Page 88 of The Mafia's Quadruplets

He laughs, a harsh, grating sound. “Or what? You’ll shoot me? Go ahead, but I promise you, I’ll take her with me.”

My jaw clenches as I assess the situation. Matvey’s finger hovers over the trigger, his gun pointed at Claire’s unconscious form. Even if I manage to hit him, there’s a chance his dying reflex could pull the trigger.

“Let’s talk about this,” I say, forcing my voice to remain calm. “Whatever you want, we can work out something.”

Matvey’s lip curls in disgust. “What I want? I want my brother back, you bastard, but you took him from me, didn’t you?”

“It was different with Ansily, Matvey. Your brother started a war?—”

“Shut up,” he roars, his gun hand shaking. “You don’t get to talk about him. You don’t even get to say his name.”

I take a cautious step forward. I need to keep him talking and distract him long enough to get an opening.

“Think about what you’re doing. Claire has nothing to do with this. She’s innocent.”

Matvey’s laugh is bitter. “Innocent? She’s carrying your child, Valerian. Your legacy. Yourfamily. Just like you took mine, I’m going to take yours.”

It’s the second time he’s insisted that, and I still don’t know if he’s saying it just to toy with me, or if Claire is pregnant with my child. I struggle to keep my face impassive, but my pulse jumps.

Suddenly, commotion erupts in the hallway. Dmitri bursts into the room, grappling with two of Matvey’s men. They crash into the bed, sending it skidding across the floor with an ear-splitting screech.

Matvey’s attention flickers for a split second, shifting his gun away from Claire. It’s all the opening I need. I lunge forward, tackling him to the ground. His gun goes off, the bullet embedding itself in the ceiling. We grapple on the floor, trading blows. His fist connects with my jaw, sending stars exploding across my vision, but I retaliate with an elbow to his nose, feeling cartilage crunch beneath the impact.

Blood streams down Matvey’s face as we roll across the floor, each fighting for control. I manage to pin him down, pressingmy forearm against his throat. His eyes bulge as he gasps for air. “It’s over,” I say harshly. “Surrender now, and I’ll let you live.”

He spits blood in my face. “Never.”

With a surge of strength, he bucks me off and scrambles for his fallen gun, but I’m faster. My fingers close around the grip, and I bring it up just as he lunges at me again.

I fire.

Once.

Twice.

Matvey stumbles back, red blossoming across his chest. He looks down at the wounds in disbelief, then back up at me. His lips move, but no sound comes out. He takes one more staggering step before collapsing to the floor.

I rush to Claire’s side. “Claire, are you okay?” My voice comes out low and strained with worry. She doesn’t respond at first, and panic grips me. “Claire, wake up. Please, wake up!”

Finally, her eyes flutter open. Her face is pale, but there’s awareness in her eyes that makes my chest tighten with relief. I pull her into my arms, holding her close. The scent of her fills my senses. I never want to let her go again.

“Dmitri?” I shout over my shoulder. “Clear the building. Secure the perimeter. I want every inch of this place swept. Confine all the Petrov soldiers that survived. Shove them in these cells until I figure out what do to with them.”

Dmitri nods sharply and starts issuing rapid-fire orders into his radio. In seconds, my men move to carry out my commands.

I turn back to Claire, gently cupping her face in my hands. Her skin is cool to the touch, and a bruise is already forming along her cheekbone, where Matvey must have struck her. Anger flares in me at the sight, but I push it down. She needs me calm right now.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” I ask, scanning her for any visible injuries.

She shakes her head slightly, then winces. “Just sore. My feet have some scratches. My palms and knees from a fall… But mostly, my head...” She trails off, her brow wrinkling in confusion when she takes in our surroundings. “Valerian, what happened? Where’s Matvey?”

“He’s dead,” I say simply. “He can’t hurt you anymore. You’re safe now.”

Relief fills her expression, followed quickly by emotions I can’t quite decipher. She opens her mouth as if to say something, then closes it again, her eyes filling with tears.

I pull her close once more, pressing a fierce kiss to her forehead. “It’s over, Claire. The Petrov Syndicate’s reign of terror ends today. I’ll make sure of it.”

She nods against my chest, curling her fingers into the fabric of my shirt. We stay like that for a long moment, just holding each other. The chaos around us fades away, and all I can focus on is the steady beat of her heart against mine.

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