Page 4 of Mafie Trials

His eyes are red and his white hair is disheveled. I’ve never really spoken to Lev outside of meetings and he’s always been the quiet one. But his father told me things were changing him here, and I have a strong feeling thatthingis Eydis.

“Listen here,” I begin, but apparently these boys have all grown a death wish of a backbone.

“I think I’m done listening to you old man,” he says with venom lacing his tone. “Listening to you has gotten me nowhere in this life. You may lead us, but you don’t protect us. That’s why you don’t have a relationship with your son. When your organization becomes more important than your family, then you’ve failed. We won’t make that same mistake.”

He turns to walk away from me as I absorb his words. It’s hardly been six months and these boys have truly changed into men.

“How are you going to avoid it?” I ask him, curious about his plan to manage a multi-trillion dollar organization while having a very odd family dynamic. I don’t raise my voice at him, knowing his father Ivan, the poor kid has been yelled at enough in his life. I think maybe it’s time I started to listen.

“We plan to make our family our organization. Whatever that may look like. That way, if we feel the need to build a home at the office, then we still all end the day together. We plan to work as a team, keeping everyone in the know so that no surprises can happen.”

“You think you can keep everyone safe by working with them? We are criminals. Inviting your family to work at your side is a death sentence for them.” I think back to my wife. Innocent, pure. There’s no way she wanted to join forces with me in the underworld.

“I think we work better as a team, we stay more focused. At least if we die doing what we all love, we die together.” He takes a step back to leave but turns to me one final time. “If the people in my life can’t handle this, then they aren’t the people for me.”

“Oh yeah, how's your girl doing in there, Lev?” I snap at him. I know it’s childish, but he's acting like he’s better than me and it’s really starting to get on my nerves.

“She’s alive,” he says with a shrug. “How’s your girl,Pakhan?”

Chapter 2

As I escort Havoc to the shed, followed way too closely by Arrow, I find myself stealing glances at him.

Only once did Evie open up to me about her past, but Havoc was the one who saved her, and I believe he came here to save her again.

I love the power I hold over him at this moment, him bound and my kitty-ear-shaped weapon digging into his side. He fights my hold, but I know how I wrapped his hands.

When tape is applied to certain pressure points and they are held tight, it makes the rest of your arms weaker. He's a built guy and is likely pissed he can't break out of this hold. Making his thumb protrude outward causes him to be unable to tug in a way that would rip the tape. I find a smile creeping onto my face as I watch him struggle with the understanding of what's going on.

"Fighting is only going to make it worse," I warn him. Unsure why I don't want all of this to be quite as hard on him as Alexi probably does. He tried to get here in time and told the truth. Which is more than I can say I did.

"Fighting is all I know. If I stop fighting, then I'm as good as dead," he says, his brows creasing in concentration.

Arrow chimes in with his lovely, unwanted, advice. "Stop talking to him. He's a prisoner here. Not a buddy. Take him to the shed and hand him over. Anything in the middle is only grounds to get distracted and creates a possibility for your target to get away."

His jaw ticks in annoyance. I roll my eyes. While he and I have spent a lot of time together after the library closes, I've made it very clear I'm not his. And even clearer that he does not get to tell me what to do. He always likes to try though.

“I don’t answer to you, or have you forgotten that? If I want to talk, I’ll talk.”

I’m half tempted to let this Havoc guy go just so I can shove my pointy-eared weapon into Arrow's chest after the look he gives me.

“You can cut the attitude with me,” he says with sarcasm. “It only makes me want to tell you what to do more.”

Tingles erupt down my spine, and I hate how close he is right now. It’s like he doesn’t trust that I can handle this guy when I’m the one who caught him in the first place. Arrow and I might spend time together as friends, but that doesn't make this any more than two people just hanging out. Even if I do want to hang out with him in my bed, between my legs.

Nope. No. We are not getting distracted right now. The only cat that’s getting a say in this scenario is my weapon.

“You can go,” I tell him. "I’ve got it from here. Damien is meeting me at the shed to let him in."

“Not a chance in hell.”

“Arrow,” I say, turning to face him as we come to a stop, “I don’t need a babysitter. I’m just as trained as anyone here. You following me around like I’m some incapable helpless woman is infuriating. Go.”

Instead, he just stands there, staring at me. I swear neither of us blinks for five solid minutes and my frustration is slowly brewing into anger, and I don’t get angry. Which only makes me all the more angry with him. This man tests the patience that I have worked my entire life to perfect.

People think that it’s women who can’t control their emotions. But it’s not. We control them and change them in order to get the reaction we want from those around us. So instead of fighting him, which will only cause him to fight me back, I play a new angle.

“I want the Kings to see I can do a good job, that I can be a part of this team,” I say in a soft voice. “If you’re always following me or helping, then they won’t see what I can do. Please, please just let me do this.”

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