Page 124 of Konstantin

The other two men wail vainly, their bodies jerking in their restraints as they beg for their lives, imploring me to spare them.

But I won’t. Everyone who works for DeLuca will die.

I bring the chainsaw to the second man, slicing through his neck with brutal force. The roar of the saw nearly drowns out the screams of the remaining man, but with a single pull of the lever, his head issevered from his body.

Crimson splatters across the ground, painting the dirt beneath us a deep red.

They knew what they were getting into when they crossed me.

I step back, wiping the blood from my forehead as I shut off the saw, the silence hanging heavy in the air.

Aleksei steps forward, watching me carefully. His expression is unreadable, but there’s something in his eyes that tells me he’s thinking about what just happened. Thinking abouther.

“Why would they want her dead? What does she have to do with the DeLucas?” The undercurrent of his tone is unmistakable.

Tension builds in my body, my muscles growing stiff, my jaw clenched, and for a moment, I don’t speak.

“I don’t know yet.” I cut the distance between us, staring right at him. “But I will find out. And when I do,I’lldeal with it. You stay out of it. Ponyatno?”Understand?

His mouth jerks. “Da, ponyatno. But you know what must happen if she somehow betrayed us, right?”

My fist tightens around the collar of his shirt, my teeth grinding. “If you even think about touching my wife, I’ll kill you just like I killed them.”

Aleksei laughs, and it’s cold. Sinister.

“You’ve lost it, brother.” His voice is laced with mocking amusement. “Maybe losing her is exactly what you need to become who you were before.”

His words hit a raw nerve deep inside me, snapping away my control. My fist crashes into his face, the impact sending him stumbling backward. The pain in my hand is nothing compared to the rage boiling inside me.

Aleksei recovers quickly and lunges at me, throwing his own punch and knocking me to the ground. Our fists fly, bodies slamming into the dirt, each of us trying to overpower the other.

As I land a punch to his gut, Kirill and Anton step in, pulling us apart before things escalate.

“Okay, you two had your fun. Now stop this shit.” Kirill drags me back.

My chest heaves as I stare down at Aleksei, lying on the ground with a bloody grin. I can still feel the rage pulsing through me. Because I meant it.

I’d kill my own brother if he ever dared to hurt the woman I care about.

Turning around, I don’t look at any of them as I walk away. There’s nothing left to say.

And as I make my way back to the car, needing to see my wife, I know I will have to work even harder to protect her from everyone around us.

I won’t let anyone touch Tessa. She’s mine. And I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.

For the rest of my life.

EMILIA

I wait for Konstantin to leave, the heavy door closing behind him as his footfalls fade down the hallway.

The house settles into the familiar quiet I’ve come to recognize. His men are scattered, doing their jobs, leaving me with a rare moment of solitude. But today, it feels like there are fewer of them than usual. Probably busy helping my husband with his…extracurricular activities.

Glancing around, I find one of his men by the foyer, his back to me as I flip through channels on the TV. Maybe this is my chance to go snooping to see if I can find just one more thing for Riley to gothrough.

I texted with her earlier, and she’s at a dead end for now. I hate knowing there’s nothing I can do from here.

Getting to my feet, I pretend I’m on my cell, staring at the screen as I start down the hall, feeling his man watch me as I move around.