Page 21 of Bound Vows (Empire City Syndicate #3)

Andrei

Watching Maya sleep fitfully beside me after only three days of honeymoon isolation while my empire crumbles three hours away proves that love and leadership make terrible bedfellows.

“Boss, we have a problem.” Alexei’s voice crackles through the encrypted phone at four in the morning, which means whatever crisis has developed couldn’t wait for civilized hours. “Multiple problems.”

I carefully slide out of bed to avoid waking Maya, who’s experienced increasingly severe headaches that leave her exhausted and irritable. Our brief time at the mountain house has been challenging in ways I didn’t anticipate.

“Define multiple,” I whisper as I move to the adjoining office and close the door.

“Three families have moved against our Queens operations while you’ve been playing house in the mountains.

The Torrino organization seized two of our gambling houses, the Chicago outfit is muscling in on our shipping contracts, and someone torched our drug distribution center in Brooklyn. We’re losing territory daily.”

“Casualties?”

“Fourteen dead, twenty-three injured. Our street-level guys are asking questions about leadership and whether you’re planning to defend what we built.” He pauses, and I hear papers shuffling in the background. “Morale is dropping faster than our revenue.”

I pour myself vodka from the bottle I keep in the office safe and process how quickly things have deteriorated. Three days away from the city, and my carefully constructed empire is already showing cracks that enemies are eager to exploit.

“What’s Denis doing about territorial incursions?”

“Denis is dead. Car bomb yesterday outside his apartment building. Professional job. No witnesses, and no evidence.” Alexei’s voice drops to something more serious. “Someone’s systematically targeting our leadership structure.”

The vodka turns to acid in my mouth. Denis was one of my most trusted lieutenants, a man who’d proven his loyalty through years of violent service. His death represents more than just personnel loss; it’s a direct challenge to my authority.

“Who ordered the hit?”

“Unknown. Could be any of the families we’ve pressured over the past year, or it could be someone closer to home. Boss, I need you back in the city. The organization is fracturing without visible leadership.”

“I’m not leaving Maya alone in the mountains while enemies are targeting our people.”

“Then bring her with you. Or leave her under guard while you handle business.” Alexei’s frustration bleeds through the phone. “Your absence is being interpreted as abandonment by our people and weakness by our enemies.”

I finish my vodka and reach for the bottle. “My absence is temporary. The organization has survived longer separations during previous crises. Implement emergency protocols and consolidate our most valuable operations. Abandon anything that requires constant oversight.”

“Andrei, listen to me carefully. This isn’t just about territory or revenue streams. You’re not going to like this, but Katarina has been holding meetings with key lieutenants, presenting herself as interim leadership while you’re…

indisposed.” The way he says “indisposed” makes it clear what kind of meetings these have been.

“She’s arguing that your marriage has compromised your judgment. ”

“Katarina doesn’t have the support necessary for a coup. She’s Elena’s sister, not a proven leader.” Even as I say it, doubt creeps into my voice. Katarina has been with the organization for years, has proven her strategic thinking, and understands our operations better than most of my lieutenants.

But I can’t believe she would try to overthrow me like this.

“She has more support than you realize. The marriage to Maya convinced people that you’re thinking emotionally rather than strategically.

Your absence is being used as evidence that you’ve lost focus on what matters.

Boss, you need to return soon and reassert control, or you’re going to lose everything we’ve built. ”

“Give me a week to secure things here, then I’ll return to handle the situation.

” I move to the window and look out at the mountains that have become our temporary prison.

“In the meantime, begin moving our most liquid assets to secure locations. If the organization is fragmenting, I want to ensure we retain enough resources to rebuild.”

“What about Maya?”

“Maya comes with me. The city is where she belongs, and her presence will demonstrate that the marriage serves our interests. Though her safety becomes exponentially more complicated in an unstable environment.”

“Her safety is less important than organizational survival. Without the infrastructure we’ve built, protecting one woman becomes meaningless.” Alexei’s words carry brutal logic that I resent. “Boss, you’re letting personal feelings override strategic thinking.”

“I’m adapting to changing circumstances while maintaining core objectives.” I turn from the window and note how the office feels smaller than usual. “Maya’s cooperation could provide additional advantages during reconstruction.”

“Just bring her back to the city, and she’ll have opportunities to reconnect with family allies who might not support your leadership,” he suggests. “Though I maintain the woman is a security risk regardless of any personal feelings she might have about you.”

“The woman is my wife, which makes her part of this organization,” I claim through gritted teeth. “Her loyalty is no longer optional, Alexei. She’s legally and practically bound to my success.”

