Page 31 of The Mobster’s Secret

I should regret what I just did, knowing what’s coming. But I don’t. I refuse to let myself be afraid of this man—of any of them. Just knowing that Ivan is going to unleash hell upon them is comfort enough for me. In fact, a smile creeps over my lips as I picture him beating them all to a pulp.

But Vincent is not amused. He closes the distance between us and raises his hand to swing. “You little bitch—”

Just then, there’s a sound like a bomb going off. The ground shakes, and pieces of debris spray all over me. I shriek and duck my head as gunfire rings out all around.

Men cry out and fall to the floor, screaming and firing back.

“It’s them! It’s fucking Ivan!”

“Vincent, get down!”

Bullets spray the wall behind me, chipping away at the pallets. The sounds are deafening as I try to get as low to the ground as possible.

A man falls in front of me. I recognize him as one of the ones who snatched me up and stuffed me into the van. He glares at me, and I almost laugh at the terror in his eyes. He reaches out like he’s going to grab me, but a bullet strikes him, and he goes limp, dropping his gun in front of me.

“Willow, stay down!” Ivan’s voice rings out, and I look up to see him barging in through a back door I didn’t even know was there, flanked by Brian and Tyler and at least ten other men, all armed to the teeth.

It’s like something out of a movie. Ivan’s men storm in like a military force. Vincent’s gang fire back, but most of them run for their lives, ducking and shielding themselves from bullets.

Things seem to slow down as I watch men fall, slamming lifelessly against the ground. I close my eyes as the bullets continue to spray, echoing off the metal walls of the warehouse. It’s like thunder, each shot causing my body to jolt, forcing the ropes to bite deeper into my skin.

Finally, after what feels like a lifetime, the sounds subside, and I open my eyes. My vision is better, but the air is filled with smoke and smells like gunpowder. The pallets to my left are on fire—a fire that is growing rapidly.

I hear the soft sound of footsteps from behind me and look to see Ivan, pistol in hand, racing over to me.

“Are you okay?” he asks, quickly slicing my bindings with a knife and freeing me. “Christ, I was so worried—”

“I’m okay,” I say, throwing my arms around him. He’s so warm, so big, so strong. It’s like holding on to a pillar that goes down into the center of the Earth. “I’m so sorry, Ivan. I never should have run away.”

“No, it’s my fault. I never should have tried to cage you in like I did. I just wanted to protect you.”

Tears spill from my eyes as he presses his lips to mine. His kiss feels like coming home. Like my destiny sweeping in and scooping me up.

“I love you, Willow,” he says, holding me in his massive arms. My whole body shakes, and tears stream down my cheeks. I gasp, drinking in his scent that anchors me down. This is where I belong. In this man’s arms.

“I love you, Ivan,” I sob. “I love you.”

He moves in to kiss me again, but there’s a flash of movement behind him. My heart skips a beat as I see Vincent pop up from behind a stack of crates, pistol in hand.

“Behind you!” I snap.

Ivan whirls as Vincent fires. The shot scorches between us, burying itself into the concrete floor. Ivan raises his pistol and fires back, striking Vincent in the chest. His eyes go wide with a flash of disbelief. He stumbles backwards, then falls, dead on the floor.

Ivan turns, breathing heavily. “You saved my life.”

I almost laugh. “Well, you saved mine. So now we’re even.”

“Boss, we’ve got to get out of here.” Brian rushes up beside us, clutching his arm, which is dripping blood. The fire roars behind us, quickly spreading across the warehouse.

“Round up the men,” Ivan responds.

Brian rushes off, and Ivan scoops me up into his arms. It’s scorching hot in the warehouse, but a different kind of heat encompasses me as I’m carried away from the chaos, away from the flames, and outside into the cool, fresh air.

Ivan lifts me into the backseat of his truck, and the SUV rocks as it pulls away from the warehouse. He wraps me in his sweaty arms, and I nuzzle up against his thick chest. All I want to do is get home and give myself to him. Let him take me in every and any way he chooses.

I may have run away from him once, but now I know in my heart that I’ll spend the rest of my life with him. With my king.

EPILOGUE