Chapter 28

**Alexi pov**

I should have known not to bring Stephanie out on public, not alone anyway, I have many enemies and one of them have found us. They’ve probably been watching us for a while, lurking just out of sight to gather scraps like the rats they are. The man who approached us, Luther Drone was a the head of a roval mafia group that has been trying to take territory from me for months. They haven’t succeeded, but they are a real thorn in my side.

It’s about time that they are dealt with, and quickly.

I cannot let word get out that I have taken a woman, not when she is still as fragile as she is. They’d kill her just to piss me off, and I’m not ready to let go of my little lamb, not yet.

She belongs to me, and when I am done with her, I will be the one to kill her, no one else.

I called Jione and told him to round up our best men and meet me at the entrance to the mall, this is going to get bloody, even if I don’t want it to.

Luther has been waiting for an opportunity like this, where I am alone, only one weapon on me. And I played right into his fucking hands.

My malyshka is shaking in her seat, trying and failing to chew the food in her mouth, she’s adorable when she’s shaken, but it pisses me off because I am not the cause of it. I should be the one to make her tremble in fear, not that asshole.

He isn’t worth a spare thought from her mind.

I watch her, keeping my eyes alert and my body ready, should they attack before we leave, I’ll be ready. I will NOT let them take either of us alive, even if that means I have to kill her myself. It would be a mercy compared to what they would do to her.

“You can stop.” I tell her sternly, “you are just going to make yourself sick.”

She swallows what is left in her mouth and nods, her shoulders sagging in relief, “are we leaving?” She asks in that innocent, afraid tone.

She doesn’t know what the hell is going on, and it scares her. She’s right to be afraid. Luther doesn’t care about public image or a wanted sign on his back. He’d attack us without the care of hurting civilians. A few random people’s death would be good for his reputation. People would start to fear him more than me, and I cannot have that.

They know who I fucking am, anyone who defects to his side will be dealt with swiftly and without mercy. I do not stand for betrayal, not from anyone.

My father taught me that people who betray their leaders cause a seedling of doubt to spread among the others, and once that seed is there, more will do the same. It is better to end the traitor publicly, make everyone watch. Then they know what happens to those who do not follow the rules.

Once you are signed on to me, you are with me for life. No one leaves. Not unless it is in a pine box on a one-way trip to the grave.

My phone buzzed in my hand, a message from Jione to say that he and the others were waiting outside. Now is the time to move.

I have spotted the people who work for Luther already. They’re watching. Waiting for their next orders. He has six. But numbers don’t matter, not when you are faced off against me and the men I trust like brothers.

I clear the table, making it seem as though I am not fazed, typing a quick text back to say we are leaving through the front entrance. I will not go out the back way like some kind of coward. If Luther wants to face me here, in broad daylight, he can do so where everyone can see us.

Where everyone can watch him die.

I shove the phone back into my pocket, grabbing the bag of clothes that Stephanie bought and head towards the door whilst pushing her. She looks around wildly, her eyes seeing everything and nothing at all. She doesn’t know what she is searching for, but she can sense the danger. My little lamb is about to be caught in the middle of a war, and should I fall, she’ll be taken. Beaten and raped until she is no longer of use to them, then they’d kill her, slowly.

But I’m not going to let that happen. She is mine to do with what I please. Mine. They will not have her.

I notice the men begin to follow us as we make our way back through the mall, their hands resting on their weapons, ready to strike me down the moment I step out into the open air. But that’s ok, I’m certain I’m much quicker than they are, and I have a better weapon.

“Put your head down.” I say to my little lamb. “Now.”

She obeys without a word, shuffling down in the wheelchair as far as she could without falling out. She’s about to be hurt, and I’m not even sorry. It better she faces a few bumps and bruises compared to what Luther would do to her.

All because she is with me, he wants to hurt me in any way that he can. But the joke is on him, I’m going to destroy everything that he loves. Including his uptight wife.

The door to the mall opens and I shove the chair as hard as I can forward before ducking for cover, the shots already speeding past my head. It was close. Too close. But as I thought, they couldn’t hit me with those things if I was right in fucking front of them. Useless. And now they were going to die for picking the wrong side.

My malyshka tumbles off the curve and into the road as I pull my gun, her cry of pain something I thought I could ignore, but it makes me even angrier, they fucking made me do that. They made me hurt her, and now I was going to hurt them.

I shot the first one to step forward, backing out of the doors to get closer to my men who waited for me, the guy dropped with a scream and a cry, but he was dead before his body touched the ground. A fatal wound to the chest.

Misha was already picking up Stephanie when my back hit the bonnet of the SUV, my eyes trained on the remaining men as they followed us outside. Luckily, my little lamb knew the danger of arguing and got straight into the back of the car, her whimpers spurring me on. They won’t hurt her. I won’t let them.

I’m going to kill them all. Every last one of them.

Jione was at my side in a second, Misha on the other, their guns aimed at the men who watched us as people screamed and ran for their cars, some clutching their children tightly, and others crying and throwing their shopping so they could be faster. Cowards. All of them were cowards.

Luther steps out from behind the door, a smile on his face, “well, looks like you had back up after all.” He growls, “such a shame.”

I step forward, gun at my side, grasped tightly, “You have three seconds to turn around and leave before I pop a bullet in your fucking head.”

“I don’t think you are in any position to make threats, Alexi.” The suited mother fucker smirked, too fucking pleased with himself. “But if you hand over that girl of yours, I might just let you walk away from this unscathed.”

“Not a fucking chance.” I growl back.

The man tutted, his smile falling, “I will have her, if she’s important enough to be by your side in public, then she is a worthy catch.” His smile returns, “I do love a good fight in the bedroom.”

He’ll never get a fucking chance to touch her.

I raise my gun, eyes focussed, “three seconds.”

“You don’t want to shoot me in public, Alexi, so many witnesses.” He shoves his hands into his trouser pockets, “but I’ll go, for now. But I’ll be back, real soon.”

He turns his men watching me as he walks around the side of the mall, then like good like lap dogs they scurry after him, their guns back in their holders.

I turn to Jione, “get us the fuck out of here.”

We may have survived, this time. But that doesn’t mean we will be so lucky when he comes knocking again.

I just made Stephanie a prize to be won, and he will not stop until he has her.

That’s why I’m going to kill him first.

No one takes what is mine.