched forward slightly. He talks with his hands sometimes, gesturing sharply in front of him. “Force him to make a mistake. When that happens, we’ll handle him, and we need your men there to make sure nobody else does anything stupid.”

“If all goes well, there won’t be any more blood spilled and your people won’t ever have to draw their weapons.” That’s wishful thinking, but not impossible. My father’s grip on his small subsection of the bratva’s been on shaky ground ever since we nearly caused a full-blown war with the Marinos.

Now I’m making deals with them instead.

“I’ll admit, I like the idea of not having to kill any Russians. I’ve had my fair share of blood already.”

“We’re aware,” Alex says dryly. Adriano shot him in the leg not that long ago and I’m betting the wound still bugs him sometimes.

“But there’s an obvious hole in this little plan.” Adriano’s chair squeaks as he leans on his elbows. “You want to set him up, but I haven’t heardhow.”

“We’re working on it.” I don’t like that he’s questioning things now, especially after I did my part and married his cousin, but at least he’s right.

Parts of my plan are shaky at best.

Mostly because there’s no good playbook for how to depose your own father without sparking a civil war.

That’s the tricky needle I have to thread. Valentin Zeitsev will be livid if I end up causing him more trouble by killing a man he’s been trusting more and more with his business. If I’m going to make this seamless, I need thepakhanon board, and that’ll involve doing this as smoothly as possible.

Only one head will roll. And that’ll be my father’s.

“I have some ideas,” Alex puts in. “The Canadian project’s huge. Once they get that pipeline up and flowing, that’s going to bring a lot of money into the families.”

“That’s the main reason I wanted an alliance,” Adriano says.

“Oleg’s been given some responsibility on this end of the connection. I’m thinking if we can make him look foolish and tarnish him in thepakhan’seyes, that’ll be the opening we need.”

It makes a lot of sense. The Canadian job’s basically a flow of drugs coming down from shipping ports in the northern part of the country. It’s been in the works for a while now, and Valentin sees it as the future of the entire Bratva. With that supply of product secured, we’ll be one of the most powerful crime families in the country.

And my father’s at the heart of it.

I shake Adriano’s hand on the way out. As things stand, he’ll provide support as needed, but otherwise, it’s up to Alex and me to make it happen. Which is how things are supposed to be.

“You doing okay?” Alex asks as we head down into Adriano’s club. His private space is upstairs at the end of a soundproofed hall, while downstairs is given over to a bacchanal of dancing, drugs, and drinking. And probably some skeevy sex in the bathroom.

“I’m fine.” I turn to the bar and ask for a vodka. Alex does the same, watching me the whole time with a curious frown.

“You know, you haven’t even mentioned her once yet.” He sips his drink when it arrives, and I hate the knowing look he’s got on his face.

“Not sure who you mean.” I savor the alcohol’s burn as I try not to think about my wife back home.

Mypregnantwife.

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