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He smirks and shrugs his shoulders. “You think you know everything better, don’t you? You think that just because your father left the Bratva to you after his death, you're such a big shot now?”
I draw my eyebrows together in disbelief, as he shakes his head and takes a step back. “What are you talking about? I thought you were in favor of me becoming the Pakhan. You’ve stood by my side for the last two years. Was that all a lie?”
Uncle Lev doesn’t answer, his gaze instead cutting over to Sophia. “She makes you weak and soft, you see that, don’t you?”
“Shut the fuck up.” I take a step toward him, but Sophia keeps her grip on my arm, holding me back. “That is enough. Say whatever the fuck you want about me, but you will never speak to her or about her again.”
“You’re going to get yourself killed if you keep defending her this way.” Uncle Lev takes a step toward us, raising his gun again. “You never should have been the Pakhan. That position was mine.”
“It was never yours,” I shout at him as he holds the gun steady. “Never. Not when your father died and certainly not when mine died.”
He scoffs. “I have spent years advising you. I told you what to do and how to rise up. It should be mine! You think you deserve the responsibility of becoming the Pakhan?”
“Ifucking built these men into what they are! My men are loyal. I’ve earned my respect among them. What the fuck have you done for the Bratva? You’re pathetic! Weak! You would have ruined us!” I glance at Sophia as her breath hitches. She looks at me with wide eyes and a subtle shake of her head.
It is a sign not to taunt him, but I am beyond that. He came here to kill my wife. Whether he's family or not, no one threatens my wife.
I was a fool to think that my brother would turn against me. Nik is a good and loyal man. He is one of the few people I should never have doubted.
Anger is racing through me like wildfire. My jaw clenches as I take a step toward him. “You’re a fucking sorry excuse for a man and an uncle.”
His face is read as the gun stays steady. “You would be nothing without me and we both know it.”
“I would be better off without you.” My tone is low and dangerous. “You’re nothing but a fucking traitor and you deserve to die a traitor’s death.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Uncle Lev’s fingers clench the trigger while his eyes glow with rage. He shakes his head and waves the gun between me and Sophia. “Do you think this, your fucking pretty little wife, will lead you and the Bratva to new greatness?”
“More than you ever will. It’s over. You’re finished. Accept the punishment as a true Bratva man would.” I keep my tone even though my blood is ready to boil over. If he keeps pointing his gun at my wife, I’m going to explode.
As I stand here looking at him, I can’t believe what’s happening. The man who was like a second father to me has turned against me. The man I idolized and asked for advice, whilst growing up.
He is nothing more than a monster in sheep’s clothing. He’s been waiting for this moment and now that he’s finally here, I have to make an impossible decision. Uncle Lev has shown his true colors. As much as I wish there were another way, I know what I must do.
“Even if you killed me, you would never get control of the Bratva,” I say as I take a step back and cover Sophia’s eyes with one hand. She pulls at my hand, but I keep it clamped in place.
I may have to be the one to kill my uncle, but she doesn’t need to see it.
Uncle Lev’s face turns a bright red as I pull out my gun and flick off the safety, leveling it at his head. He smirks and takes aim at Sophia, but before he can pull the trigger, I do.
He falls to the ground and blood spills across the floor. I keep my hand over Sophia’s eyes as Roman and Nik burst into the room, their guns drawn. Roman takes one look at the mess before going to Nik and pulling him out of the room.
“Ivan, you have to move your hand,” she says, her voice trembling as she blindly pulls me into a hug.
I take a shuddering breath and lean into her, trying to gather the strength I need to deal with the fallout that will be coming. “I’m not going to do that. You don’t need to see this.”
“Neither do you,” she says quietly.
“I have to see this. I deserve to see this. I killed my uncle.” I swallow down the fist in my throat that threatens to choke me before I turn away from the corpse on the floor.
Uncle Lev was a traitor, and he died a traitor’s death.
Chapter 23 - Sophia
The coffin is lowered into the grave while hundreds of people mourn. Aunt Libby sits at the grave, but her face is stoic. No tears run down her cheeks as she stares at the coffin containing her husband’s body.
The sun shines above us and the birds sing in the trees. It is an eerie sight to see people standing around the grave, there are no tears. This is the Bratva way.
There wouldn’t even have been a funeral if Ivan had told the men what his uncle had done. Uncle Lev’s body would have been disposed of like garbage if anyone had found out.
