“Yeah, I guess it can.”
We never got around to shopping due to Dane’s visit. Ruslan spent the afternoon holed-up in his office with two other bosses and a few of their men. With war looming, and not knowing exactly what my father and Dane would do now, they had to try and get ahead of things. I hated that I was the centerpiece to a war I knew nothing about. If I returned home and married Dane, then three other families would fall because of my weakness and my brother’s death would be for nothing. But if I stayed here in Vegas with Ruslan, I had a chance of choosing what I wanted for myself. It seemed that a war between the five families would come no matter what I did. I was unprepared for this life. At least I now had choices of my own.
Chapter Twelve - Ruslan
“I never lie to any man because I don’t fear anyone. The only time you lie is when you are afraid.”
- John Gotti
It had been hours since I last saw Liliya. What should have been a short meeting turned into an all-afternoon affair. Ivan Babkin, Abram Klepin, and I tossed around different ideas, trying our damndest to find a way around an all-out war. Bloodshed was inevitable; we all knew that. With Dane Duskin and Lyosha Markow banding together against us, we had to be careful. Thanks to Liliya, we weren’t sitting around with our heads up our asses waiting for them to take us down. We had a fighting chance. The odds were in our favor.
The problem we kept running into was Liliya’s marriage contract and a way around it. If Dane married Liliya, then he would outrank all of us. He was a loose cannon and a total idiot. There wasn’t a single one of us willing to kneel before him. Fuck that!
“Ruslan, there is one way we could get around the contract. It hasn’t been done in years, though. How far are you willing to go with this girl?” Abram asked as he drained his glass of Vodka.
“I’ll take this as far as I need to. Why?”
“Being that two men are interested in claiming the same woman, you could demand a fight to the death. Winner takes all. A fight like this supersedes any mafia contract. Is she worth your life?”
“A fucking death-match to stop a marriage she doesn’t want? You have to be kidding me. Would the marriage still have to take place if I won?”
“Oh yeah. The old ways leave nothing to chance. The marriage must take place after the fight… so if you do this, she will be yours permanently.”
“I can’t make that decision on my own. I’ll talk with her and see how she feels about it. When I agreed to help her, I never thought it would lead to a death-match with a weasel like Dane.”
“The prize is pretty damn nice, Ruslan. You could do a hell of a lot worse than a woman like that. Did you see the look on Dane’s face when she called him a *? That was something. He’ll never forget that. I know I won’t.”
We all had a good laugh at Dane’s expense. Liliya was definitely a spitfire, but I loved that about her. She didn’t take shit from anyone. Not even me, and that was sexy as hell. “Da. She’s a wild one but I can handle her. I can handle her just fine.”
Abram and Ivan took off after that. Now I had to have a little one-on-one with Liliya and get her opinion on the only plan we have at the moment. A fight to the death… followed by a marriage to the last man standing. Would I be that man?
Sure, me and the boys occasionally hit up the underground fight clubs and watch a few fights here and there, but I hadn’t gotten in the octagon in years. Mafia bosses couldn’t put their lives on the line like that and throw off the balance of power. But now it was likely I had no choice. At least I was still in good physical shape, and if this fight happened, I’d have time to train.
Heading upstairs, I knocked on the guest bedroom door. Twisting the knob, I stepped inside to find Liliya curled up on the bed asleep. Looking at her now, the simple beauty – the untamed fire – glowing within her, I knew I wouldn’t mind winning the fight and keeping her for myself. Fight or not, I wanted her. I didn’t need a fucking contract. This woman was worth long-term. How did I know that? There’s just something about her that feels right, like our paths were meant to cross. We may not know each other very well, but there’s plenty of time for that.
“Liliya, wake up.”
“How was the meeting?” she asked, half awake.