Page 70 of The Don's Hidden Heir

“Taking my father down is my war, not yours, Dominic. I’m not a pussy who hides in a corner while real men fight.”

I lean back in my seat. “Your father has many allies. Many won’t just sit back and watch after he’s taken down. Trust me, you’ll have a lot more battles then, but this one is mine.”

My heart thrums as I wait for him to decide. My rage is slowly creeping up my back, and I’m not sure how much longer I can hold it back. I have a family to protect and I need to take down whoever is behind the attack before Elena or Lucas is hurt.

While I’m busy keeping my family safe and fixing the damage losing that shipment will cause me, Alexei will find the shipment and bring me the thief. Whether or not the Bratva are involved, my alliance with him will still stand.

“We have a deal,” Alexei says. “I know you’reCapoand the city will soon be yours, but betray me and I’ll die just to take you down.”

“TheCapoof the Cosa Nostra doesn’t betray anyone.” It’s an insult to our pride and honor as made men.

Alexei nods. We both drink to our new alliance.

“Does your father still not know you’re in New York?” I ask as warmth from my drink trails down my throat. A good brand of whiskey reaches where a cigar doesn’t. It simmers inside me and soothes the storm that was awakened by the attack from this morning.

He shrugs. “He does. My dear old father is expecting a visit, I suppose. I plan to pay him one soon.”

It’s odd, but I feel something, maybe pity for Alexei. My father wasn’t perfect, no man in our world is. But hating your own son is a whole other level of brutality. I can’t fathom it, because I would give my life for Lucas if need be. “He won’t welcome you.”

“Da,but I’m not going there to be welcomed by him. Just a little chat before he gets what he deserves.” Alexei says it so freely, but I can tell by his tone he’s not as strong as he pretends to be.

Parents have an insane amount of influence over their children. Even the strongest man breaks when it comes to their parents.

For a moment, I’m thrown back to the night my parents died. Me falling to my knees, not feeling the shards of glass on the floor, the pain that slithered through me as if my heart was being ripped from my chest, and the growl that had broken from me.

That night, I was someone else.

Something was taken from me, a part of me that only felt alive again because of Elena and Lucas.

I’m pulled back to the present when Alexei stands from and smooths his suit. “I believe this meeting is over. I’ll take my leave now.”

I twist my head to him when he reaches the door. “Watch your back,” I tell him.

“Worry about yours,” he returns. “One more thing, knowing my father, your girl and kid will be the first thing he comes for. Trust him to play dirty.”

My blood curdles. If Alexei knows about Elena and Lucas, it means the Bratva, the Camorra and whoever the fuck has it out for me, knows about them, too. It means Peterson most likely didn’t fall for Elena’s tricks.

I’d expected that. What I hadn’t expected was that it would happen so fucking soon. “How did you find out about them?”

“Everyone knows. You should’ve kept it hidden, now they see you as vulnerable.” The door creaks as he opens it to leave. Music blares through the opening and fades when it closes.

I lift my drink and swirl it before bringing it up to my lips. My mind is too busy and my thoughts aren’t aligning. The door creaks open again and a familiar cedarwood scent fills the office.

“What did that fucker say?” Marcus asks, settling on the seat Alexei occupied minutes ago.

I bring my glass down. “We have a new alliance.”

Marcus frowns. “I still don’t trust that bastard.”

“Neither do I, but we must put an end to the rivalry with the Bratva if he becomes the boss.”

Marcus pushes up from his seat and reaches for my drink. He empties it down his throat, slams the glass on my desk and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “I know, that’s the only reason I didn’t blow his head off even when I was dying to. What do we do now?”

“Tighten the security around Elena and Lucas. Those idiots will go for them any chance they get.”

“Will do. And the Bratva?”

I think. “We won’t sit around and wait for another attack, but we won’t fight them without any evidence either. It will backfire. Get the soldiers ready, we need to be prepared in case something happens.”

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