Till Death Saves Me (Forced Mafia Marriages)

25. Ivan

25

IVAN

I stride into Nikolai's office, my jaw clenched tight. Lev's already there, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. The tension in the room is palpable, thick enough to choke on.

"Now that you're both here," Nikolai says, his voice low and controlled. "We have a situation."

My stomach twists. Every time those words leave his mouth, it means trouble. And lately, trouble's had a nasty habit of finding its way to Virginia.

Nikolai outlines the Red Serpents' latest moves. They've snatched a few more of our guys, gathering intel. My fists clench at my sides. These fuckers just don't know when to quit.

"We've got a way to hit them back," Nikolai continues. "Hard."

As he lays out the strategy, I find my mind drifting. I see Virginia's face, her warm brown eyes filled with fear. The image of her tied up in that warehouse flashes through my mind, and I have to suppress a growl.

"Ivan," Lev's sharp voice snaps me back to reality. "You with us?"

I nod, forcing myself to focus. "Yeah. I'm here."

Nikolai raises an eyebrow. "Something on your mind?"

I hesitate, weighing my words carefully. "Every time we've dealt with these snakes, Virginia’s been hurt. I can't—" I stop, realizing how it sounds. How weak it makes me look.

Lev's eyes narrow. "You can't what?"

I meet his gaze, unflinching. They both have wives and reputations. They should get it. "I can't let that happen again."

Nikolai leans back in his chair, studying me. The silence stretches, heavy with unspoken words.

"You're right," he finally says, but I don't relax. "We need to end this. Now. Before anyone else gets hurt."

Lev pushes off the wall, coming to stand beside me. "I agree. It's time we wipe these fuckers out. For good."

Nikolai's eyes flick between us, his expression unreadable. I can almost see the gears turning in his head, weighing the risks against the potential rewards.

"Alright," he says after what feels like an eternity. "I'm tired of playing in this petty war. The Red Serpents shouldn't have even held out against us, but they don't seem to get the messages we've been sending."

"We might as well just kill them all," I grumble, the idea drawing up the bloodlust that is always simmering under my skin. I'd love to take as many of those fuckers down with me as I can.

Lev claps me on the back. "Never thought I'd see the day when Ivan Kozlov let a woman cloud his judgment."

I shrug off his hand, irritation flaring. "It's not like that."

Lev's laugh is sharp. "Sure it's not. Sure it's not."

We spend the next hour discussing what we need to do. Nikoali said it was time to go on the offensive, full force. I could only nod to that, ready to be done with these fuckers once and for all and remind them why they don't mess with the Sokolov Bratva.

"We're not waiting for these fuckers to make another move," Nikolai says, his voice cold as ice. "Tonight, we hit them hard. All their supply houses, simultaneously. We take out their product and as many of their men as we can."

Lev grins, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Sounds like my kind of party."

I remain silent, but my mind's already racing, plotting out the logistics. We'll need to move fast, hit them before word can spread. And we'll have to go in small groups to keep it up.

Nikolai continues, "With no supplies and depleted manpower, their business crumbles. And while you two handle that..." He pauses, his eyes hardening. "I'll take care of their leader personally. This has been too much disrespect for me to tolerate without a face to face meeting."

Or execution. Whichever way he wants to phrase it, it means the same.

The finality in his tone gets me ready, the bloodlust swarming. I've seen Nikolai in action before. Their leader won't know what hit him.

"Any questions?" Nikolai asks, his gaze sweeping over us.

Lev and I shake our heads. We know what needs to be done.

"Good," Nikolai says. "Get it done. I want this over by sunrise." He waves his hand, dismissing us.

As we turn to leave, I can't help but feel a surge of anticipation. Tonight, we end this. And I'll make damn sure Virginia never has to worry about the Red Serpents again.

As I exit the office, my mind races. The Red Serpents have proven they're not above targeting our families. The image of Virginia tied up in that warehouse flashes through my mind again, making my blood boil.

