Page 106 of Mountain Mens' Curvy Obsession

“Shut up or I will make you shut up,” Lev snarls.

That’s enough to get Leo’s goons riled up. Suddenly guns are drawn around the room. Everyone’s pointing a weapon at everybody else, while Tatyana and Ivan try to calm them down.

“Stop it,” Tatyana says. “This is neutral territory. A council meeting! I don’t care how brazen, bold, or influential the Sokolovs have become, we still follow rules here! Put your weapons down.”

“And you!” Ivan looks at Leo. “You’ve said your piece. It’s Zoya’s turn. If you want your seat at our table on your terms, you have to go through the entire process like everyone else.Wedecide whether you can go ahead with your plans or not.Weare still the majority.”

Leo has only a few seconds to weigh his options.

Yes, he is brazen and foolish, proud and maniacal. But he also knows when he is outnumbered. And pissing on the Bratva’s unwritten constitution could open the door for much worse betrayals in the future from anyone who might find themselves unhappy with Leo’s actions. He knows it could blow up in his face.

So he drops his shoulders and nods once. “Fine, let the old bag speak.”

“You’re lucky you’re heavily armed,” Zoya says. “Otherwise, I would smack you into next week, you sniveling coward.”

“We’re listening, Mrs. Asimova,” Ivan replies. “What objection do you bring to Leo’s demands and resolutions? He feels that marrying Anya and taking over the Asimov ventures would secure the peace and, therefore, grant him a thirty-three percent stake in our organization. Some of us are inclined to agree and vote accordingly. Anya has responded with a vehement no.”

Zoya shakes her head slowly and points at the men accompanying her. “Do you see these gentlemen here?”

“We do,” Lev says.

“They were dispatched to several Asimov businesses the day the Dalton massacre happened. No one associated with our family who was present at the festival survived—no one except Anya,” Zoya says, giving me a soft look. “Tell them, child. Tell them what you saw.”

Leo tries to stop me. “She doesn’t remember much; retrograde amnesia from a car accident, I’m told.”

I wonder if he’s aware how futile this intervention is, or if he’s just trying to buy time. He can’t be so delusional as to think he’ll stop me from telling the truth.

“I remember everything,” I tell him, then look at Ivan and the others. “I was stuck under my cousin’s dead body. They were still shooting. Gunning every Asimov down with automatic weapons. I remember every sound, every smell. The taste of blood in my mouth. And I remember peeking out from under cold flesh. Max Sokolov was there, laughing and firing his AR-15 like it was a videogame.

“And Leo. Leo had two semiautomatic handguns, silver with ivory handles. ‘Make sure they’re all dead,’ he told Max,” I add, his words still echoing in my head. “I don’t want any Asimovs left standing when the cops get here.’”

Tatyana sucks in a deep breath. “No…”

“Yes. Leo and Max Sokolov were present. I may be the only witness, but I am not lying. There is a case being built against the Sokolov syndicate as we speak,” I say. “My brother, Aleks, collected evidence against them. When Leo heard that I survived, he sent Max to get me.”

I summarize my ordeal to the best of my ability, as I analyze each expression carefully. By the time I’m done, Leo is boiling mad, and Ivan’s frown deepens into a dead-eyed scowl.

“So, pardon me if I vehemently refuse to enter a marriage with a man who has repeatedly violated the Bratva’s own peace treaties. If he did it to my family, he will do it to you, sooner or later.”

“Nonsense,” Leo says. “All lies.”

“You may have muscled in on other people’s territories before,” Zoya tells him. “And you got away with it, too. But your biggest mistake was when you confused my son’s righteousness for weakness. Paul may have tried to do the right thing, but I will not hesitate to bury you for what you’ve done.”

Leo gives her a cold grin. “Or I could just kill you and your bitch of a granddaughter and be done with it.”

“You won’t!” Lev snaps. “Not until the council decides.”

“What’s there to decide?” I gasp, my face burning red with fury.

Tatyana rolls her eyes. “As of now, Leo’s stake in the organization is big enough to warrant a conversation and a vote, I’m afraid.”

“Even though he broke the treaty?” Zoya mutters.

“Yes.”

“Nobody move!” shouts a voice coming from somewhere to our right.

I hold my breath as I turn and see Nico, realizing he’s not the only one moving. From every corner of the hall, from every hidden spot, men dressed in Kevlar and armed to the teeth storm in, their military-grade weapons trained on every single Bratva man and woman present.

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