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Chapter Nineteen

Julia

I can’t watch as the two men I love most in this world try to kill each other.

They refuse to listen. Viktor doesn’t understand how much I love Matteo and Matteo is hellbent on protecting me, even from Viktor.

I have to do something.

Viktor manages to punch Matteo so hard, he flops to the ground and he gets on top of him. The sight of Viktor punching Matteo over and over again makes my stomach sick.

“Stop!” I cry. “Stop!”

“Listen to her,” Inessa says. “Please, Viktor. Stop.”

But he’s done listening. His mission in life has been to protect me and in his mind, he’s doing that.

I can’t stand back as Matteo gets beaten to death.

Both of their guns are on the ground. Acting on instinct, I pick one up and hold it to Viktor’s head.

“Stop.”

Inessa gasps. “What are you doing?”

Viktor slowly stops punching Matteo and turns to look at me. His breathing is ragged and his knuckles are a bloody mess. “Julia?” There’s a hurt in his eyes I’ll never be able to forget. He thinks I’m betraying him again when I’m just trying to protect the man I love.

Matteo groans, letting me know that he is alive.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I tell Viktor. “But I need you to stop punching my husband. I need you to stop.”

“He’s the reason you pulled away from me. He’s the reason you betrayed me.”

“I never betrayed you!” My shout is sharp and shrill.

Viktor’s eyes widen. “I love you, you idiot. You’re my brother.

I will always love you. But I did not betray you.

I just fell in love. Why can’t you give me that?

Why can’t you put your pride aside and let me and Matteo be together?

This is your chance to change everything and you’re ruining it.

If you kill Matteo right now, I’ll never forgive you. ”

“But you’d forgive him if he killed me?”

“No,” I answer truthfully. “I can’t love you both if you kill each other. I need you to get along. I need you to make peace, Viktor. You tried once before. You can do it again.”

“I’ve been disrespected too many times by Erik and Dante to work with them.”

I huff. “So, you’d put your pride above me?

Above Inessa? Because you’ll lose me if you don’t.

If you lock me up here, I will never forgive you.

And then I would gladly betray you. For real.

But falling in love with Matteo is not a betrayal to you.

It was never deliberate. It just happened.

So listen to me, Viktor. Please. Just stop.

Put your pride aside and do what’s best for all of us. ”

He looks between me and Matteo and his bloody knuckles. “I can’t do that.”

“Then I will shoot you if you attack Matteo one more time. Let him go, at least. And I’ll lower this gun. And I’ll stay here with you. But just know that I will hate you forever.”

Inessa gasps. “Julia.”

“I’m fighting for the man I love,” I say, keeping my eyes glued to Viktor’s. “Accept it or I will shoot you.”

“You won’t kill me. I’m your brother.”

“I don’t want to but to save the man I love, I will do anything. So please just step back, Viktor. Please just let Matteo go.”

He stares at me for a long, hard moment before he gets up and steps away from Matteo.

“Matteo, go,” I tell him.

He groans as he pushes himself to his feet. “Julia, come with me.”

“I want to but I can’t. Viktor will just try to attack you again. So go. Now. And please don’t tell Dante how you got hurt. It will only make him angry.”

“Even now, you’re still protecting your brother.”

“Because if I can do this without anyone dying, then that’s the goal. So now, go. Please.”

I can feel Matteo looking at me but I keep my eyes planted on Viktor. I can’t risk him taking the gun from me.

Slowly, Matteo walks out the back gate and disappears.

Only then do I lower the gun.

Viktor takes it from me. “Julia.”

“Don’t,” I snap, holding up my hand. “You know how I feel at this point. I’m not going to keep telling you.

You know what to do if you want to keep me in your life.

I’m not going to let you make me feel bad about what I’ve done.

I fell in love. It’s not a crime. It’s not a sin.

It just happened. Either get on board with it and do the right thing, or I will never speak to you again. ”

“We live in the same house.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to talk to you. You will not stop me from leaving whenever I want. You will not control me anymore, because if you do, I will just find a way to escape. You know what to do, Viktor.” I walk past him into the house without saying anything more.

Viktor

I stare down at the gun in my hands – the gun that my own sister used against me.

Inessa places her hand on my arm. “You know Julia is right.”

I want to fight it. I want to scream and say that Inessa is wrong. That Julia is wrong. That Matteo will just hurt her. That the world will hurt her and it’s only my job to protect her.

But I saw a different side of her today.

