Page 65 of His Savage Vow
“I can’t wait,” I hear Spicy reply as I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself from the flood of emotions raging through me. “Can the new girl come with us?” he adds. “I like the way she works.”
“So do I,” Maximo says as he follows me out of the basement.
The Volkovs started a war.
One we’ll finish.
And tonight, I became someone they should fear.
34
Maximo
The lookin Constance’s eyes makes something twist deep inside me. I feel a strange mixture of dark pride and admiration, tinged with fear. The pride is certainly because she’s taken control of her grief and turned it into action. The fear though, that’s my concern, that killing an unarmed man might tear her apart. The other shootings she did were necessary, self-defense. This was cold-blooded revenge.
I know that Constance was justified, and I hope that will be enough to protect her. Still, the part of me that remembers my first kill can’t help wondering how she’ll feel when the silence comes later. Once the adrenaline fades and you’re alone in the dark hours of the night, these sorts of actions tend to slip out from under the bed and haunt you.
After I give Spicy his orders and follow Constance into the kitchen, I feel as if I have to voice my concerns. “Are you okay?” I ask her as she looks in a cabinet for an unbroken glass. Sheruns some water from the tap and takes a sip, then glares at me with a look sharp enough to rival any blade.
“I’m not going to break, Maximo. I thought killing him would destroy something in me, but it didn’t. It settled something,” she says. “And I’m not finished.” Her voice drops, steady and terrifying. “I won’t be until Kirill and Alexei Volkov are dead. That’s the only way I’ll ever have peace again. That’s the only way I’ll ever have a future worth looking forward to.” Her voice softens just a fraction. “A future I hope includes you.”
My chest tightens. I reach for her hand and pull her closer. “I need you to understand something, Constance. For me, this isn’t about the Russians muscling into my city. That’s just part of the business, and it never ends. This is about you. About making you whole again, about carving out a future for the two of us. It’s not just about revenge or securing my business interests. It’s you. Only you.”
Her hand squeezes mine, steady and certain, and for the first time that night, my doubts ease.
I hear the front door bang open, and a moment later, Spicy steps into the kitchen, wiping his hands on a rag stained a dull rust-red. “Boss,” he says, a grin tugging at his scarred lips. “The body’s loaded. My boys are at the docks now and they got eyes on some Bratva they recognized hanging around a yacht.”
I nod. “Good. If Kirill thinks a yacht buys him safety, he’s forgotten who owns the harbor. Make sure my yacht is stocked and ready to sail. We’ll keep the plan simple. Once they think they’re safe tonight, we’ll off any guards they have posted and then finish off whoever is on board. We’ll take the boat out a ways from shore, set fire to it, and have a drink on my yacht while we watch it sink. You got it, Spicy? I want no survivors.”
Spicy’s phone buzzes, and he glances at it, a smile playing on his lips. “Message just came in. My boys say it looks like the Volkovs’ crew are all set to leave. Perfect time to strike.”
I grab Constance’s hand to pull her along with me. The trucks wait out front, still scarred with bullet holes from the earlier assault. Over a dozen of our men are already gathering, loading weapons and checking magazines. One of them is swapping out the license plates with the fakes we use for these sorts of activities.
I cast one last look at Constance. She doesn’t flinch. If anything, she looks eager. Hungry.
“Then it’s settled,” I say. “Tonight, we finish this.”
Constance nods to me and taking her hand, I place a kiss on top of it and tell her, “Go grab your gun and whatever else you need to bring. We leave in five.”
It takes longer than I would like to get from the estate to the docks. Only two of my Escalades were in any shape to be driven, so Constance and I are wedged into the rear seat to leave room for my crew and all their gear. I spend part of the ride emailing several contractors to inquire about services to repair the estate.
“We’ll stay at the tower tonight,” I tell her. “Somewhere the Russians don’t expect us to run.”
“Now you know how I felt when I saw what was left of the apartment over the restaurant,” she replies as she places a hand on my knee and gives it a reassuring squeeze.
I smile at her as I make another phone call. “Luca, it’s Maximo. Were you able to finish covering the windows?”
“Yes, sir, we’re just finishing up,” he replies.
“Good. Once that’s done, lock up as best you can and send everyone home. I need you to go by the store and pick up some drinks and snacks, then head over to my penthouse and make sure everything is ready for visitors. Constance, me, and some ofthe crew will be joining you there later tonight, so make sure everything is well stocked.”
“I’m on it.”
“I’ll see you in a few hours, Luca. Call me if there is any trouble.”
“Will do.”
I end the call and rest my hand on Constance’s arm. “I prefer to stay outside the city, but I keep the entire top floor penthouse of the Luciani Financial Groups tower for myself. I stay there when I know I have early meetings to avoid having to deal with traffic.”
