Merciless Union by Faith Summers

19

Lucca

She did exactly what I thought she’d do.

Her choice is not a surprise, but I still feel the sting in my heart that she doesn’t want to be with me.

Knowing her choice doesn’t stop the disappointment from filling me that she’d want to turn her back on our marriage and the history we shared.

I’m just not going to allow it to get to me.

A normal guy would be sad his wife wanted to leave him. He’d depress himself with worries of love lost and shit like that. That is not the case with me.

I purposely left myself open for her choice, knowing I’d have to fight to keep her. She can have her freedom if I fail or die trying, whichever comes fucking first.

Since I don’t plan to fail, I’ll fight like the selfish motherfucker I am who won’t let her go. And fuck if I’m going to allow us to become some marriage of convenience where we’re married in name only and do fuck all when we’re together.

No fucking way.

I’m aware I’m going against everything I promised myself only days ago.

I’d accepted that I needed to let her go when the time came. That time is now, but I can’t do it. Not until I earn that part of her that would choose me.

Everything inside her is still telling her to run from me. I want to change that. When I do, that’s when the real choice will come into effect.

I jump on my bike and head to the old factory by the docks. The one I want has been converted into a boxing ring for practice and tournaments.

There’s an underground kickboxing match tonight that Aiden wanted me to go to, so we could have a word or two with a lead. The said lead just happens to be in the fight.

Aiden found paperwork this guy signed off with Raphael last night. Which means Raphael was in town in the last twenty-four hours doing more shit.

The Governor’s office in the capitol and Cervantes have him down for emergency extended leave, but that’s where he was while I was having my little encounter with Jon and Pasha.

Since we only just picked up this information today it means Pasha’s using above-board skills to keep that fucker off everybody’s scent. Something, or somebody more above board than Jon. That could mean people from the Camorra.

Those greedy motherfuckers. They’re dead men walking, but still trying to keep business going. That paperwork Aiden found was in relation to trafficking girls from the homeless shelter.

Our kickboxer friend seems to work with the Mendes Cartel, but we’re not sure. He’s Russian and one of those guys who has his fingers all over the place.

I guess we’ll find out something more concrete tonight and hopefully get some clue on where Raphael is. That’s the most important thing.

When I get to my destination I find Aiden standing by the entrance of the factory with Eric and Maksim. They straighten up when they see me approaching.

Dressed in black, they all look like they’re ready for trouble, but so does everyone else around them, which means I need to be careful nobody recognizes me. I brought my baseball cap along for that reason. These types of fights tend to bring out those who like to gamble big, and they entice guys like me and mine.

Tonight, is a deathmatch. So, I really hope our guy doesn’t lose.

“Hey,” I say first, pulling on my cap.

“Feeling better after last night?” Aiden grimaces, looking me over.

He was pissed as fuck when I told him what happened at the cemetery with Pasha and Jon. I would have kept it to myself but it didn’t feel right.

That came after my visit to the hospital to check on Marylin. She was still the same, so I was already in asshole mode by the time I saw Aria.

Aiden still looks pissed at me now. The problem we’ve always had is that we’re too much alike. I can guarantee if he were in my shoes he would have done the same thing.

“Yeah,” I answer simply.

“Cool. We’ve already scouted the place for danger. There are a few men from both my Brotherhood and yours, so we need to lay low.”

I nod. “What’s this guy's name?”

“Viktor Lenovsky. Here they know him as Viktor The Destroyer. Raphael has been making money off him in gigs like this. Let’s go inside. The fight’s about to start.”

“Alright.”

We walk inside, and the first thing I notice is that there are men I recognize.

I really am going to have to lay low. The problem is there’s hardly ever a time when I encounter things like this, and there isn’t a fight.

Thankfully, everyone seems to be so focused on the match that’s about to start that they aren’t looking my way.

Aiden leads us to the corner below, where it’s darkest. It also seems to be the closest to the locker rooms, which is perfect.

Within five minutes, our guy comes out, and the crowd goes wild.

Viktor Lenovsky is a six-foot-six beast with fists the size of boulders and a body made for crushing.

The price to take him down is one million dollars.

The motherfucker smiles when he sees his opponent. I already forgot the opponent’s name. He looks like he might have trained in the ring and probably had a few matches, but the mere muscle alone tells me he won’t last.

People come to this thing for the entertainment of seeing death. They already know the weaker opponent signed his death certificate the moment he stepped through the doors.

What I hear people betting on is how long he’ll last—how long before he dies.

The answer comes five minutes later when Viktor snaps his neck with the edge of his foot.

