Arranged Mafia Daddy

Chapter 24Viktor

24

Viktor

Y ou cross me, and you won’t live long enough to flee the country.

I’ve already decided that I will kill Alex Levin. Nothing he can say or do will prevent that from happening, but I want to hear what he has to say for himself. I want the excuses to flow from his tongue, the regret to be painted all over his miserable face before he dies.

I don’t tell anyone about my plan, though. I keep it close to my heart, hiding my true intentions in the same comfortable way that I hid my past from myself. Nobody will know until the time comes, and then it will be too late. There’s no talking me out of this.

Sage isn’t opposed to me bringing Alex to the house, but she is concerned about how I’m going to react. She thinks I’m weak because I’ve been hurt before, but the hurt only made me stronger. I will prove to her that I can do this, that I’m the man she needs and can rely on.

This is for us. For our love and for our baby.

The house is oddly quiet the day that Alex is located and snatched from his swanky hotel on the north side of town. Sage hasn’t been very talkative, but I know she’s been thinking about this day. The baby is an afterthought until this gets resolved.

I’ll admit that my mind has been everywhere but on her. I feel guilty for not giving her enough attention, but I won’t be able to give her my heart until my own is at peace. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be true and whole, and she’d know that I’m not being honest.

I don’t wish to be cold, however, so I still kiss her deeply and make love to her every night. I’ve just been distant, and neither of us has said a word about the future, about the pregnancy or the baby.

We still have eight months, give or take a few weeks, so it’s not the most pressing matter. When it does get to be a little closer, my wife and child will have my full attention. Nothing will distract me from them after this.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, dragging my attention back to the present. I glance at the screen. It’s the notification I’ve been waiting for. Ivan is here with Alex. They have him tied up in a van in the driveway, and they’ll be bringing him in when I’m ready.

I don’t know how I expected to feel, but it wasn’t the calm that’s now washing over my body. The nervous anticipation I had fades into a dull throb of uncaring in the back of my head, and is replaced by the solemn cloud of what must be done.

My emotions are disconnected again, like they are with every other person I’ve killed. Alex won’t be able to hurt me, physically or emotionally. I’ve grown much more powerful than the Levin family ever was, and now is my time to finally squash them into the dirt.

My feet feel light as I walk to the kitchen where Sage is talking to the maid, Lidia. They’ve grown close over the past weeks, and it’s nice to see Sage settling in and making friends. I think women need someone to talk to, more so than men. Maybe I’m wrong, but that does seem to be the case.

Lidia, however, isn’t really part of the Bratva. She has connections, but I prefer that my housekeeping and landscapers stay away from the gritty nature of mafia work. They’re not criminals and have no association with crime other than turning the other cheek when things get ugly.

Lidia is especially talented at ignoring things she’s not supposed paid to be involved with, but I’d rather her not be in the house at all when I bring Alex in for his final moments.

“Ladies,” I say, clapping my hands together to draw their attention as I enter the kitchen.

Sage and Lidia both turn their heads to me at the same time.

“You look a bit spooked,” I say with a chuckle. “No need to be. I just have some business to attend to in the house, and I’d like Lidia to go to the garden and perhaps gather some fresh vegetables for dinner later this evening. Take your time with it, please. No need to rush.”

Lidia knows exactly what I’m saying, nodding dutifully and immediately rushing out of the kitchen. Sage looks a little more confused, probably because of my cheerful demeanor. I’m sure she expects me to be a lot more serious with Alex coming over.

“Our special guest is waiting outside,” I say when Lidia is out of earshot.

Sage frowns. “Alex?”

I nod, moving over to her. “Yes, and although I’m sure you’d like to be there, I’d prefer you not to be.”

“You know I can’t do that,” she says, pursing her lips as I slip my hand around her waist. “I’m with you, whether you want me to be or not.”

I plant a small kiss on her forehead. “I always want you to be. I just don’t want you to witness any more of this mess. You’ve seen enough.”

“I’ll see everything you have to see,” she insists. “I don’t want you trying to protect me from it. If I’m involved, I’m involved completely. I’m your wife, after all.”

“You are, and because of that, I will allow you to have the last word,” I say, taking a step back. “But if you ever feel uncomfortable, please just let me know.”

