Calina stands beside me in a stunning blue gown, smiling gracefully as we greet guests. I keep one hand on her lower back, constantly reminding myself that she is mine and I will protect her.
My foot taps impatiently against the floor. I want this over with.
The anchor of the evening finally steps up to the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our host, Maxim Orlov.”
I press a kiss to Calina’s forehead. “Go stand with your brothers,” I murmur against her skin.
She squeezes my hand once before walking away. I move to the podium, the room falling into expectant silence.
“Thank you all for coming,” I begin, voice carrying through the hall. “As you all know, our wedding was small and intimate, and unfortunately, many of you who wanted to attend could not. The island simply wasn’t big enough for everyone in our circle.” A few chuckles ripple through the crowd. I let a small smirk touch my lips. “That’s why we decided to host this celebration tonight, and to properly introduce my beautiful wife, Calina Orlov, to all of you.”
I pause, letting my gaze sweep across the room until it lands on Adrian. He’s smiling, looking relaxed.
“And there’s one more reason my wife and I organized this event,” I continue, my voice hardening. “To expose the traitors who have been working against me from within.”
The entire hall erupts in gasps, and then it goes deathly silent. You could hear a pin drop.
I lock eyes with Adrian. “It’s a well-established fact that you don’t attack a fellow member of the Pantheon. It’s one of the most sacred rules of the organization. Adrian Volkov, you broke that rule.”
As if a switch has been flipped, the room erupts again in loud gasps, this time, everyone turning to look at Adrian.
I continue, addressing Adrian. “You attacked a fellow member on his wedding day. You leaked the location of my private ceremony and sent men to kill me and my wife. You tried to murder us in cold blood.”
Gasps erupt throughout the room. More eyes turning to Adrian.
For a split second, pure panic flashes across his face. Then he bolts, shoving people aside and running toward the exit.
From the podium, my eyes find Dmitri’s across the crowded hall. In that split second, the fucker realizes he’s done. His face pales, eyes widening in panic. He knows I know.
He bolts too.
Chaos erupts instantly. My men surge forward to stop them. Adrian’s loyalists fight back, drawing weapons. Gunshots ring out. People scream and duck for cover. Tables overturn, glass shatters, and the elegant reception turns into a battlefield in seconds.
I jump down from the podium, one goal burning in my mind: get to Calina.
I spot her with her brothers. I push through the crowd, firing at Adrian’s men who try to block my path. I duck as bullets whizpast me. I reach her side, grabbing her arm and pulling her behind me as I keep shooting, shielding her with my body.
“Get her out!” Artyom shouts, covering us with his own men.
I rush Calina toward the exit, Viktor falling in beside us, gun drawn. The three of us make it to the car. We speed away from the venue, tires screeching, while the sounds of gunfire still echo behind us.
I hate that Dmitri and Adrian slipped through my fingers, but my wife’s safety comes first. I couldn’t risk losing her in the crossfire, she comes first. Maybe I shouldn’t have allowed her to attend the event, but that would have seemed suspicious.
I should have known Adrian wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“Brother, is it true? Did Dmitri really betray you?” Viktor asks, when we’ve finally gotten back to the mansion.
I take a seat in the living room and pull Calina next to me. Rubbing the pad of my thumb against her knuckle, I respond, “Yes, he’s been feeding Adrian information for months.”
Same look of disbelief I had on my face when I first found out, is on Viktor’s face. He swears under his breath and starts pacing the living room like a caged animal, face red with fury.
“How the fuck could Dmitri do this? After everything we’ve been through? We survived the streets together. I trusted him withmy life, with your life!” He pauses, facing me. “I’m sure there’s a mix-up somewhere, maybe…”
“There isn’t any mix-up,” I cut in, still seething. I go on to tell Viktor of how Calina had heard Dmitri on the phone and then proceeded to steal his phone. When I show Viktor the messages, he’s stunned for a moment and then becomes furious.
“I’m so going to kill that fucker!”
Viktor lets out a string of curses, looking broken at the realization that the man we considered a brother could betray us like this.
