Hitman Daddy by Aster Rae

2

Nikolai

A seaof bodies expands before me as my nightclub fills to capacity.

The black onyx walls shimmer in the neon lights as the DJ plays the latest from Cardi B.

Satisfaction wells within me as I survey the fast-moving crowd.

I check my watch, a smirk forming on my face as the bezel diamonds wink at me.

Crave is my pride and joy.

It’s twenty-thousand square feet of prime Manhattan real estate.

I commissioned the project last year after Italians bombed my Russian restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen.

It had a Michelin star and Gordon Ramsay even gave it a stamp of approval.

But the Italians destroyed it.

The Italians destroy everything.

I need to teach them a lesson.

Specifically, I need to teach Luca Ricci, a.k.a. my other mortal enemy, a lesson — a fatal lesson.

Luca commanded a vicious attack on my movie theater three months ago and killed my favorite employees.

Taking Luca out will solidify our dominance in the New York City drug and weapons scene.

It will show them who's boss.

Me.

Nikolai Antonov.

Avtoritetof the most vicious Russian Mafia family on the East Coast.

But there's another reason I want to take out Luca.

My father.

The sickest bastard in New York.

Darkness fills me as my father's very punchable face fills my mind.

He wasn’t impressed when he discovered I was building an LGBT nightclub next to the subway as a front for our latest drug trafficking ring.

He said it was bad enough that the second-in-command to his throne was gay. He didn't need me bringing my lifestyle into the family business.

His words infuriated me. At the time, I nearly slammed my fist into his jaw and sent him to the emergency room.

We were having dinner at Ralph's – the most luxurious steakhouse in Midtown – and I wanted to end him right then and there.

Fucking homophobe.

It's bad enough that he never accepted me for who I am.

But to denigrate an entire group of people because they don't mesh with your "family business" – i.e. a criminal drugs and weapon trafficking business my great-grandfather started in the 1850s — is unconscionable.

I should have killed him.

But I couldn't. Not then.

The Italians would take advantage of our interfamilial conflict and wipe us off the map.

But killing Luca will prove that I have what it takes to be his son.

"Nikolai."

A deep voice rumbles.

My eyes flit up as my brother Igor approaches me from across the room.

Igor is my older brother by three years. He's been my mentor since I was twelve and he's taken my side on more conflicts with my father than I can count.

He’s dark, dangerous, and powerful beyond a doubt with a chiseled jawline that gives the devil a run for his money.

Igor helped convince my father to give me a chance when I came out as gay at twenty-three.

He pushed my father to recognize me as a real member of the clan.

I'm grateful for Igor’s help.

Tonight, Igor’s helping me with a different task.

My hit on Luca Ricci.

I intend to put an end to this family feud once and for all.

"Did you bring the weapons?" I ask.

"I brought what you need.”

Igor opens his suitcoat. He displays an array of guns against his chest.

I select a G43 and remove it from his belt.

"Ideal'no.” Perfect.

I turn the weapon over on my hand, relishing the heavy weight and shimmer of the sleek, dark metal.

It’ll be perfect for blowing Luca’s head off.

He'll never see it coming.

"Where is Luca?" I ask.

I survey the dark crowd and try to pinpoint if Luca’s walked in yet.

He was supposed to arrive fifteen minutes ago. Unless Luca slipped in without my realizing it, I’m shit out of luck.

“He was supposed to arrive by now. Maybe something’s holding him up."

Rage festers in my gut.

It was a nightmare getting Luca here tonight.

I paid two Polish Mafia daughters fifty grand to trick Luca into thinking he could build an alliance with the Zielinska crime family.

"Someone tipped him off," I growl. "Someone told him this was a set up."

That’s when Igor points to the front entrance. "He's here."

Luca appears in the darkness.

He walks through the front door with the Polish women wrapped around his arms.

Anxiety grabs my throat.

Luca was supposed to come in through the back door.

The plan was to lure him to a storage closet and cut his head off.

But now I have no choice but to cause a scene.

"Motherfucker."

There will be casualties.

I’ll end up on the evening news.

But I don't have a choice.

This fucking rivalry has to end.

Tonight.

I raise the gun and catch Luca in my crosshairs.

That's when I lay eyes on the most beautiful boy I’ve ever seen.