Page 48 of Bratva's Vow
Wren’s tears ran freely now, streaking down his face in rivers. His mouth twisted into something ugly and broken.
“You killed my father,” he whispered. “You killed my father… and then you fucked me like none of it mattered. How could you?”
His rage exploded. He yanked free from Bradley so violently I thought he was going to pitch himself off the roof. Instead, he lunged at me, fists flying, and I let them land.
Every punch. Every scream. Every broken sob.
I let him hit me because he deserved to.
Because I deserved it.
“I’m sorry,” I said raggedly, grabbing his arms. “Wren, I never meant for any of this to happen. When we met that first day at the coffee shop, it was pure coincidence. Then you showed up here, and I didn’t mean to get so close to you.”
“Shut up!” he screamed, collapsing to the ground and pulling his knees up to his chest. “You’re a liar! You lied to me about everything! Oh my god, I slept with you.”
Movement from the corner of my eye cut through the chaos.
Bradley. Slipping back. Trying to reach the exit.
I drew my gun in one smooth motion and leveled it at him. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”
Bradley froze, hands balled into fists. “What are you going to do? Shoot me in front of him? You want to confirm just how fucking evil you are? You can’t kill me. You swore to my father that in exchange for his life, you would protect mine.”
I curled my lips. All softness gone. All grief temporarily shelved behind cold, brutal necessity. He was right. I’d never hurt a family member of any of the men who worked for me. But Bradley was an exception. He couldn’t live. Not afterthreatening Wren’s life. Not after ruining any shot I had with Wren. His father could take it up with me in hell.
“I’m not going to kill you.” I took a slow, deliberate step forward. “You’re going to do it yourself.”
His face lost color. “Maxim?—”
“You’re going to jump,” I said flatly. “Or I drag you from this roof, and you don’t want that because I’ll make it hurt worse. I’ll make it hurt for days. Weeks even. You’re done for, Bradley.”
“Maxim, stop!” Wren pleaded behind me, his voice cracking, but I didn’t take my eyes off Bradley.
“Did you fucking think for a minute that I’d let you walk away alive after you threatened him?” I gestured toward Wren, who was back on his feet, watching me, his cheeks pale, his eyes red and swollen. “Because of your father, I could overlook many things, Bradley, but not this. Wren is the one thing that I can’t compromise on. He’s the only thing that matters in this fucking world, andyouthreatened to take that away from me. That’s unforgivable. Now jump.”
Bradley’s lips trembled. His gaze shifted from me to Wren. “This is the monster you’ve been sleeping with. Wren, you owe me a favor for showing you what an absolute bastard he is. Please tell my husband I love him.”
“No!” Wren cried. “Maxim, stop it! Please.”
Bradley climbed onto the ledge and stepped off, disappearing into the abyss below. The thud of his body hitting the pavement didn’t come right away. But when it did… it sounded final. Sickening.
Everything inside me cracked.
Not for Bradley.
Not even for the life I’d taken.
But for Wren, who stood shaking behind me, crying like I had just broken something that could never be repaired.
Because I had.
I’d stripped him of his innocence.
And for the first time in years, I didn’t feel like the Pakhan. I felt like a monster.
“You killed him,” Wren whispered, taking a step back. For the second time since I knew him, I sensed real fear from him. “You killed him right in front of me like it was nothing.”
“I did.” I swallowed hard against the bile rising in my throat. Bradley’s death would never be a regret. But I did regret Wren having to see it unfold. Already, the commotion of voices from below reached us. “Because he threatened your life. That’s not something I can forgive.”