She smiles. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I wish I could stay here in the kitchen and experience her softness forever, but there are things that must be done before we can return to our normal life.

I check the revolver in my pocket, the one that was previously used in a rigged game of Russian roulette. This time, every bullet is in place so ensure that no matter where the hammer comes down, Alex’s fate remains the same.

I text Ivan to bring him in, waiting by the door with the gun in my hand. Part of me wants to put a bullet through his head before he can even open his mouth, but I would like to hear what he has to say for himself first. Why dig something up that was settled decades ago?

“Stand back a bit,” I warn Sage as she tries to huddle next to me.

She looks down at the gun. “Are you going to shoot him?”

I don’t answer. I plan on it, but I don’t know when it’s going to happen. I’m acting more on impulse than a plan at this point, allowing things to happen as they were meant to be. I’m not afraid anymore.

I hear a grunt as Ivan pulls the door open, pushing Alex inside. He’s wrapped in rope, with only enough wiggle room to move his feet and keep from falling over. His arms are bound to his sides and he appears to be wearing the same blue suit as in the surveillance video.

“Hello Alex,” I say with a grim smile. “You look a little disheveled. I hope my men weren’t too rough with you.”

Alex’s eyes grow big when he realizes who’s house he’s been brought to. He doesn’t look like he expected to be captured and brought to justice for what he did. He’s surprised, and that means he really doesn’t have some kind of grand plan like I had previously suspected.

“I have no clue what’s going on, but I can promise you I have nothing to do with anything,” Alex says, and his Russian accent only confirms what we already know. He’s our guy, even if he’s unwilling to admit it.

“Alex Levin,” I say, slamming my hand down hard on his shoulder. “Why don’t you sit down so we can talk this over like civilized people?”

He looks around for a seat, but I shove him down to the marble floor. He falls hard, nearly hitting his head and ending it all in an instant. I wouldn’t be disappointed, really, but I would like to ask him a few questions before he goes.

“Let’s get down to it, shall we?” I look over to Ivan and nod. “Thank you. I will have you pick up the body when I’m done. You may leave.”

Ivan slips back out the door without a word, leaving me alone with Sage and Alex.

“Who told you about the wedding?” I ask Alex as I stand over him. He’s curled up on the floor, breathing hard but still fully conscious.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I swear!”

“I’ve heard that before,” I mutter, prodding him with my foot. “But please don’t make this more painful than it need to be. I already know who you are and what your motives are, Alex Levin, so come clean or this is going to be a very short visit.”

Alex looks up at me, his eyes glinting with anger. “I’d rather die than be stuck here in your stupid mansion, Viktor. A man like you doesn’t deserve this kind of luxury after what he did.”

“And what did I do?” I ask, cocking my head to the side. “What brought you here.”

“You killed my father,” he snarls.

I squat down in front of him, lowering my voice so that Sage can’t hear what I’m about to say. “Your father killed my entire family. The only tragedy in his death was that he was able to have a son before I caught up with him. I’m going to fix that, though, unless you tell me who leaked the location of my wedding.”

“Nobody did,” he replies with a bitter laugh. “You’re an idiot, and my father never did what you claim. He was a good man.”

I sigh, standing up and pointing the gun at his head. “I want a better answer.”

“Go ahead and shoot me, coward.”

I pull the trigger on him immediately, and Sage screams in surprised. Even I didn’t expect such a short conversation, but I’m tired of his games already. I don’t have to tolerate people I don’t like just so that I can get information out of them.

In this case, it’s entirely possible that Alex was telling the truth. He could’ve been stalking me for a while to figure out the wedding plans. It would be a good idea to check the surveillance tapes at the casinos, the house, and pretty much every other location I’ve been to so that we can double check this theory. If Alex shows up anywhere, I’m going to assume he got the information on his own.

But it was all in vain, of course. He came to the United States to get revenge, probably bought a ticket with all the money he had made in Russia, and tracked me down to try to ruin my life.

He could’ve killed me. He had the opportunity to, but he was the coward, not me. Ultimately, it the man who is willing to go the further who comes out on top.

And that man will always be me.