“Legal bonds don’t stop bullets, and practicalities don’t prevent betrayal. Elena was legally bound to you, too, and her death nearly destroyed you. Don’t let history repeat itself with different players.”

“Maya isn’t Elena. She’s perfectly capable of defending herself.” I pour another vodka and note my shaking hands. “Her presence at my side sends a different message than Elena’s ever could.”

“Her presence at your side sends the message that you’re willing to risk everything for personal satisfaction. That’s not leadership, Andrei. That’s self-indulgence. The organization needs you focused on survival, not distracted by a woman who might or might not reciprocate your feelings.”

I move to the desk to review files that contain contingency plans for this kind of crisis. “I’m creating stability through legal and emotional bonds that didn’t exist before the marriage. Maya’s family connections provide ongoing value that we’ve only begun to exploit.”

“What happens when she decides that helping her family serves her interests better than helping you? You’re building your reconstruction plans around an asset that could become a liability without warning.”

I open my mouth to lay into him, but the office door squeaks open, and Maya enters wearing one of my shirts and nothing else. Her dark hair is tousled from sleep, and she’s rubbing her temples.

“Who are you talking to at four in the morning?” she asks as she approaches the desk.

“Alexei. Business complications that require attention.” I end the call and set the phone aside. “How are you feeling?”

“Like someone’s driving nails through my skull.” Maya sits on the edge of the desk and reaches for my vodka glass. “The headaches are getting worse.”

“Perhaps we should consult a doctor.”

“The nearest doctor is an hour away, and I doubt you want to risk exposure by taking me to town.” Maya finishes the vodka and sets the glass down. “It’s probably just withdrawal from the constant adrenaline rush of your world.”

“My world is about to become significantly more complicated. We need to return to the city soon.” I stand and move around the desk to stand beside her. “The organization requires visible leadership during a period of transition.”

“Transition to what?”

“Transition from expansion to consolidation. Some of our recent territorial gains are being challenged by families who view our current circumstances as a weakness. Your presence will help demonstrate that the marriage serves strategic purposes.”

“My presence will make me a target for everyone who wants to hurt you. Taking me back to the city puts both of us at risk.”

“Leaving you here alone puts you at greater risk. The mountain house is secure, but it’s not impregnable.” I move closer, positioning myself between her legs. “Your safety requires my direct oversight, especially during periods of organizational instability.”

“Organizational instability.” Maya’s hands move to my chest, where her palms glide over my muscles. “Is that what we’re calling civil war now?”

“Nothing but growing pains that require decisive leadership.” I lean down and kiss her forehead, noting how warm she feels. “Your fever is getting worse.”

“Everything is getting worse. The headaches, the dizziness, the way I feel like I’m losing pieces of myself every day.” Maya lets out a frustrated groan. “This isolation is slowly destroying me.”

I frame her face with my hands, feeling the heat radiating from her skin. “Your health will improve once we establish stable routines in a secure environment.”

“You mean once I accept that I’m never going home,” she muses, pressing her lips into a thin line.

“Home is wherever we make it together. The city, the mountains, or anywhere else that provides the security we need.” I kiss her gently, tasting the vodka on her lips. “Your family will always be a part of your life, Maya. But your future is with me.”

“My future is whatever I choose to make it.” Maya pulls back and looks at me with something too close to disdain, considering the progress we’ve made. “You can control my circumstances, but you can’t control my choices.”

“I can influence your choices by ensuring they align with your best interests.” I help her off the desk and guide her toward the bedroom.

“I don’t want to lie down anymore, Andrei.”

I stop at the bedroom door and look at her. “Your cooperation makes everything easier, Maya. But your compliance isn’t negotiable.”

“There’s the honesty I’ve been waiting for.” Maya heads toward the bed, moving with the careful gait of someone fighting vertigo. “At least you’re finally admitting that I’m still your prisoner.”

I follow her into the bedroom and watch as she climbs under the covers. I sit on the edge of the bed and smooth her hair back from her forehead. “Sleep now. Tomorrow, we begin the process of reclaiming what belongs to us.”

As I watch Maya drift into uneasy sleep, Alexei’s words echo in my mind like a warning I’m not ready to hear.

The organization is fracturing, enemies are moving against our territory, and my most trusted lieutenants are questioning my leadership.

Everything I’ve built since my family’s massacre is threatened by my decision to prioritize one woman over the empire.

But looking at Maya’s face in the darkness and watching her struggle with symptoms that have worsened daily, I know I’ll make the same choice again. Some things are worth more than territory, revenue, or even survival.

The question is whether I’ll still believe that when the consequences become unavoidable.