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Maxim
Infuriating. That’s what she is—an infuriating woman. I storm toward the car and find Andrei awaiting me.
“By the scowl you have on your face, I’m guessing that did not go in your favor,” he says to me, and that comment brings me over the edge. All the built-up anger from this morning and the interaction I had with Sophia makes me snap. I grab him by the collar of his shirt.
“I told you I would handle her, and I made it clear I wanted someone else. You’ve already messed things up with the Antonelli’s by fucking his daughter, and then you go and pull this shit.”
I punch him, not hard enough to cause any damage, but just enough to release some of the tension I’m carrying. Releasing him, I head to the driver's side and get in. Then, to further prove my anger, I slam the door loud enough for him to know that I'm not in the mood for any more of his shit. I need to control my anger. A few minutes later, he gets into the passenger seat, and we drive away.
He grabs a tissue from the middle console to clean the blood from his mouth without saying anything to me. His anger is apparent by his looks. This is normal between us. We get along for the most part, but sometimes we are each other’s punching bags.
“Hope that helped get whatever it was out of your system, and to answer your question from before about the Antonelli’s… I already called Donny and scheduled a meeting with him and his father. I also need to tell you something, and I know it will piss you off. I’ve been seeing Elena for months, and—” He seems to brace himself for what he’s going to say next.
“Get on with it, Andrei, stop with your dramatics.” Sophia is right. He is dramatic.
“She’s pregnant, Maxim.”
I slam on the brakes so hard that the car behind almost crashes with us. That was the last thing I ever thought would come out of his mouth from all the things he could have said to me. How the fuck could he let that happen? I feel myself start to shake from anger. I don't even remember pulling us to the side of the road. After putting the car in park, I turn to face him. “Tell me you’re messing with me, Andrei.”
“No, Maxim, I’m not,” he tells me in the calmest voice I’ve ever heard him use.
How can he be so calm at this moment? He got the enemy's daughter pregnant, for fuck’s sake.
All I see is red, as the darkness consumes me. Grabbing him behind his head, I slam his face into the dashboard. He puts his arms out ahead, stopping the collision. “You fucking idiot, how could you be so reckless to get the daughter of Marcos Antonelli pregnant? They’re going to kill you.” What am I going to do? I need to figure out a plan. Before shit goes down, we can turn this into an advantage.
“How long exactly has this been going on?”
“For almost a year.”
A fucking year? How has he been hiding this for a whole year?
“Explain.”
“When I met her, I had no idea who she was. I wasn't lying when I told you that earlier, and she didn’t know who I was either. She was going to be a distraction for me. The night you and I had gone to the Antonellis’ for that charity party was when Elena and I found out each other’s last names. Elena ended things; she knew it could never work out between us, so why let feelings get deeper. She was right.” He stared out the window. It amazes me how I didn’t realize how dramatic Andrei actually is.
“It was hard not to think about her. She was mine the moment I laid eyes on her. I fell for her, brother. We found out she was pregnant five weeks ago, and I’ve been trying to figure out how to handle things ever since. The day after she told me, you and I had already left for Russia. And it has been eating me up ever since, knowing I left her to deal with this mess all on her own.”
That explains why he was acting detached and strange. I thought it was because all places reminded him of our mother. She took us to visit a lot when we were younger.
“The ride back from Russia was hell. I wanted to get back here and see her. I was distracted by all the thoughts in my head that I didn't notice the men, that almost cost me my life. After we got back home from Sophia’s clinic, I did something even more reckless. I went to see Elena at her house, and Donny caught us kissing.”
Reckless. That’s what my little brother is.
“He doesn’t know about the baby; he thinks I fucked her. You, Elena, and I are the only ones who know. She hasn’t been able to see a doctor because of how scared she is of someone finding out.” Andrei puts his face in his hands. “I’m going to be a dad, Maxim. I’m scared; I have no idea what I’m doing.”
I feel for him. But even if he wants the baby, Marcos will end him. I need to act and think like a boss right now instead of his brother.
“You need to marry her. I know it will be hard to have her father agree to that. You know that women are someone to sell to the highest bidder for them, and I can make it worth his while.” He looks at me and opens his mouth to say something, but I interrupt, “Don’t you dare give me shit; that is how they work.” He gets teary-eyed, and I’m taken aback because Andrei does not cry. Ever. He’s usually the one to smile in any situation.
“I’ll do anything, brother. I don’t care if he hurts me. But I refuse to allow her to get hurt,” Andrei says, and an idea starts to formulate in my head.
“You’re sure no one knows about the baby?” He nods his head in confirmation.
“Listen, we need to play this smart. Marcos has wanted me to get into business with him for some time. His people have been dying, and he doesn’t know who is targeting them. He thinks it could be one of the Irish. If we work together, the person behind it will get scared and back off. He’s desperate and has grown soft in his old age. He also wants us to let him use the dealership as a front for his money-laundering operation. So, I suggest we do it, get a contract prepared. Elena and your marriage will be part of the deal, along with a percentage of the money. He won’t think anything of it. You're at the age for a wife.”
“You can’t fucking do that, Maxim. That will destroy everything we’ve been trying to do,” he screams at me, but I remain calm. He’s never understood that this is just how our world works. He parties, fuck, and kills without remorse, but he’s not good at making the hard decisions.
“Do you have a better idea? Because I don't. I see this as a solution to many problems. We can destroy them from the inside. This move will make the older generation of the Bratva hop off my dick. You know they’ve wanted me to fuck up so that they can overpower me. Father's life mission was to remove the Italians from the playing field and take more land for the Bratva. This is our time to shine, the bratva gets more power, and you get Elena. You guys will be married, thus making way for an offspring, as expected.” I wait for a bit while he thinks about it. This is the only way I see this whole mess resolving. I wanted to keep the business legit, but it counts if only twenty percent is illegal and the rest is legal.
