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He starts laughing.
Real laughter.
It fills the room, warming it with a sound that I’ve rarely heard but have come to treasure. It’s a sound that hints at a future, at a life beyond the reach of past demons and old sins.
Chapter 67
Luka
“WHAT DID you say?” Dimitri leaps to his feet, his eyes wide, his face flushed.
“I said I’m getting married tomorrow, and I’m stepping back from the Bratva business,” I declare, locking eyes with him, daring him to challenge me.
The room, usually a pristine space reserved for calculated strategy and icy deliberations, feels like a live wire, every surface charged with tension. Dimitri and Erik had converted this meeting room into something resembling a war room over the past few months – maps on the walls, high-tech screens showing live feeds from our operations, stacks of untraceable burner phones, and, of course, a top-notch liquor cabinet.
Erik, standing off to the side, takes a deep breath, like he’s preparing to dive into treacherous waters. “Okay.”
“Okay? Okay?!” Dimitri nearly explodes, pacing the room like a caged animal. “How the fuck is this okay? What’s gonna happen to the Bratva, huh? You think these vultures won’t rip us apart the moment they sense weakness? What, you gonna start a bakery or something, Luka?”
“I’m not saying I’m stepping down immediately, D. Don’t be an idiot,” I snap, my patience thinning. “You and Erik are more than capable. You’ll be taking over most of the business.”
“Blyat, you think it’s that easy? Just pass the torch and ride into the sunset?” Dimitri seethes, his fists clenched.
“It’s time for a new chapter, D. You two have been in this life long enough to know what it takes. Besides, I’m not completely out. I’ll still have a say, but I need to focus on building legal enterprises, growing a family. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Dimitri scowls, pausing to weigh my words. “Tak, I get it. But right now—“
Before he can finish his sentence, I cut in. “Right now, Aleks is gone, his men are scattered like rats from a sinking ship, and the whole damned underworld is scrambling to fill that void. I know all of that. But I won’t be the main guy pulling the strings anymore. I can’t.”
Erik nods, finally breaking his monk-like silence. “I understand,” he mutters, his eyes meeting mine. “We’ll handle the Bratva business. You focus on what’s important to you now.”
Dimitri looks like he’s been slapped. He runs his fingers through his hair, yanking a little harder than necessary.
“Suka, you’re really doing this, aren’t you? You’re really walking away from what we’ve built?”
I lock eyes with him, my gaze steady. “I’m not walking away, D. I’m expanding – expanding into a life where Yulia and my kid don’t have to look over their shoulders every damn minute. Isn’t that what we’ve been fighting for all along? A better life?”
Dimitri’s eyes soften for a split second, but he recovers quickly, masking it with a harsh scoff.
“A better life, built on blood money and gunpowder.”
“Exactly why I need to make it right,” I shoot back. “Or at least try.”
Dimitri inhales deeply, his eyes clouded, his shoulders sagging as if carrying the weight of our collective sins.
“Fine,” he finally says, his voice low, laced with defeat but also, curiously, a hint of relief.
“We’ll hold down the fort. Just don’t expect any fucking ‘Father of the Year’ mugs from me.”
“I wouldn’t dare,” I reply, my wry smile dissolving into a smirk. “Now, we need to talk about dividing the empire, how to pull it off without making everyone think we’ve gone soft. Suggestions?”
Dimitri cracks his knuckles, leaning forward on the table, the tension oozing from his pores. “Chicago’s ripe for the taking. Aleks is gone, and with that old fuck Armando out of the way, we could just steamroll through their turf. Grab the Italians by the balls before they even know what hit them.”
I nod, feeling the cruel twist of opportunity sharpening my thoughts. “Their world isn’t that different from ours, and right now, they could use our help as much as we could use theirs. Plus, their connections in the legal business are solid. We can start blending our clean and dirty money better. Set ourselves up for the long run.”
Before Dimitri can offer another snide remark, Erik interjects. “Actually,” he says, pausing for theatrical effect, “I was thinking of making Lucia di Fuoco my wife. She’s the only heir left of the Angeli di Fuoco crime family.”
Everyone freezes. Dimitri’s jaw practically hits the floor. “Ty chto?! Are you out of your goddamn mind?”
