Shattered Empire (A Dark Enemies to Lovers Mafia Romance): Shattered World Series BK: 3 by Jo McCall

Author:Jo McCall [McCall, Jo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wicked Romance Publication
Published: 2022-08-30T04:00:00+00:00

PART 2

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I watched from beneath the cover of a coppice of pine and willow as they lowered my empty casket into the cold ground. There was just enough room between the crowd of people to make out the face of my most trusted men. Their heads were lowered respectfully as Father Michaels presented my pre-planned eulogy.

It was short and concise, and the priest was known for epigrammatic ripostes that kept the crowd from falling in too deep a melancholy. I never wanted people to cry at my funeral. Fake or not. Death was something to be celebrated and not mourned.

My gaze wandered, searching through the faces as they swept past me with an almost concerning amount of unawareness. They wouldn’t recognize me. Not with my disguise, but that didn’t make it any better. How easy it would be for someone to penetrate the unassuming crowd and open fire.

Even with the cemetery highly guarded, my gut churned. That could also be the gunshot wound that was still healing. One week was barely enough time to recover after having major surgery, but I was insistent. Maxim shifted in his spot just behind my wife, his head tilting slightly to the right as he tugged on his earlobe nonchalantly.

Everything was clear.

I took my place at the back of the receiving line, my black umbrella allowing for just enough coverage to keep me from looking suspicious as the rain dropped against it, the sound loud among the silent mourners. I kept my gaze from wandering too much and drawing suspicion. There were only a handful of people who knew I was still alive, and drawing attention to myself was something I didn’t need in case I was recognized.

The line trudged forward, and I took the time to simply look at her. My wife. The woman I had taken a bullet for. Technically. Her jaw was clenched, her emerald eyes hard as she clenched and unclenched her fists at her sides. A sign she was expecting something bad.

Vas hadn’t informed her of what was in store for her. Ava was no doubt under the impression she would be cast aside once the funeral ended. That wasn’t the case. She’d just inherited the largest, most powerful criminal organization on the West Coast. Soon she’d learn more about who I was. What I did.

That I wasn’t merely just the leader of the Bratva. I was also the founder and CEO of a multi-billion-dollar security company.

We’d discussed the company before, but in the short time we had been married, I never fully discussed with her just how far of a reach I had, both legally and criminally. The world’s largest target was now painted on Ava’s back. All because I needed to fake my death.

There was a threat out there worse than Christian, and it needed to be taken care of. Something I could only do if everyone believed me to be dead.

My wife was stunning in a pair of high-waisted black trousers that clung to her shapely legs.

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