I pull out my phone, pulling up the cameras. I just need to see her. I need to know she's okay. The knot in my chest only starts to loosen when I see her outside in one of those damn bikinis. Fuck, she is beautiful.

Lev falls into step beside me as we head towards the elevator. "You're worried," he observes.

I clench my jaw. "Of course I'm fucking worried. These bastards don't play by the rules."

"Since when do you care about rules?"

I shoot him a glare. "You know what I mean. They're unpredictable. And they've already gone after Virginia twice."

The elevator doors slide open, and we step inside. As we descend, I can't shake the gnawing fear in my gut. What if they try again? What if next time, I'm not fast enough?

"We'll get them," Lev says. "Before they can do any more damage."

I nod, but the reassurance does little to calm my nerves. As the elevator reaches the ground floor, I'm already planning my next moves. And they are all focused around my wife.

The thought of her in danger again makes my chest tighten. I can't lose her. Not now. Not when I've finally realized how much she means to me.

As we exit the building, I'm hit with a sudden, overwhelming urge to see her. To hold her in my arms and know she's safe.

"I've got to go," I tell Lev, already heading for my car.

He nods, understanding in his eyes. "Go. Take care of your girl."

I don't bother correcting him. As I slide behind the wheel, my only thought is getting home to Virginia. To keep her safe. To protect what's mine.

"I'll meet you at the warehouse in two hours," I shout back as I slam the door closed.

I race through the city streets, my knuckles white on the steering wheel. Every red light feels like an eternity, every slow driver a personal affront. My mind's a whirlwind of strategies and worst-case scenarios.

The image of Virginia tied up, scared, keeps flashing before my eyes. These fuckers keep coming after her, and I fear it will happen again. It makes my blood boil, my foot pressing harder on the accelerator.

I screech into the driveway, barely remembering to put the car in park before I'm out and sprinting to the front door. My heart's pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat. I burst through the entrance, my eyes scanning frantically for any sign of danger.

"Virginia!" I shout, my voice echoing through the house. "Malyshka!"

I hear footsteps upstairs and I'm moving before I can think, taking the steps two at a time. I round the corner and there she is, looking confused and slightly alarmed.

"Ivan? What's wrong?" she asks, but I don't answer.

I close the distance between us in two long strides, pulling her into my arms so forcefully that she lets out a small gasp. I bury my face in her hair, inhaling deeply. The familiar scent of her shampoo floods my senses, grounding me.

"Ivan," she murmurs, her hands coming up to rest on my back. "You're scaring me. What happened?"

I pull back just enough to look at her face, my hands cupping her cheeks. Her brown eyes are wide with concern, and I realize I must look half-crazed.

"Nothing," I say, my voice rough. "Nothing happened." Not yet. I don't say. But she must hear it anyway.

Understanding dawns in her eyes. She leans into me, and I wrap my arms around her again, holding her close.

"I'm okay," she whispers. "We're okay."

I nod, but I can't shake the fear. It's lodged in my chest like a block of ice. I pull back again, my eyes roaming over her face, memorizing every detail.

"I won't let anything happen to you," I vow, my voice low and fierce. "I swear it, Virginia. I'll burn this whole fucking city to the ground if I have to."

She reaches up, her hand cool against my cheek. "I know," she says softly. "I trust you, Ivan."

Those words hit me like a punch to the gut. Trust. It's not something easily given in our world, and I suddenly realize how precious it is. How precious she is.

I lean down, capturing her lips in a desperate kiss. She responds immediately, her fingers threading through my hair. I pour everything I'm feeling into that kiss - my fear, my determination, my... love. The realization doesn't shock me as much as I thought it would.

When we finally break apart, we're both breathing heavily. I rest my forehead against hers, my eyes closed.

"I can't lose you," I murmur, the words slipping out before I can stop them.

But this time, I don't want to hold it back.

I need her to hear it all. Just in case.