Page 50 of Collapsed

“Well, a girl should look the part if she’s going to be taking over the Volkov Bratva, shouldn’t she?”Malyshkaasks with a naughty grin covering her face. “Speaking of Bratva men, you all look very lickable yourselves. Like a group of sexy James Bonds,” she comments, her voice low and thick with lust.Oh, Malyshka likes what she’s seeing.

“I don’t mean to break up this tension that our queen has aroused, but we need to get going, and I need to give you all your comms. I ordered these, and they were fucking expensive, but worth it. I’ve been promised these won’t lose signal if anyone uses a jammer. They snap to the top outer part of your back molars, you’ll be able to hear and reply back with just this small little thing. Each of you take; they’ll feel weird at first, but you’ll get used to it, and well, if you don’t, at least we’ll all come out alive, so deal with it,” Conrad says as he hands us each a little black device that looks almost like a pill capsule.

I take one from him and open my mouth easily, snapping it to my back upper molars. “Alright, now that we are all set, let’s head out. My cock is hard and ready to kill someone.”

“You heard him. Roll Out!” Stryker calls.

We file out of the house and split between the two vehicles waiting for us in the driveway. Conrad and Stryker are driving while the rest of us ride in the backseats. Not having someone in the passenger seat gives us more of we have driver's look without actually having a driver. I climb in beside Malyshka, with Katia sitting on her other side. Firecracker and Prince-y are in the other vehicle, and I can hear them bickering back and forth already.

Conrad turns the key, and the engine roars to life. He takes one look in the rearview mirror, nodding at me before he puts the vehicle in drive, and we start the journey to the warehouse. The car is filled with nothing but the sounds of my own heart beating as we drive, not one of us saying a word.

We get to the warehouse by the docks in no time. I get out and hold a hand out toMalyshkafor her to grab as she gets out. Conrad does the same to Katia on the opposite side of the car. We wait for the other three to exit their vehicle, and then we make our way to the door of the building. We are one of the last to arrive, which we had hoped for so thatMalyshkacould make a grand entrance. Hardened men, like those who are in the Volkov empire, enjoy a little showmanship from their leaders, so we had to put on a show.

Firecracker holds the door open for all of us, and we immediately hear the raucous chatter of everyone waiting in the main area of the warehouse. However, we don’t head that way. Instead, we make a sharp right toward the stairs and head up to the mezzanine. Stryker and Firecracker stand at the top of the stairs, guarding the way up. I takeMalyshka’shand and lead her toward the railing so we can see all the men below. Katia is on her other side, looking like the proud friend that she is.

I put my thumb and finger inside my mouth on either side, whistling loudly, halting everyone’s chatter and bringing their gazes to us. “Thank you for gathering here tonight on such short notice. By now, you’ve heard of the death of my papa, the great Andrei Volkov. His death was robbed from me by Umbra, so the seat for his place of reign is open. I know Umbra has said he will be taking over as head of the Bratva. However, there is myself and one other who can give him a run for his grab at our power. I do not want the headache alone. You fuckers are unruly, and I have a new venture I’m chasing. I am here to offer another option and in my opinion, the best one for the Volkov Empire.”

“Who?”

“Why don’t we know of another son?”

“Where is this other person?

“Silence!” I roar. “The other is none other than thePrintsessa; Natalia Kalashnik, or should it be Volkov, since my papa adopted her and raised her as his own since she was a young child.”

Malyshkasteps forward and grabs the railing with both hands. “Alexie, thank you for your strong backing and for allowing me to rule alongside you as dual heads of this empire. For a long time, the Volkov Empire has been led by strong, fearless men. But the time is now, gentlemen, to change that and give your alliance and vote for a woman to aid Alexie. Welcome to the Volkov Empire. I base my confidence in you on my almost daily contact with a lot of you until I was sent here for a mission by Andrei, God rest his soul. Make no mistake, I am dedicated to this position and to each of you, my goal is to make us all the most feared and richest organizations in the country. Let me warn you, Umbra will come, spreading fear to try and scare you into voting his way. But let me leave you with this, leaders don’t cause pain, they share the pain. Thank you!”

I wasn’t prepared for her to have such a speech. I thought she would say a few words and step away, this is all a ruse, after all. But after that speech, fuck, the men might just actually vote for her. I might vote for her. Slow clapping drags me from my thoughts, and Katia gasps quietly, which has me looking in the same direction she is.

