Ruthless Mafia King: A Dark Bratva Arranged Marriage Romance
Ruthless Mafia King: Chapter 19

I’m counting down the hours until I go home and have dinner with Katarina. It’ll be our first meal together since she asked me to come back. I’m hoping that some time alone made her think things through.

Yes, it was fun to taunt her and play with her head. With the way her cheeks heat and her body language changes, I know she’s hot for me. I expect that her rage will simmer down even more. The next time I visit, even though she’ll still want to throttle me, I’m sure she’ll keep herself in check.

My thoughts are focused on her all the time. It’s so distracting that I don’t even sense the man lurking in the parking garage until it’s too late.

My head jerks backward as something cold and sharp is pressed against my throat. Reflexively, I raise my hands above my head and try to figure out what’s happening. Who would be stupid enough to ambush me in my own building of all places?

“Whoever you are, and whatever you think you’re doing, you’re making a grave mistake,” I coldly warn the attacker. “I’m the last person you want to mess with.”

The man tightens his grip on my neck. I can feel his nervous energy. The ragged breathing belongs to someone young, unsure of himself. There’s a lot of anger in it.

“Drop the knife and walk away,” I say calmly. “It’s the only way you’ll leave alive.”

Before I can say anything else, the assailant presses the knife harder against the vulnerable skin of my throat.

Blood seeps out, traveling down my neck. The slight discomfort is the first alarm bell in my head. He might be uncertain of what he’s doing, but in this position, I am way too exposed and weak. The pain only heightens, and I begin to regret ever giving the attacker this moment to think about it. Now that he’s had a chance to anticipate his possible triumph, there’s no turning back.

It’s when he speaks that he makes a mistake. My hatred reignites, giving me the strength and determination needed to get out of this encounter unscathed.

“Where is she?” Igor hisses in my ear. The anger in his voice is strong enough that I can almost smell it. The alcohol on his breath burns my nostrils. That should make things easier.

“Who are you talking about?” I question, buying myself some time.

“Katarina!” Igor shrieks, spewing saliva all over me.

“Why should I tell you?” I demand.

My small movement doesn’t scare him away. His body vibrates with fury, and I can’t tell if it’s due to him drinking too much or if he wants to get revenge against me that badly.

“You won’t hurt me,” I say, regaining my confidence. “Her life is connected to mine. If I die, she dies.”

“Don’t play smart with me,” Igor screeches again, his drunken insanity evident. “Kata isn’t in the game. You have no right to touch her.”

Fast as lightning, I whip my hand upward and grab his wrist in a powerful grip, twisting the knife away from his hold. The alcohol in his veins dulls his reflexes, significantly slowing down his movements.

A loud gasp escapes his throat as he recoils back. I lower my stance, gathering more strength. Once I see him lift his empty hand, I rush forward, punching him across the jaw. I connect with more power than I ever have before, not thinking about the damage I could cause.

One strike, and he falls to the ground. Blood runs over his chin, dripping to the ground. It should put an end to my violent surge, but it does quite the opposite. Now that I’ve started, I’m too pumped with adrenaline to stop.

I kick his back, pushing him flat onto his belly. Then I lean down and lift his head by grabbing his hair. His drunken condition works in my favor.

“Listen, you sick son of a bitch,” I hiss into his ear, not caring whether he can hear me or not. “You have Katarina to thank that this is just a friendly warning. If you come at me again, I won’t stop until I’m the last man standing. No matter how much you try, you won’t defeat me.”

“Why do you hate my family so much?” Igor croaks.

“It’s not your family that I hate. It’s you,” I reply dryly.

“What did I do to you?” he asks. “Up until you demanded Kata’s hand in marriage, we worked well together.”

“We worked well because I wanted you to let your guard down,” I tell him. “I wanted to lull you into a fake sense of security. I wanted you to think of me as a friend while I waited for the perfect opportunity to bring your family down. Funny enough, it was you who gave it to me. Once again, your actions forced your father to act, which put you exactly where I wanted.”

