Page 49 of Twisted Hearts
My jaw tightens.Fuck. Now I have an idea where this is going.
“She’s very beautiful, no?”
I exhale slowly. “Marko…”
“I wouldn’t suggest this to just any man, Gavan. But I like and respect you, and your brother as well. I liked you father, Vadim, very much, too.” He steeples his hands, leaning closer to me over the table. “If you were to marry Milena, I believe we could come to some…arrangement. An arrangement such as what you’re suggesting, namely that the Kalishnik family declareOkhrana Sovetain order to stop Abram.”
I can’t quite believe what I’m hearing. “Declaring that to stop Abram is in your own interests as well, Marko,” I growl. “In case that needs saying.”
He shrugs. “Perhaps. Or perhaps I understand that my family’s reign is reaching its end. Perhaps I see no need to continue participating in the High Council with all its drama and infighting.”
My lips thin. “If Drazen really is behind these attacks, Marko, I very much doubt he’ll care if you’re sitting at the table or not. Your family isstillone of the largest, most powerful Bratva families out there. And he seems to view that as an affront or a threat for some reason.”
“Ifhe’s the one behind the attacks,” Marko grunts, frowning. “If the man evenexists, for that matter. No one’s ever even seen him, Gavan. He might be no more than a figure in a bedtime story you tell naughty children to keep them in line.”
“Marko—”
“I’m not doing any of this to cause trouble, Gavan,” he growls. “But I do need to think of my family and its future. Please at least consider the idea of you and Milana marrying. It would make you and I family. When I die, the Reznikov organization would absorb mine, making it the most powerful Bratva family on Earth by a landslide.”
I look away, my jaw tight.
This should be an easy decision. Bratva families marry for power and to solidify business agreements all the goddamn time. And Milena Kalishnikisbeautiful. She’s cultured, and quintessentially Russian, and she understands this game. Marko’s not wrong. It would be averystrong match, and it would crown the Reznikov Bratva as king above any and all criminal organizations on the planet.
It’s a tempting offer.
It should be a no-brainer.
So why isn’t it? That’s easy, though I fuckinghateto admit it.
Eilish.
Thatis what’s giving me pause in thinking through this idea of marrying Milena Kalishnik.Thatis the cause of my reluctance.
It’s more than slightly confusing.
And concerning.
“This isn’t a decision I can make today, Marko.”
He smiles. “Of course not. And I thank you for giving the question the weight it deserves. I’m not suggesting the idea of you marrying my daughter lightly, you know. She’s my world.”
“She’s your daughter. Of course she is. I’m honored that you’d even consider me. We’ll speak more of this soon?”
“Excellent.”
We both stand and shake hands firmly across the table. Marko grins. “Imagine the two of us, family,” he chuckles as he turns to head for the door.
I follow him outside, signaling to my men as Marko’s black chauffeured Escalade pulls up to the curb a few spots down.
“We’ll talk soon, Gavan. Thank you for hearing me out.”
I nod, waiting by the glass door to the restaurant as Marko walks over to his waiting vehicle, where Ivan is holding the door open for him.
He’s almost there when thunder and liquid fire split the earth open with the punching force of a nuclear explosion.
My world goes sideways as I’m slammed backward. The door and the windows of the restaurant behind me shatter from the force of the blast, showering me with beads of glass along with flaming bits of Escalade as they rain down like fiery, lethal hail.
I hear shouting. I feel arms yanking me to my feet. I’m dimly aware of Korol screaming in my face through the ringing in my ears.