Standing on the main floor in the middle of the crowd is Ivan, slow clapping like this is some sort of sports event. He stops clapping and smirks up atMalyshkawhile licking his lips. “Vremya voyny!” he shouts, calling out that it is time for war and a group of men flood in around him. “You made a good speech,Moy Ogan.You will be a great wife to me and an even more beautiful mother to my children.I’ve had enough of these games, Natalia. Perhaps I was wrong in chaining you to the bed, I forgot how strong you are. This time when you come home, I will give you freedom among the house, but you will kneel for me,Moy Ogan.We can rule side by side, but I will be the top king, sadly the pussy Volkov beside you will have to go. Also, poor Katia is going back to Cooter's, it's only fair. You’ve had your fun, now come to your master,” he boasts.

I move, stepping toward the rail again to tell him and these fools just how fucking crazy he is, butMalyshkabeats me to it. “You paint a pretty picture, Ivan, but we all know you are no King. You are a ruthless, cold-blooded killer.” The crowd gasps at her use of his birth name, most of whom have never heard it before. “None of us here are innocent, and there are only a few who don’t have blood on their hands. But not many of us can claim the murder of so many members of the very organization we want to rule. It wasn’t that long ago that you blew up an entire building in New York, which was full of your own men? Men, you swore to lead and take care of, and you blew them up, why?”

“Sacrifices are made in the name of power,” Ivan spits.

“But what power did that get you? You did it because you wanted me, and you think you can take whatever you want. Is that the kind of leader any of you want? The type who steals your women and children in the night because they fit his fancy? The kind who could decide to blow you up at a moment’s notice because you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time?”Malyshkaquips.

I do step up and say something now. “You saw what Umbra has done; he sacrificed his loyal followers, and for what? He didn’t kill us? He can’t kill us, we are too slick for him. Choose now who you wish to stand beside because not all of us are leaving here alive tonight.”

Katia

Myheartracesasthe tension in the room grows thicker. Alexie and Nat walk down the stairs after their passionate appeals to the men in the room, King and Conrad walking with them. I stay above with Stryker and Marcela. Stryker is in position, lying on the floor with his rifle aimed over the group. Marcela is at the bottom of the stairs, near the exit, to make sure no one goes in or out. I watch over the scene as it starts to unfold.

Alexie told the men to choose a side, but no one moves at first. Then, a man with a full, dark beard looks at Alexie and nods his head. He slowly moves to Nat’s side, and I can’t help but start to feel hopeful. Before he gets all the way to Nat, he turns to look at the group of men he was just standing amongst. He says nothing, and about six more men follow. They all move to stand on our side.

Silence looms over the room as we watch the other men make their decisions. Only three of them move to stand by Ivan, the look on his face growing more enraged by the second. The last man looks between the groups but ultimately starts to walk toward us. He pauses, standing in front of Nat to say, “Whatever side Alexie Volkov is on, so am I.” His words are greeted with cheers from the men that chose Nat. The man turns to look at Ivan and opens his mouth to speak again.

BANG!

Ivan

Howdarethosetraitorstake Volkov’s side, or should I sayMoy Ogan’s side? Trusting a woman to run this Bratva… never. I was offering them everything; I plan to restore this empire to its former glory. We would be the envy of every family, what their predecessor’s taught them to strive for. When I saw the final man walk to their side and state his allegiance to them, I couldn't help it. I had no control over my actions. When he turned to speak to me, I shot him right in the face, causing an eruption of gunfire to begin all around us.

“Go, kill, win,” I shout to all the men behind me, barking the orders out at them as they begin to scatter and return.

I move to the edge of the room in search of somewhere to take cover so I can findMoy Oganand take her home. She needs to be with me again, right where she belongs, at my side. She seems to have a newfound ego that I will need to break her of. Honestly, it sounds like so much fun, my dick hardening at the thought of it alone. Breaking people is my favorite pastime, and knowing my woman will be compliant afterward makes it all the better.

When I make it to the outskirts of the room, I realize Ryan is behind me, covering my back, and it pulls me from my thoughts. Good to know some people have common sense and are still loyal to me. We get behind a large crate off to the side of the main area of the warehouse. This spot has given us the perfect vantage point to see everything happening without being seen unless we want to be.

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