Ruthless Mafia King: A Dark Bratva Arranged Marriage Romance
Ruthless Mafia King: Chapter 38

I’m going crazy.

I must be.

It’s the only way I can explain how I’m sitting in Dimitri Sokolov’s living room with a glass of vodka in my hand and Katarina by my side.

“We need your help, Nikolai,” Dimitri says, scratching his chin. “I’m afraid this mess is slightly bigger than we originally thought.”

“Yakov’s more impulsive than we expected,” I state, taking another sip. The drink feels good going down my throat, but it doesn’t help in easing my mind or focusing my thoughts. “He’s no longer just a thorn in our side. He’s a real threat. Sergey isn’t able to stop his own son when the little prick makes up his mind to do damage.”

“We have to fight back,” Igor demands, his chest puffing out. “Yakov came after Katarina. He came after me. It’s only a matter of time before he attacks again.”

“We don’t have enough men,” Aleksander interjects. He’s a lot smarter and calmer than his older brother. Igor has been nothing but hot air and piss ever since I met him.

“What exactly do you want from Nikolai, Papa?” Katarina asks, narrowing her eyes at her father as if she’s ready to jump to my defense. Despite the seemingly buried hatchet, my guard is still up. Dimitri betrayed me twice now, and I won’t be the fool who blindly walks into another trap of his making.

“Men and guns,” Dimitri replies with a nonchalant shrug.

“Not long ago, I had a conversation with your sons about this,” I tell him.

He raises his brow in question and glances at his sons.

“We were trying to keep him busy while you talked to Kata,” Aleksander explains, not sounding sorry for the deceit. I don’t blame him. Either one of them. They did what they thought was best for their family. Except that they were wrong. But at the time, they didn’t know better.

“The point is, your sons and I made a deal,” I continue, deciding to move on.

If possible, Dimitri’s eyebrows lift even higher, disappearing up his forehead. This might be all news to him, but I won’t let it go. Igor, Aleksander, Mikhail, and I shook on it. I like the terms we set and agreed on.

“I’d like to continue with that deal,” I tell him. “If you agree to it too, I promise I’ll help you.”

“First, I need to know what the deal is,” Dimitri forces through gritted teeth. His nostrils flare, his cheeks flushed. His anger isn’t my problem. He won’t dare to insult me again. Not when I hold all the power in my hands.

“As I told your sons, waging a war on the Gargarins is not an option. We need to avoid bloodshed and find a way to make peace. Otherwise, we all risk losing a lot of money,” I tell him. “I don’t want my businesses getting attacked again.”

Dimitri winces at my last words. He knows they were aimed straight at him. “I wish it could be that easy,” he replies.

“It can be.”

He sighs and shakes his head. “No, I’m afraid it can’t.”

Funny enough, it’s Katarina who loses her cool first. “For fuck’s sake, Papa, will you spit it out sometime before I go into labor?”

I suppress a smile, not wanting to offend Dimitri. His youngest son doesn’t have a problem with that, as a chuckle escapes him. But when he earns himself a glare from his father, any trace of amusement is quickly wiped off his face.

Dimitri gets up from his seat and takes a framed picture from the top of the fireplace. Without a word, he passes it to me. Even before looking, I already know what it is.

As I guessed, it’s a family photo of Dimitri, his wife, and his four kids. It must’ve been taken fifteen years ago or so. They’re all smiling at the camera, even Dimitri. Young Katarina’s hair is sticking out from two pigtails, and there’s a line of freckles across her face. They must’ve disappeared with age. She looks happy. My heart aches for the time when everything was easier. When our biggest burdens as children was schoolwork or what to play at the park.

“That’s what a family looks like when a man has nothing to fear,” Dimitri finally speaks, and points at the photograph. “Back then, people didn’t dare utter my name even in the safety of their own homes. They were too afraid.”

“Times have changed,” I reply, and give him back the picture.

“They have,” he allows, but his eyes are shining with eager excitement. “But that doesn’t mean we have to allow people to disrespect us. Not with you by our side.”

“Get to the point already,” I hiss, slowly growing tired of his droning. He’s not as talented a speaker as he’d like to believe.

