Page 152 of The Dark Obsession

Give me a few days of rest and I’ll beat him bloody since talking with fists has been the only language this man understood ever since I can remember.

His uncontrolled aggression has served him well when he was young, but it’s bound to be his downfall one day.

“The fucking Bratva.” I curse.

We’ve severely underestimated their arrogance. That won’t repeat itself.

They’ve signed their death warrants the second they came after what’s mine.

“From what I gathered, John made a deal with them in exchange for protection and as it turns out, Malory’s hand was what sealed that union. Once he had her back, she would have been sold off to the old Pakhan, married off to his eldest son.”My girl shudders in my arms, Rafe’s bloodthirsty expression reflecting my own.

None of them are walking away from this alive.

“She’s a Corso now.” Rafe nods, his eyes softening with affection as he looks down at his sister wrapped tightly around me. “She’s one of us, they can’t touch her.”

“War is imminent.” He states resolutely. “We used to have a mutually respectful relationship with the Russians, but this cannot go unanswered. Dante will be pleased to have an excuse to bring them to their knees.”

“What about John?” I feel Malory tense at the mention of her father’s fate, but the chances of fulfilling my promise to her are non-existent at the moment.

I’ll stop at nothing to eliminate any threat to my girl even if it means begging for her forgiveness afterwards.

“If we decide to let him live, the Bratva will finish him off for us after the fiasco he orchestrated. I doubt they knew that the girl they bargained for turned out to be a Corso. Or else they wouldn’t have been so reckless to chance Dante’s wrath.” Rafe shrugs. “I'm not wasting my time on that piece of shit anymore.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to get your hands dirty? You have all the more reason to hate the man than I ever did.” I probe in case Rafe changed his mind at last.

“No. He means nothing to me. In the end, if the bastard didn’t do what he did, we wouldn’t be all be here now. For better or worse.” He grins deviously and I have to admit that he does have a valid point.

Without going through John’s abandonment and my father’s abuse, none of us would be at the top of the food chain now. And my girl wouldn’t be in my arms.

“He’s all yours, Tyson.”

I look down at Malory gnawing nervously at her bottom lip, breathing in her sweet scent.

With her vice grip on my heart, she’s all that matters.

My needs and wants have long ceased to mean anything, diminished by the love I feel for her.

“It’s your call, little one.”

Her eyebrows shoot up in shock as she shakes her head. “B-but your vengeance. All those years of work.”

“They gave me you, that’s all I need.” I gently cup her rosy cheek, her tiny face fitting perfectly in my palm as I run my thumb over the delicate skin still wet from her tears. “I love you, baby girl.”

“And I love you.” Malory leans into my touch, closing her eyes for a brief moment. “He’s going to die either way.” Sadness and surprisingly relief clash in her big, watery eyes.

I nod slowly, searching her gaze as she releases a deep, shaky breath.

“Then he’s yours. I won’t take your revenge from you.” Before I can protest, my girl presses her lips to mine, effectively silencing me with her deliciously tender mouth.

“Let him go.” I finally turn to Raffaele who’s been watching us with a quirked eyebrow, a hint of astonishment lacing his stare. “He won’t die by my hand.”

I’ll make sure the Pakhan does the job thoroughly without my direct involvement. But if there’s a way to keep my promise to her, I’ll do it.

Vengeance isn’t enough anymore. Maybe it never was.

Yet it led me to gaining the meaning of life nestled at my side. I can never go back to how things were before her, but I can live without ending John myself.

Malory is my all, embracing my darkness while I nurture hers.My dark obsession.

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