Page 68 of Bound Vows
“He’ll never love you the way he loved her!” Katarina gasps as we struggle for control of the glass shard. “You’re just a replacement!”
I use my uninjured arm to break her grip and reverse our positions. “Then why are you so afraid of me? If I’m a replacement, why go to all this trouble to eliminate me?”
The question breaks something in Katarina’s façade, and her face crumples in despair. I use that moment to drive the glass shard deep into her chest, piercing her heart with the same finality she brought to Elena.
“Because,” Katarina whispers as blood bubbles from her lips, “you make him happy.”
She collapses backward into the wreckage of the surveillance equipment, and I watch the madness fade from her eyes as death takes hold. The threat that’s haunted our marriage ends with her last breath.
“Maya!” Andrei’s voice carries from the doorway as he rushes into the study with smoke swirling around him. “The building’s coming down. We need to evacuate.”
I push myself up from Katarina’s body, watching the blood from glass cuts on my hands mingle with older stains on the floor. “It’s finished. She’s dead.”
“Good.” Andrei sweeps me into his arms despite my protests. “We’ll celebrate once we’re not trapped in a collapsing building.”
The evacuation becomes a race against structural failure as support beams groan and ceiling tiles rain down. Andrei carries me through smoke-filled hallways while Max and Vincent coordinate the retreat of our surviving forces.
By the time we reach the street, half the building is engulfed in flames. Emergency vehicles line the block as paramedics tend to our wounded and firefighters work to contain the blaze.
“Is everyone accounted for?” I ask as I accept a blanket from one of the EMTs.
“All civilians evacuated, minimal casualties among our people,” Vincent reports. “Still, we’ll be rebuilding our home from scratch.”
“Buildings can be replaced,” Max adds before shaking hands with Andrei. “Family members can’t.”
I watch this historic moment—the official cementing of an alliance between organizations that have been enemies for generations—and realize that Katarina’s obsession ultimately created something positive from its destruction.
“Ready to build a real life together?” I ask Andrei as the paramedics help us into an ambulance for medical evaluation.
“More than ready,” he replies with a smirk. “Though next time we plan a romantic evening, maybe we should choose a location that’s not rigged with explosives.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” I settle against his chest as the ambulance pulls away from the burning remains of his penthouse. “Besides, our children will expect epic love stories from their parents.”
As the ambulance carries us toward whatever comes next, surrounded by family members who fought beside us instead of against us, I realize that some fairy tales end with the princess saving herself and claiming the kingdom, too.
Epilogue
Andrei
One Year Later
Watching Maya negotiate with federal prosecutors while wearing the same smile that once preceded bloodshed proves that marriage to a Mastroni woman requires accepting that diplomacy is just warfare by other means.
“The Elena Volkov Foundation will provide legal advocacy, safe housing, and financial support for victims of domestic violence throughout the tri-state area,” Maya explains to the assistant district attorney as she gestures toward the detailed proposal on the conference table. “In exchange, the federal government acknowledges our family’s commitment to legitimate business practices and closes outstanding investigations into past territorial disputes.”
“Mrs. Volkov, your foundation represents a significant investment in community welfare,” Assistant District AttorneyRichardson admits while he reviews the documentation. “Though I confess surprise at seeing organized crime families pivot toward philanthropy.”
“Surprising circumstances create surprising solutions,” I interject from the head of the table. “My wife’s influence has inspired a more constructive approach to problem-solving.”
Maya shoots me a look that promises retribution if I continue making her sound like a civilizing influence on my savage nature, but her smile carries warmth that makes my chest expand with pride. The past year has transformed not just our operations but our relationship, evolving from a survival-based partnership into something that resembles actual marriage.
“The foundation will be funded through profits from our legitimate business ventures,” Maya continues, ignoring my commentary. “Shipping, real estate development, and construction projects that employ hundreds of people throughout the region.”
“And your previous less-legitimate ventures?”
“Have been transferred to allied families or dissolved,” I reply honestly. “Violence is bad for business when you’re trying to build something that lasts generations.”
Richardson closes the file and nods with genuine approval. “I’ll recommend that the attorney general accept your proposal. Though I should mention that any return to previous activities would void this agreement.”