“I want your guns and your men.”

Tell me something I don’t know.

I’m waiting for him to give me a new piece of the puzzle. Something that I can chew on.

“This has gone on for far too long. I agree with you that the war needs to stop. But I don’t agree with your plan on how to end it,” he says finally.

I narrow my eyes at him. Suddenly, the tie around my neck feels too tight. I don’t like the implication behind his words, and I’m losing my patience.

“Say it,” I challenge him. “Say the words, old man.”

Dimitri’s eyes flash at my disrespect. Good, he should get used to it. He’s not the top dog anymore. A new generation has arrived, and we’re ready to do things our way. Do we want peace? No. But it also doesn’t mean we can go out there with cocked guns.

Times have changed. People won’t stand for it anymore. That’s what he doesn’t understand. Modern technologies might’ve made everyone’s life easier, but not ours. Not when so much information can be shared in a matter of seconds.

“I want our men to pay the Gargarins a visit,” he says calmly. His breathing is coming in fast and shallow bursts. He might speak in a low voice, but he’s barely maintaining control over himself. I’m willing to bet my entire empire that no one has ever talked to him the way I’m treating him today.

From the corner of my eye, I notice movement outside the window. The black military jackets are confirmation enough—my brother’s men have arrived. Though they’re a bit late for my liking, they’re still on time to provide backup if Dimitri and I can’t come to an agreement.

With a newfound resolve, I open my mouth to tell him to go fuck himself, but Katarina takes my hand and turns to me. I frown and meet her pale green eyes.

“My father’s right,” she tells me, keeping her voice low as if she wants the words to be only for me to hear. “Yakov will never stop coming after us. Don’t you want him to pay for what he tried to do to me?”

I resist the urge to scowl.

Of course, I want him to pay. But I don’t want to open Pandora’s box—not when everyone will know who did it.

Not like this.

My thumb strokes the back of Katarina’s hand, but it does little to quiet my rambling thoughts.

“Think of the baby,” she urges, moving my hand to her belly. “Think of your son.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “A son? It’s too early to tell, serdtse.”

Katarina gives me a small smile. “A mother knows these things. I have a feeling we’re going to have a boy.”

My eyes soften, and a smile tugs at the corners of my mouth. A newfound determination to keep my growing family safe washes over me. I look into Katarina’s eyes.

“I want you to know that I don’t care whether we have a son or a daughter,” I tell her. “As long as the baby and you are healthy.”

Katarina chuckles. “You always know just the right thing to say. And here I was figuring you’d prefer a male descendant to carry on your legacy.”

“Women can be just as badass as men.” I smirk. “Even more so at times. Just look at you.”

Katarina shakes her head and presses a kiss on my lips.

“What do you want me to do?” I ask her, ready to listen. For my child, I’ll burn the world if I have to. I’ll get rid of everyone and everything that could harm them.

“Give my father your men and your guns,” she tells me. “Send them to end this nightmare once and for all.”

I sigh loudly and glance at Dimitri, who’s been watching our conversation without a word.

“Yakov’s our only target,” I tell him. “Anastasiya’s already suffered enough. She’s not to be touched.”

Dimitri chuckles. “As you wish,” he says, bowing his head. “Yakov and Sergey.”

I shake my head. “Fine,” I agree. “If I hear that Ana got hurt, you’ll pay for it.”

“In that case, it’s a good thing you’ll be there to make sure she gets out of this unscathed,” Dimitri replies with a smirk.

“Nikolai’s not going,” Katarina says, before I can even open my mouth.

Dimitri turns to her, a ghost of a smile on his face. “We can’t expect our men to fight without us leading them. The Bratva way is one of power. With his attacks, Gargarin has challenged our strength. We need to have family members there to represent us. Igor will do that for us.”

“No,” Katarina breathes, shaking her head. “Nikolai’s not going.”

She doesn’t see what I see in Dimitri’s eyes. This isn’t a question. It’s a test. A way to show we’re in this together. If it goes well, it’ll strengthen our family’s ties and help us move forward toward rebuilding trust. But that’s only if it goes well.

If it doesn’t, we’re fucked, and I’m dead.