Page 219 of Bratva Jewels Box Set

“Fine, let me call Enrique then and see what he thinks,” Grace pushes.

How fucking dare she bring up that man. She knows that’s going to make me react. “If you want me to shoot him then certainly give him a call.”

“No shooting my cousin,” Tomas calls out.

“What about me? No one knows me,” Mackenzie adds softly.

“No way in the world,” Sophie says.

“They would eat you alive,” Grace tells her.

“I’m a fucking doctor, I’m not useless,” she argues.

“We’re not getting anywhere, and we are wasting time on semantics. Maxim. I love you, but this is my fucking life. That man took so much from me, and I think it’s only fair that I do the same to him. Eye for an eye and all that. I’m the only one who can stop this. You know he won’t stop until he thinks he’s won.This time we are on the front foot instead of always being on the back with him. We only have one chance, don’t miss your shot.”

“Did she just quote Eminem?” Mateo asks.

“She’s lost it,” Sophie adds.

She’s right.

“You will be there. She is strong. You have a week to train her to be the best. She can do this,”Sergei says in Russian.

I look over at where Zoe is sitting nestled between her two men, I know she understood what Sergei said. I see the tears fall down her cheeks as she nods her head.

“I don’t like it. But if I get a hint of something going sideways, I’m pulling you, Grace, no matter what.”

“Of course.”

“I don’t like it, but it seems like the only plan that might work. This plan must be worked out to the nth degree. We need backup plans too. I have a home in Moscow that the Bratva don’t know about, a safe house. I can give you coordinates, Brooks, Damon. We can meet forty-eight hours before to start recon. But the rest of the family need to stay here.”

“Hell no,” Sophie says.

“Soph, it’s for the best.” She glares at Brooks.

“There’s a chance Dmitri has eyes on you already. It would be too risky to take this many people with us and try to stay under the radar.”

“I agree with him,” Brooks says.

28

MAXIM

I’ve spent the past week with Brooks, Damon, and Sergei going over every detail of the Russian Ball. This plan must work. There is no Plan B or C, or even Z. Grace has been having a hard time with her sisters. Zoe isn’t happy at all and has gone back to Ibiza, but Grace thinks it’s her pregnancy hormones making her act out. Sophie is pouting because she wants to be part of the action in Russia, and Mackenzie is in her own world doing her own thing.

Tonight’s the night. There’s no going back now. I’m nervous as I get dressed. Damon has fitted me with plenty of James Bond gadgets all over my body. My designer watch has a listening device inside it and a GPS locator so the guys will be able to listen in from a van not far from the ball. The knot of my tie is fitted with a pinhole camera, which will be Brooks and Damon’s eyes as well as a microphone for me to communicate with them. Damon has also prepared a pair of black-rimmed reading glasses for me that are capable of facial recognition and will transmit back to the van. They’ll be able to identify all the criminals at the ball and some of the world’s most wanted will be present. It will be great intel. Damon has also given me the tiniest earpieceso they can help instruct me if needed. My tuxedo has inbuilt holsters for my firearms as well as a knife holder strapped around my calf. My cufflinks have switch blades in them. Damon has created some epic shit, now I just have to save the world, get the girl, and my night will be complete.

“You’re all set,” Damon states, walking over to where all of Grace’s gadgets are set.

“Wish they had this kind of stuff in my days,” Sergei says in Russian with a smirk, eyeing off the goods.

“I could have used some of this shit in Iraq,” Brooks adds.

“Wait, you understand Russian?” I still and look at Brooks.

He shrugs, giving me a wide grin. That motherfucker.

Grace arrived in Moscow as late as she could so as not to raise suspicion. She’s getting dressed in my bedroom, and when the door opens and she walks out, she takes my breath away. She’s a vision dressed in a gorgeous white evening gown. I instantly imagine her in something similar walking down an aisle, her hair falling all around her face, looking like an angel. Maybe the aisle is made of sand, the blue horizon behind us, or maybe we’re at my Tuscan estate, and she’s walking through the vines. If we don’t survive tonight none of that is going to matter. She’s nervous as she approaches me, her hand reaching out for me to be her anchor. I drop to one knee, and Grace’s eyes widen as she’s not sure what’s going on. The rest of the room disappears, and it feels like it’s just the two of us.