Ruthless Stranger: The Ivanov Family (Mafia Wars Book One) by Maggie Cole

Author:Maggie Cole [Cole, Maggie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pulse Press
Published: 2021-03-31T16:00:00+00:00

19

Maksim

Scalding water scorches my skin, rolling down my back. The pain it gives me does nothing to dull the sting of my heart.

She's betrayed me. I saw it on her face. She thinks I would hurt her.

I didn't try to cover up what I did to Lorenzo. Since I disclosed to her all that I am, there was nothing to hide. Yet something in her turned.

Was it the reality of what I'm capable of? Maybe it's the fact she can now put a face to one of my victims. Either way, she isn't able to see past my darkness. She is now fearful of me.

I turn the water off and wrap a towel around me. Since she was in the bathroom, and I can't be late to Dmitri and Anna's rehearsal dinner, I showered in the guest bathroom. I don't know if she's still here or not. Part of me wants her to be. The other part of me doesn't want to see her. It's a slap in the face that I can no longer have her.

I'm not sure how I ever believed someone as good as her would be able to love me. I can't deny the man I am. The darkness that resides in me isn't something I can excuse or forget. It's never going to suddenly disappear.

Every time a situation pops up that I need to call upon my demon, I'll always be able to. And I can't just ignore problems when they appear.

The war has started. Boris's baby ties the Ivanovs to the O'Malleys. The beginning of the end is here, and I'm not sure how all of this pans out. When it's over, it might be the Ivanovs and O'Malleys in body bags.

Or sliced to pieces and sunk in Lake Michigan.

This is the time to let her go. Everything is only going to get more dangerous and darker.

Don't try to convince her to stay or not be afraid of you.

I need to protect her always, including shielding her from me and my reality.

My stomach lurches over these thoughts. I convinced myself we were real. That no matter what, we were able to sustain the cruelty of my past and what's ahead. But I've lied to myself. I knew better the moment I heard her voice and laid eyes on her at the pool in Vegas.

The reflection staring at me in the mirror doesn't convince me it can be any other way. I'm the same man I was before Vegas. She hasn't changed my darkness to light, nor can she. The devil is still in my eyes. I see him. I know him. I can't escape him. And bringing her into my world was selfish.

I leave and go into my room, no longer able to avoid her, if she's even still here. I scan the room but don't see her. The light is on in the bathroom, but I avoid it, going straight to my closet and selecting a fresh suit.

I wish I could crawl in a hole and never come out.

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