Page 28 of Claimed By the Mobster
“Dad.” The youngest of the Bratva men steps forwards. “Don’t do this. Please.”
I see Tom’s eyes flick up to the young man with pain and hope and betrayal and I still.
He’s gay, and I can read Ben’s face so easily. It’s Tom’s choice of partner that surprises him, not their gender. Tom has been in a relationship with the Bratva.
“Shut up, Sergey.” The Bratva boss doesn’t take his gaze from Tom. “Crosse. It’s a simple choice. What do you value? Your territory, or your son?”
“It’s not that simple though, is it? I don’t like the way you run your operation, Victor. You’re asking me to put the lives of numerous women and children under my care over that of my own son.” Ben is calm, impassive even, but I can see the war raging inside him, even as Tom’s shoulders shake.
Tom makes a muffled attempt to speak, and Artem sighs dramatically, stomps over to Tom and brutally rips off the tape from his mouth with a sound that makes me wince.
Victor’s hand doesn’t waver as Artem steps back.
“I love you,” Tom blurts out. “Dad.”
“I love you, too.” Ben’s jaw clenches. It’s taking everything in him not to cave.
“And Sergey,” Tom adds quietly. “I loved you as well.”
He’s already talking about himself in the past tense, resigned to his death.
“Tom...” Sergey breathes, stepping forwards again, his face stricken with grief.
“You stupid p—” Victor begins, turning to his son.
“Dad, don’t give—” Tom looks up.
A gunshot blasts out, and Victor slumps to the ground. Blood trickles from a hole in his temple.
On the other side of the room, Victor’s goon steps towards Ben, a knife glinting, while he is focused on Artem.
The rage is instant, red hot, and furious. After everything that has happened, no one is going to take Benedict Crosse from me. I snatch up my dress, yank out the gun and fire at the man’s chest, squeezing the trigger the moment I line up the sight on him. The biggest target.
The noise doesn’t even register. All I can think is,Ben.
The man staggers, arms falling. Then Sergey races to the goon, snatching the knife from him and I’m not as quick this time, staring at my hand. That hand shot a man. Sergey doesn’t hesitate. Knife in hand, he falls to his knees at Tom’s side, just as Ben stops George and me, a hand out in both directions.
Sergey cuts the ties at Tom’s wrists, and Tom collapses forwards, Sergey catching him in his arms. Tom’s mouth finds his lover’s, kissing him in a way that he never did with me, before burying his face in his neck.
There’s a silence as we all watch Sergey comforting Tom.
“Thank you,” Ben says softly, his eyes meeting mine, and I’m covered in warmth. “And you too.” He nods to Artem.
The gun slips from my hands. I just shot a man. I look at the goon bleeding on the floor. His eyes are open but glassy. Lifeless. My gaze springs back to Ben. I should feel bad, but there is no room for regret. I’d a thousand times rather he was dead and Ben safe.
“Well, I think that’s the end of that,” Artem says, pocketing a gun.
I get it now. That was what Ben meant when he said I wouldn’t be the only armed person present. George deliberately didn’t take one of Artem’s guns when he frisked him. Ben threatened Lina in the mildest terms, and Artem murdered his brother rather than have her in the Westminster territory but forbidden to him. By Ben’s account, Victor had it coming but still. Artem made a bleak choice.
“I’ll be taking over the Mayfair Bratva. I hope we can deal politely with each other, Mr Crosse. I can’t pretend I’m delighted that my nephew is banging your son.”
Ben rolls his eyes. “That was very nearly Shakespearean. I suggest we do something to prevent such occurrences again. A London Mafia Syndicate, perhaps. I’ll have invitations sent.”
Artem looks down at his dead brother with distaste. “So long as they can be together without compromising the security of either of our activities, I have no objection.”
“About those operations.” Ben has taken this with the sort of sang-froid that makes him a terrifying mafia boss and me his student girlfriend. “I don’t like—”
“Neither do I.” The new boss of the Bratva nods. “You’ll find I run things differently to my brother.”
