At thirty-two, I was the youngest mafia boss Chicago had ever feared—and somehow, I was dying in a mansion packed with the best doctors money could buy. Every night at exactly 2:17 a.m., my body turned to ice, while the woman I planned to marry stood beside my bed whispering, “You’re going to be fine,” with a certainty that terrified me more than death.

"You always were a massive disappointment, Natalia," the old Russian boss spat with disgust.

I held Natalia tightly against my chest, applying desperate pressure to her bleeding shoulder.

She was breathing heavily, but thankfully the bullet had entirely missed her heart.

Viktor aimed his weapon directly at my head, his wrinkled face a mask of absolute hatred.

"You stole my city, Leo, and then you dared to steal my bloodline."

I slowly lowered Natalia to the cold floor, my eyes locking onto my greatest enemy.

"I didn't steal anything, Viktor, I just took what you were entirely too weak to hold."

He sneered aggressively, pulling the hammer back on his silver pistol.

"Goodbye, boy."

Before he could fire, Marcus drove the armored SUV straight through the inner garage drywall.

The massive vehicle slammed violently into Viktor's luxury sedan, crushing the old man's legs instantly between them.

Viktor screamed in agonizing pain, his pistol clattering uselessly across the concrete floor.

I walked over to him slowly, picking up his own gun and pressing it firmly to his forehead.

"This is for threatening my family," I whispered coldly.

I pulled the trigger without hesitation, ending the Volkov syndicate once and for all.

The absolute silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the hiss of the SUV's damaged radiator.

I rushed back to Natalia, scooping her up gently in my arms.

"You are going to be perfectly okay," I promised, pressing a desperate kiss to her forehead.

Marcus jumped out of the driver's seat, his face pale but completely resolute.

"The police sirens are getting very close, Boss, we need to vanish right now."

I climbed into the back of the SUV with Natalia, while Lily bravely held her mother's hand.

Marcus slammed the gas pedal, and we smashed through the remaining garage doors into the rainy Chicago night.

The Clumsy Maid Bathed His Dog—Then The Mafia Boss Said She Wasn’t Leavi...

She found her husband with another woman and walked away so quietly that...

The Mafia Boss Asked a Disabled Widow If She Was Okay

We had violently survived the worst night of our lives, but the war had taken a heavy toll.

As we sped safely down the dark highway, my encrypted phone began to vibrate violently in my pocket.

Chapter 9 - Blood for Blood