Page 20 of Forced By the Bratva King
I had been quiet for a while, but now they paused and turned in my direction.
“What do you say,Pakhan?” Anatoli asked.
“You’re right. You’reallright,” I said. “They started this war, and we’re gonna finish it, but we’re playing this gamemyway. They don’t think before they act; we do, and that’s what wehave as an edge over them. We’ll use that to our advantage and strike when they least expect it.”
“So, we’re standing down?” Anatoli asked, disappointment coloring his eyes.
“Not exactly,” I said. “We’re strategizing.” I shifted my gaze across their faces. “The Irish think we’ll retaliate immediately; therefore, they’d be waiting for our attack, doubling their defenses in preparation. Going after them now will only make us pawns on a chessboard. We don’t play their game; they play ours.”
“Delaying our retaliation will upset them, keep them guessing what our next move will be,” Kostya added, further bolstering my point.
“But they’ll think we’re weak,” Alexander argued, clearly displeased with the plan.
“We killed seventy percent of their men the last time.” Yuri leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “They know we’re not weak.Pakhanis right, as always. Our silence will shake them; it will scare them. And people tend to do stupid things when they’re afraid.”
Yuri was picking up fast, finally getting a hand on my way of thinking. Impressive.
“Any questions?” I asked them.
My men exchanged looks and murmured a little amongst themselves before Anatoli faced me. “None, Boss. We trust your judgment. Always have, always will.”
“Good,” I said. “In the meantime, I have important news to share with you.”
“Okay,” Kostya replied, leaning back into his chair, eyes fixed on me. “Brother, is that a smile I see on your face?”
He was exaggerating. That wasn’t a smile; it was a very faint smirk, almost undetectable. But the thought of this news made me feel something I hadn’t felt in years. I could see theanticipation in everyone’s expression as they all wondered about this important news.
“Well, spit it out already, brother. This suspense is killing me,” Kostya teased amidst chuckles. “It’s not like you’re getting married or anything.”
I looked in his direction with an unwavering gaze that gradually killed his smile and had him squinting, pulling his head back in confusion. “Hold on a fucking minute.”
I still wouldn’t stop looking at him. It was obvious that he got the message, but for some reason, he found it hard to process.
That smile was slowly returning, brightening his face. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
I smirked and turned my focus to my men, who were all so curious to hear my big announcement. “I’m getting married in the next two weeks,” I declared.
“Getting married?” one of them blurted out, his voice laced with amusement.
“About goddamn time!” Anatoli slammed a palm on the table.
They all seemed excited by the news, and soon, the hall was filled with congratulatory remarks and jokes about how I was already growing old.
I glanced at Yuri, who had a blank expression. He was probably wondering why I hadn’t told him first, considering he was my right-hand man and always got first-hand information before everyone else. He might also have realized who the girl was.
“Quick question,” Kostya began. “Who is the lucky girl?”
I thought for a moment, knowing he and I would still have our time together, but I wasn’t ready to disclose her identity just yet. Yuri was looking at me, waiting patiently for my response,even though he likely already had a pretty good idea who the girl in question was.
“Yeah, Boss? Whoisshe?” Alexander chipped in.
“You’ll find out on the day of the wedding,” I said simply.
“Oh, come on,” Anatoli grumbled.
Instead of humoring them further, I dismissed them. “That’ll be all.”
They rose to their feet, bowing their heads in respect before exiting the room with hushed conversations amongst themselves.