We watch one opponent after another take the place of the dead, and by the end of the night, Viktor is the only man standing. Blood stains his face like a savage as he roars his victory.

All this time, we’ve stood there unfazed.

Aiden leans close when Viktor steps out of the ring. “Let’s go, men. It looks like he’ll be a tough one to crack, but I’m sure we can handle him.”

I don’t doubt him because all the men that stepped in that ring tonight weren’t half as good as me. I’m a trained assassin. If this guy doesn’t give me what I need, he’s dead. It’s as simple as that.

We slip into the back and move past some of the guys clearing away the pieces of the dead.

One look at us, and the guards don’t say anything.

I can hear Viktor mouthing off about how great he is. He’s saying something about being greater than Mohammed Ali when we turn the corner. The guys around him instantly look cautious when they spot us.

There are five of them, and they seem to recognize us. Good.

So they’ll know that we didn’t come here to fuck around. As cautious as they look, they stand like they’re ready to fight. It’s that sudden shift in their demeanor that makes Viktor turn around to face us.

“Aiden Romanov,” Viktor declares with a crude smile, then looks at me. “Merciless, I heard there was a bounty on your head for half a mil.”

I answer with a smile. “Is that so?”

“The way I hear it is we’re to kill you on sight,” Viktor smirks, then turns his attention back to Aiden. “Pakhan, are you aiding and abetting this criminal? And coming here where there are six witnesses who can place you with him.”

In response, Aiden whips out his gun so fast nobody, not even me, saw it coming. He fires three shots consecutively that take down the three guys next to Viktor, and then he gets the other two as they’re trying to escape.

“Now there is just you,” Aiden replies with a smile to a very stunned Viktor, and Maksim laughs. “Over to you, Merciless.”

I step forward, and Victor folds his arms over his chest.

“Where is Raphael De Marchi?” I demand, cutting to the chase.

“No idea.” He’s lying.

I glance at Aiden, who nods at me.

I keep the awareness of my injuries in mind as I throw a punch in Viktor’s face.

I was too quick for him to dodge, but he’s ready for me now, and furious I got him.

He roars as he lunges for me with a left hook. I block his fist and drop to the ground for a side sweep that knocks him off his feet.

My father taught me how to fight and where he left off; I learned from the men who train every assassin in the Yurkov. We fight dirty and effective, always striking to leave a mark that will cripple our enemies.

Viktor can mistake me for the weaklings he fought in the ring tonight all he wants. I’m about to teach his ass a lesson, and I’m happy Aiden, and his men allow me some room.

Viktor flips himself back on his feet, just in time for me to send a roundhouse kick to his middle knocking him right back to the floor. The motherfucker then decides to be clever and pull his gun on me.

In one deft move, I rush into him and snap his wrist before he can pull the trigger. Shock registers on his face. It’s clear he can’t believe I managed to outdo the same Viktor The destroyer, who killed so many tonight in the ring.

Since I don’t have time to fuck around, I’m not going to entertain this fight for much longer.

As he’s about to try and come after me again, I pull one of my knives from my back pocket and throw it into his thigh.

Viktor howls with pain, dropping to his knees as blood sprays from his leg. Before he can get over the shock of it, I send another knife to his right leg.

He still hasn’t learned his lesson yet, though. With a savage growl, he propels himself forward again, trying his best to get me.

This time I use my gun.

One bullet to his shoulder takes him down for the fourth time, and there he stays.

I move closer and crouch down, holding the gun to his head while Aiden and the others point their guns at him.

All the cockiness and arrogance he exuded only moments ago fades, and defeat litters his eyes.

“Fucking talk, or you’re dead. And tell the truth this time. Where the fuck is Raphael?” I demand. “You did a deal with him last night. You must know where he went.”

“The Cartel is keeping him hidden while we sort out the next shipment of girls from the shelter.”

“Where is he staying?”

“There are four addresses, but I only know of one. It’s where Pablo Mendes stays when he’s in L.A.”

“Give us the address, then.”

“28 Galliano Street.”

“Are you meeting with Raphael again?”

“No. He didn’t make any arrangements. I don’t know anything else.” He coughs.

“Better not be lying, Viktor. I don’t like liars.”

“Nor I,” Aiden adds.

“I’m not fucking lying to you.”

He’d better not be.

“We were never here,” I say. “If we hear we were from anybody, you’re dead. Got it?”

“Got it.”

I rise, and the three of us turn to go.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Viktor move toward his gun. He grabs it, and all we allow him to do is cock the hammer.

Aiden takes him down with one shot.

Good, now there are no witnesses.

We were never here.