Page 28 of Forced Mafia Bride
I made my opening move, a classic pawn to e4. Timur raised an eyebrow, the victor’s smirk gone. He knew I was setting a trap but didn’t know what kind.
“I consider now as a good time to ask what your real play is, concerning the girl. Why do you have to marry her?” he asked as he played.
“If talking is your way to distract me….”
“I swear, it’s not.” He laughed, responding with a predictable e5.
I smiled to myself.
Every time.
This was going to be too easy.
“To take over.” I moved a pawn, keeping my eye on the board. “I intend to rule the Irish mafia.”
Timur paused his play, giving me ayou’re jokinglook.
“I’m serious.”
He dropped his pawn, straightening up well enough for me to see the deep frown etched on the sides of his mouth. “Niko, that’s practically impossible. Even your brother didn’t think that far. What makes you think you can pull this off?”
I shrugged, maintaining eagle-eye focus on the pawns and calculating possible moves he could use to effect a win.“Number one,” I moved a pawn, “I am not my brother, Timur. You’ve always known, right from the start, that we were never comparable. I do my shit, and he does his.”
Timur weaved a counter-attack web, his pieces dancing across the board with a precision that made me take notice.
“Number two: Never say anything is impossible. It’s really not that hard when you take time to think about it. It’s a smooth play, I assure you.” I found myself on the defensive, my pawns under siege and my knights struggling to keep up. “Aiden is Ronan’s right-hand man, and, sadly, he trusts him. The good part is that Aiden’s got a lot of power there, so he has almost everything under his control, as well as a good number of loyal friends.”
As the game wore on, the tension between us grew, our hands moving as quickly as our brains did.
“Aiden’s not the only one with a grudge. Some men frown at Ronan’s tight fist.”
“He doesn’t pay them very well?”
“Hebarelypays them at all. Basically peanuts. They still stick around believing that, maybe, it won’t get all sour. Plus, they don’t exactly have other options. So, I’m working with Aiden.”
I moved a piece around. Timur’s eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched in concentration. I saw the wheels turning in his mind, plotting his next move. I knew I had to stay one step ahead. “And in turn, Aiden is working with them so that when the time is right, we will strike. They will rebel against Ronan and certainly consider my juicy offers. For instance, a better pay. The Irish live for the money. There is no way they will turn me down.”
I sacrificed a pawn, a bold move that caught Timur off guard. He hesitated, unsure of how to respond. While he perused over all the possible strategies he could use to launch a counter-attack, I leaned back, watching him.
“That’s where my bride comes in. By reason of Cedric’s blood flowing through her veins, they will accept her, thereby, in turn, accepting me. Our children will have Gallagher and Yezhov blood and will be heirs to the Russian-Irish throne of power.”
He made a weak play, and I launched a devastating attack, my pieces working perfectly to corner his king.
“Fuck.”
I smiled. Checkmate was inevitable. He’d probably seen it but could do nothing to stop it.
As always.
We shook hands, and I smiled, a sense of satisfaction seeping in for outmaneuvering my opponent.
“Looks like I’ll just keep my five bucks.” Anatoly folded his newspaper and smiled at me. “I, for one, am glad that I only support winners.”
“Yeah, well.” Timur stretched, throwing an arm over the rim of the chair. “Have a little more faith in me sometimes. That might just be the boost I need.”
“Sure. You’re really about to hit the jackpot, Niko.”
“What jackpot?”