AllFreeNovel
Share Us
With a sigh, I nodded my head and opened my mouth, ready to explain the whole situation.
“Let me explain why I need to marry Riley. This whole thing began with Gregor Orlov. He was threatening to hurt her, and I wasn’t about to let that happen. Things escalated, so I killed him. Now, the Orlov kingpin wants blood for Gregor’s death, and marrying Riley is the best way to protect her. As my wife, they wouldn’t dare touch her.”
“You think marrying her will protect her? Why don’t we just take the Orlovs down ourselves? We could eliminate them without even blinking,” Kieran offered, his voice firm and just as unyielding as mine.
Cormac nodded in agreement. “We have the means to wipe them out. It would be easy.”
“I agree with Kieran and Cormac. We should take out their leaders and seize their assets,” Aidan dictated.
“Caden and I could place a few strategic blows to their operations,” Connor spoke up.
“We could break into their vaults and hit ‘em where it hurts,” Caden added.
Before I could respond, Ada held up a hand, her usual fiery spirit shining through. “Enough, all of you. There’s no need to start a war when there’s a simpler solution at hand.” She turned to me, her expression softening. “You want to marry her, don’t you?”
“I love her,” I said with a curt nod, grateful for Ada’s support. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe and if that means taking her hand in marriage, then so be it.”
Kieran watched me closely. “We’ll support the wedding, but just remember, she’s our family, Maxim. You hurt her, and you’ll have all of us to answer to.”
I met their eyes, one by one, ensuring they understood the sincerity of my intentions. “I love Riley, and I’ll protect her with my life.”
“Good,” Kieran answered, and he looked around the room. “All those in favor for item number one?”
“Hear, hear,” the six of them said in a chorus. Every single Murphy in that bar raised their glass and downed the rest of their drink before slamming it down on the tables.
It was settled then.
The Murphys had given their approval.
And soon, Riley would be mine.
Permanently.
Ada went around the bar and grabbed a bottle of Russian vodka for me. She poured me a healthy glass and passed it to me with a sly grin.
“Welcome to the family, Maxim. Again,” she said as she poured herself a second drink.
“Thank you, Ada,” I replied.
The rest of the meeting was filled with the plans for the wedding, but my attention was elsewhere.
I needed to get home to deal with my little girl, but I had a few stops to make along the way, one being the grocery store.
I smirked.
When I put Riley to bed tonight, she was going to be very sore, both inside and out.
But by the time I was through with her, she’d know that I loved her no matter what.
CHAPTER 21
Riley
When I came out of the bath that afternoon, Maxim had already come home. I found him standing in the kitchen, drinking a glass of vodka. His expression was unreadable and that made my tummy clench tight in sudden nervousness.
Had he somehow found out who I was? I told myself that wasn’t possible. Ada hadn’t even known when we’d gone out dress shopping together, so the chances were slim.
But not zero…
