LOGINEPILOGUE.The afternoon sun was actually hot for once, beaming down on the huge grass lawn behind the mansion. It had been six months since we ended the old man in that alleyway. Six months since this whole place stopped smelling like gunpowder and secrets.Right now, it just smelled like freshly cut grass and baby sunblock.I was sitting flat on a thick blanket spread out over the lawn, watching Vladimir handle a bright yellow plastic bucket. He was fourteen months old now. He still had his dad’s straight nose and pink lips, but he didn't have that scary Orlov death stare anymore. Right now, his face was covered in a messy smear of dirt because he kept trying to eat the grass.“No, baby. Drop the dirt,” I laughed, reaching out to wipe his chin with a wet cloth.Vladimir let out a loud, toothy squeal, kicked his fat little legs, and deliberately dumped the whole bucket of plastic balls straight onto my lap.“Oh, so you're a bully now?” a deep, gravelly voice rumbled from behind us.I d
Araceli.The ride back to the mansion was completely silent. The only sound inside the armored truck was the low rumble of the engine and the rhythmic clicking of the tires against the wet asphalt. I sat against the passenger door, my hand resting on my knee, staring out into the dark city. Beside me, Matvei kept his hands tight on the steering wheel, his jaw locked. Every few minutes, his eyes would dart over to me, checking if I was still there, but I didn't give him any attention. My chest was still tight, the smell of gunpowder and the image of his parents falling into the dirt fresh in my mind.When we finally pulled through the heavy iron gates of the Orlov estate, the courtyard looked like a war zone.Ambulances and security cars were parked everywhere, their red and blue lights flashing against the high stone walls. The smell of exhaust fumes and medical alcohol hung thick in the cool morning air. Dozens of our men were sitting on the steps, covered in blood, receiving stitche
Matvei.The engine of the motorcycle sputtered and went quiet in the middle of the empty, dark road. Smoke crawled out from under the mashed hood of the silver sedan, smelling like burnt oil and hot metal.I kept my gun raised, my hands steady, but my mind went completely numb when the smoke cleared.The woman my father was holding against his chest wasn't a stranger. It was my mother. Her face was pale, but her eyes weren't full of terror. She just stared at me with that same cold, empty look she always had since I was a child. She had never been a mother to me. She was the one who watched him lock me in dark rooms when I was a boy.My father didn't look panicked. He didn't scream. Instead, a slow, calm smile spread across his wrinkled face. He adjusted his grip on my mother, hiding his chest behind her shoulders, his voice coming out smooth and relaxed.“Matvei, my boy,” my father said, his voice sounding like a disappointed parent rather than a trapped man. “Look at you. Running ar
Araceli.Before Matvei could even drop the phone from his ear, the entire alleyway erupted into madness.A loud, shattering crash echoed from behind us as a massive Ndrangheta truck rammed straight into our back SUV, blocking our only exit. Instantly, the dark night was lit up by bright flashes of gunpowder. Bullets began ripping through the air, punching holes into the brick walls and tearing through the metal frames of the cars. Everyone started shooting at everyone. The noise was deafening, a non-stop roar of gunfire that made my ears ring and my chest vibrate.“Get down!” Matvei roared.His huge, heavy hand slammed onto my shoulder, forcefully dragging me out of the seat and throwing me onto the floorboards of the SUV. Before I could even protest, his massive body came down right on top of mine, completely covering me like a shield. He didn't care about the glass shattering over his head. He didn't care about the bullets denting the bulletproof doors. His only focus was keeping hi
Araceli.I climbed into the back seat of the heavy armored SUV, the thick bulletproof door shutting behind me with a loud, metallic thud that cut off most of the noise from the courtyard. The inside of the car smelled like new leather, air conditioning, and tobacco. A second later, the truck jerked forward, the massive tires crunching against the gravel as the entire convoy began moving out of the estate gates and into the dark, empty streets of the city.I sat back against the leather seat, staring straight ahead at the dark window. But even without turning my head, I could feel his eyes on me. Matvei was sitting right next to me in the shadows of the cabin. Every time the streetlights flashed through the tinted glass, I could catch his reflection. He kept turning his head, his piercing green eyes locked onto the side of my face like he was still trying to convince himself that I wasn't a ghost.The silence inside the moving car was heavy and tense, stretching out until it felt like i
Araceli.I walked over to the tall glass window of the bedroom and stood there, crossing my arms tightly over my ribs to keep myself from shivering. Outside in the dark courtyard, the whole world was spinning out of control. Huge black SUVs were lining up on the gravel. Their engines were idling, making a low, angry rumble that vibrated right through the glass and into the soles of my feet. Men in heavy tactical vests were sprinting back and forth under the dim yellow security lights. They were throwing big wooden crates of ammunition and heavy assault rifles into the trunks of the cars. The Orlov empire was ripping itself in half right in front of my eyes.Deep down in my chest, a strange feeling twisted my stomach. I never expected Matvei to be this deeply touched by what happened to me. He looked completely unlike himself. The cold, untouchable Don I used to be terrified of was gone. The man moving around the edges of the room looked like his soul had been entirely hollowed out.A







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