Blaine
I hear the engines shut off and then counting in my head, twenty seconds later, the explosion rocks the entire building. A group of Sidorov men come barreling into the warehouse, all guns blazing. And the bomb I set up explodes, sending them all to the ground.
Azira screams, pulling away from me as her eyes go wide, watching the carnage unfold. The bomb will injure people, but it’s unlikely to kill. “Oh my God. Did you just kill men from our famiglia?” She stares at me in a way I never expected to see her look at me like, as if she thinks I’m as insane as everyone else.
I have to give her the benefit of the doubt. She doesn’t know my plan. I shake my head. “Just wait and see.”
I’m not sure whether it’s my calm attitude, but she seems to settle down, glancing toward the entrance.
Massimo Sidorov appears through the smoke and debris, with Leo Sidorov following him. And a few of their men behind.
“Get behind me,” I hiss.
Azira glances between me and her brothers a few times before finally moving to stand behind me.
“Luigi,” Leo says, narrowing his eyes. “Stop this madness now.”
I recognize Leo from the academy, but Massimo was before my time. He’s not that much younger than me at thirty years old, meaning there’s only five years between us.
I pull my gun out of my pocket and aim it at them, which results in a gasp from Azira as she tugs at my top.
“What are you doing?”
I stiffen. “Quiet, Azira.”
“It’s not me that needs to stop the madness, Leo. You are the one trying to force Azira into a marriage she doesn’t want.” I tilt my head. “Cancel the wedding and it all ends right now.”
Massimo cocks his gun. “Let this go or you’ll regret it.”
I arch a brow. “How about we settle this the traditional way?”
Massimo exchanges a glance with Leo, who gives him a shake of the head, but the don of the Sidorov mafia is being watched by his followers. “Bring it on.” He shrugs off his jacket and passes it to Leo.
I came prepared wearing a sweater and joggers, which will give me the upper hand in a fight for range of movement.
“Blaine,” Azira tugs on my sweater. “Why are you doing this?”
She doesn’t seem to understand how far I’d go to secure her as mine. They could put two hundred men between us, and I’d burn my way through every single one until she was mine. I’d tear down the entire fucking world if I had to, anything to keep her. I’m her master now and there’s no changing it, as she’s too deeply under my skin.
I shrug her off without a word and approach Massimo, fists in front of me.
His eyes narrow as he approaches and then he lunges toward me clumsily, trying to land a punch to my right.
I dodge out of his way easily and then counter attack, slamming my fist into the side of his gut right where his kidney is.
He grunts and stumbles a little as I step back and put distance between us.
Massimo’s eyes flash with anger and he rushes at me again, his movements jerky and predictable, as I kick out and trip him before he can land his punch, forcing him to the concrete floor.
The air is knocked from his lungs as he groans, rolling over and gazing up at me from the flat of his back.
I smirk, which angers him further as he growls and pushes himself up, looking a little worse for wear as he sways.
“Please stop this,” Azira says from the sidelines, but I don’t let her distract me, keeping all of my focus on her brother. “I’ll stop this when your brother agrees to stop the wedding.”
“Never,” he growls.
I shake my head. “Never is so definitive, isn’t it?”
He rushes for me and tries to tackle me, but I step out of the way at the last minute and kick him in the backside, sending him to the floor for the second time.
“Motherfucker,” he growls, recovering faster this time as he jumps back to his feet.
“Give up yet?”
“What are you? A black belt or something?”
I nod in response. “You can’t defeat me at hand to hand combat, Massimo.”
His jaw clenches and he tries again, sending two fast punches in my direction. The first I dodge, the second I block with my palm and then twist his arm hard, almost pulling his shoulder out of its socket. “Give up.” I push him away, but it just inflames his rage.
He rushes for me again and lands a relatively decent punch to my middle, but it’s not enough to affect me.
And he made a grave mistake of getting too close to me, as I bring my fist up in an undercut and clip his chin, sending his head flying back from the force.
Grabbing him by the shirt, I slam my fist hard into his nose and break it, the crack echoing around the warehouse.
He growls in agony and I release him, allowing him to step back. “You broke my fucking nose.” He holds it as blood spills profusely down his face. The look in his eyes tells me he’s ready to give up. Ready to concede to my demands, which means Azira and I will be free to be together.
Lucky for me, Remy Sidorov is sick, which means I’m dealing with an unexperienced amateur. If Massimo had any sense, he’d send everyone all guns blazing and take me out no matter the costs, but he’s too cautious.
As I stare at the young don, I know we’re going to come out of this unscathed. Azira will be mine for the rest of eternity and I’m okay with that, even if it means that I have to admit my feelings for her. A shudder still races down my spine at the word even entering my mind.
It’s going to take time, but I’m willing to work on it harder than anything I’ve ever worked on in my life. As an existence without her isn’t worth living.