AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Mum… God, I can’t even remember the last conversation we had, nor can I remember the last time I saw her. I feel like such a bad daughter. I should have done better, should have made the effort to call her more, spent more time with her. Now I’ll never be able to get that time back.
I just want to call her, to hear her voice, and for all this to be a bad dream, but it’s not. I know it’s not. My heart feels as though something heavy is sitting on it. God, what am I going to do? How can I go on without her? The sobs flow through my body, but my dad doesn’t let go. He holds me tight and promises to hold on.
“I’ll arrange for our flights in the morning, Gabby. Once we’re there, we’ll organize the funeral.”
At his words, my body buckles and I collapse against him.
“I can’t,” I breathe. The thought of burying her is abhorrent. I can’t do it. I can’t be without her.
“I know, baby girl, I know, but we’ll get through it.”
I sob against him, hating that such an amazing day has turned out this way. I’ve lost one of the most important people in my life.
“You’ll be okay,” he promises me.
I don’t know if that’s true. When Mayer died, I lost a piece of myself. I watched the man I considered a brother be beaten to death. I never recovered from it. I don’t think I’ll ever recover from losing my mum either.
Chapter 10
Alessio
A week later
“We’ve got our window,” Stefan says as he strides into the office. “The Serbs have set a meeting. It's taking place in two hours.”
It’s been a week since the shooting at our club. Everything since then has been full tilt. Every member of the Clann is now in New York. We’ve been planning, watching, and waiting. Melissa managed to find out which motherfuckers shot up the club and has been able to pinpoint their location. For the past week, we’ve been sitting on that location as we watch what happens next.
“And this information has come from…?” Denis asks. His Irish accent is thick and sometimes unintelligible.
“Maksim,” Stefan responds as he takes a seat.
Dante and Makenna share a look. Neither of them have told anyone about the deal they made with Maksim a year ago, but I think their time’s up. This family wants answers, and they’re allas fucking stubborn as each other. Both Danny and Malcolm are glaring at their aunt, while Denis crosses his arms over his chest and waits his sister out.
“Fucking assholes,” she hisses as she glares right back at them. “Sit down. You’re making the place look untidy.”
I hide my smirk as she takes her seat behind the desk, Dante standing behind her, as always. Ever present and protective. As much as we all know that the people in this room would never harm Makenna, Dante still feels the anger and fear he had when Makenna’s other brothers tried to make a move and take over while I was in Denver. Lucky for us, they’re now dead, and we don’t have to deal with their brand of fucking crazy.
“When the shit went down when Da died,” she begins, “we all know the Bratva got dragged into this shit.”
Denis slides his gaze to me. I glare at him. Only my family knows why I was with the Russians, and I don’t owe anyone else an answer. They don’t like me, I don’t give a fuck.
“Anyway, Alessio had been working for Matteo. He had to infiltrate the Russians as Matteo and Maksim were running guns, selling drugs, and selling women. As you know, I don’t want a stable full of women. I have no problem if that’s what the girls want to do, but I’ll not have any of them forced into that life.”
Dante stretches his legs out as he leans against the wall behind his wife, his arms crossed over his chest as he looks to Makenna’s family. “When my father died and I took over, I was left with the deal Matteo and Maksim had made. With the relationship between us and the Russians at an all-time low, we decided to do what we thought best—”
“You gave the Russians the stable,” Danny surmises. “Okay, so they’ve got a business that is no doubt worth millions now, so it would make sense that they wouldn’t hold a grudge, but we’retalking about the Russians. They’re not exactly known for their tact.”
“True,” Dante agrees. “But after speaking with Maksim, I believe he has nothing to do with this. He hates the Serbians more than we do.”
“So the meeting is legit?” Denis asks. “Maksim knows for sure they’re all meeting?”
Stefan nods as he fights his smile. “Yes. They think they’re untouchable, that we have no idea who hit the club.”
“Waiting a week for revenge is unlike us,” I say. “We’re not the type to sit back and wait. We hit hard and we make them pay.”
Makenna smiles. “That’s true, which is why they think they have gotten away with it. But don’t worry, those fuckers are going to get their comeuppance.”
The sound of pipes roar in the distance, and I turn to my sister-in-law. “Really?” I ask. “You’ve got the Fury Vipers coming along for the ride?”