He looks at me, not comprehending.

“Do you remember the time you crashed your car on the bridge?” I ask quietly, anger simmering inside me. “Your father used his connections to cover it up.”

“How do you know about that?” Igor gasps, struggling to catch a breath.

“You were so drunk that you didn’t even realize you hit another car,” I continue. “You forced it off the bridge and into the river. The people inside were still alive. You could’ve saved them. But you didn’t call for help because you didn’t want to draw attention to yourself. They drowned because of you!”

The words escape my lips before I have a chance to put a filter over them. The dark revelation gets my brain working, and I realize he still doesn’t have a clue that it was my mother and the love of my life that he killed.

“There was no one on the bridge,” he insists. “I was there alone.”

“Don’t lie to me, Igor,” I hiss. “Don’t forget who you’re talking to. I have even more connections at my disposal than your father does. It didn’t take me long to uncover what you did.”

“Prove it,” he pants.

“I don’t need to,” I say dryly, pushing his body back onto the ground. “I’m not taking you to court. I’m bringing you my own kind of justice. Going to jail is too easy. You deserve to suffer.”

A low whimper leaves him as his eyes dart down. He looks at the bleeding wound I’ve inflicted on him.

“Who were they?” he asks.

I glance down and see his trembling hands, his fingers covered with blood. My hands clench into fists so tight that the knuckles turn white.

“You don’t deserve to know their names,” I snarl. “You better pray that this little stunt of yours doesn’t affect how I treat Katarina tonight. If my bad mood holds, I might just have to take it out on her. Who knows, maybe the only way to release my anger is between her legs.”

“Don’t you dare touch her,” Igor warns in a hoarse voice, but it sounds hollow. “She’s innocent.”

“That she is,” I retort and push his face deeper into the concrete. “So were the people you killed.”

“I was drunk!” he exclaims. “I didn’t know what I was doing.”

“Actions have consequences,” I reply. “It’s time you face yours.”

“No, I⁠—”

But before Igor can finish his sentence, I straighten myself and kick him again. He lets out a choking cough and he chokes on blood. I do it again and again, imagining it’s his head under the pressure of my shoe.

There’s no hesitation or regret about what I’m doing. It’s a part of who I am. It’s a part of the world we live in.

I avoid his head. Killing him now would make matters worse. But that doesn’t mean I can’t break his bones.

Once he doesn’t move anymore, I stop. Hopefully, he’s not dead. At least, not yet.

My eyes land on the little packet in Igor’s pocket. I lean down and fish it out along with the lighter. I’m not a smoker anymore, but I could use a cigarette right now. After the encounter I had with this idiot, I need a slow burner to calm my senses.

Tearing the packaging open, I pop a stick between my lips and grab the lighter. I’d done it so many times in my teenage years, and the old routine soothes me. As soon as the ember reaches the edge of the paper, I inhale, waiting for it to burn my lungs and release endorphins into my system.

The smoke makes my nose twitch as I exhale. The nicotine buzz hits me, and I finally relax. It’s when Igor begins to stir that I decide to leave. The hour is late, and I don’t want to miss out on my evening plans. Now more than ever, I’m determined to get Katarina to behave.

Walking slowly, the tip of the cigarette hissing as it burns, I leave Igor curled up in the fetal position as I take out my burner phone and make a call to 911. With the majority of the workers already out of the building, there’s little chance anyone would have found him before morning. I’ll figure out tomorrow how he managed to get a jump on me in the first place. Peter better have a good explanation for this lapse in security.

Once in my car, I take a deep, steadying breath and force myself to think about other things. Things like having dinner with my fiancée. I’ll have to bring my best game tonight. Despite what I told Igor, I have no intention of forcing myself on her.

Soon, she’ll be asking me to touch her.

She’ll be begging for me to fuck her.

And I’ll be more than happy to oblige.