A side that was brave enough to lift up a gun and demand what she wanted.

She fought for her husband, even at my own expense.

Even though I’m pissed, I’m also proud of her.

I never knew she had it in her. But I guess I haven’t been giving my sister the credit she deserves.

I suddenly crumble and drop to my knees as a wave of emotion hits me. And then the tears come. I rarely cry. I just don’t have time for it.

But right now, I fucking cry.

And Inessa remains right at my side, holding me as I do it.

“You know what to do,” she says, kissing my cheek. “I love you so much. But these past few weeks, I’ve barely recognized the man I fell in love with. Choose to be happy, Viktor. Choose for Julia to be happy too.”

My tears subside and I sit up straighter. “I don’t know how to put aside my pride.”

“Then learn.”

I look into the eyes of my wife – who’s always been there for me, even when I’ve been a stubborn asshole – and I know I have to do what’s right. I know I will lose Julia if I keep trying to control her.

I have to let her go even if it means she runs into the arms of my enemy.

Julia

I’m so angry with Viktor that I can’t remain in the house a second longer, so I take one of the cars and leave out the front door. None of the guards out front try to stop me. They know who I am. They know I’m not a prisoner here, even if my brother thinks so.

I need to see Matteo again. Make sure he isn’t seriously hurt.

I start to drive in the direction of his safehouse when I realize that I’m being followed.

It’s something I’ve seen Viktor do over the years: notice things others might miss.

He taught me the clues to look out for in case anyone ever followed me.

And sure enough, a car is following me right now.

I’m not sure who it is and I can’t lead them to Matteo’s safehouse so I continue to drive around for a while, watching as the person following me does the same. They’re not letting up.

Finally, I pull the car off to the side and walk to the nearest café. Once I’m inside, I get a table near the back that still lets me look outside.

And that’s when I see him. Connor.

He strolls into the café and right up to my table. “Hi, Julia.”

“What are you doing here? Why are you following me?”

He slides into the seat across from me. “Didn’t you hear? Your brother fired me. He doesn’t want to be allies anymore. He won’t give you to me.”

“I’m not a trophy to be handed over.”

“But you’re my trophy.” He grabs my hands across the table and squeezes tight. “And I want you.”

“Why? What will taking me achieve? It will only upset Viktor. You’ll never get the chance to marry me.”

He shrugs. “So I just kill him and your husband and then I marry you. Problem solved. And through you, I’ll gain more power than I’ve ever had before.”

“Let me go. I’ll scream.”

“You can do that. But I have my gun on me. I’ll just shoot you in the throat to get you to shut up.”

I shiver and try not to show the fear on my face. “But then I’d be dead.”

“True. So I’ll just hit you in the throat instead. How does that sound? If you don’t want me to shoot up this entire café full of people, then you will follow me out to my car.”

“I will not let you kidnap me.”

He lets one of my hands go and pulls out his gun, quickly showing it to me before putting it away. “I will shoot everyone in this café. You know I will.”

“Your face is all over the news. People are looking for you.”

“I will be fine once I have you as my wife. The power of the Russian Mafia will save me. Now, follow me out of here.”

I know Connor is reckless enough to do this so with no other choice, I follow him to his car and get inside. He whistles to himself as he drives, taking me somewhere I have no idea where.

Matteo

Julia asked me not to tell Dante about what happened to me but I cant keep that promise. Viktor needs to die so I can be with Julia. It’s the only way. I see that now.

Dante’s eyes widen when I show up at his house and he motions me inside. “What the fuck, Matteo?”

“I got into a fight with Viktor. He did this to me. It’s time to kill him. I want Julia and he’s keeping her from me.”

“We can’t just attack his home. He has too many guards.”

“We have a lot of men ourselves. Erik can lend you even more. We go to his house and we kill all of his guards and we kill him and we end this.”

Dante frowns. “Are you sure? Will Julia be ok with you killing her brother?”

I hesitate but I tell myself to keep moving forward. This is the only way I get to be with her. It has to be done. “If you kill him, then she won’t blame me. It has to happen, Dante. He has to die for me to be with her.”

“Ok. I’ve wanted Viktor dead for a long time. I want this war to end. I’m fucking tired of it. So let’s go end it.”

Viktor

I go to speak to Julia but I’m told by my guards that she left. “And you didn’t stop her?”

“She’s your sister,” the guard on gate duty says. “I didn’t know she wasn’t allowed to leave.”

Fuck. Julia is gone. Probably off to see Matteo.