Chapter 27

Sharon continues to stare at me with an evil glare. “Give it up. There’s nowhere to go,” I state as I lock eyes with her. I can tell the fight’s gone out of her, leaving a desperate, cornered animal in its wake.

Sharon, even in defeat, continues to spit venom. “You think this is over?” she asks, her voice laced with arrogance. “I’ll always be just around the corner, in the shadows. You and your precious family will never be safe.”

I’m seething, every muscle tensed, ready to end this threat permanently. “I should just finish you now,” I growl, overwhelmed by the urge to protect my family from any future harm.

Maura, sensing my intent, gently touches my arm. “No, Luk. No more violence,” she pleads, her voice a beacon of reason breaking through the storm raging within me. “No more bloodshed today. Please.”

Her voice and presence pull me back to sanity, quelling the tempest inside just enough. “She tried to take everything from us and nearly did. She threatened our future,” I say, struggling with the weight of my emotions and the compelling urge to put a bullet through Sharon’s head.

“I know, but this isn’t the way. We have to be bigger than her and make better choices,” Maura insists, her eyes meeting mine, a world of wisdom and compassion in her gaze.

Taking a deep breath, I make my decision, my gaze locked on Sharon. “Tell your men to stand down, drop their weapons, and leave. Do that, and I’ll let you live.”

Sharon appears stunned at first. Her eyes are filled with a calculating hesitation as she weighs her options.

Finally, she nods, a begrudging acknowledgment of her defeat. “Fine,” she spits out, appearing disinterested in the matter as she smooths her blouse. “I’ll call them off.”

I keep my gun trained on her as she makes the call, her voice a reluctant murmur into her phone, instructing her remaining men to stand down and scatter. The orders are met with confusion judging by the sounds of chaos below, but bit by bit, the commotion begins to fade.

Maura squeezes my hand, silently thanking me for choosing mercy over vengeance. It wasn’t easy, but her influence and her hope for a brighter path guided me to make the right choice.

“You’re going to pay for this, Sharon, not with your life, but with your freedom. You’re going to jail for a very, very long time,” I tell her, my voice firm and confident, leaving no room for negotiation.

Sharon laughs, a brittle yet defiant sound. “You think the cops will listen to you? You’re nothing but underground vermin in their eyes.”

I can’t help but chuckle at her naivety. “Oh, Sharon, how wrong you are. They’re going to do to you exactly what I ask them to do, especially seeing as they’re on my payroll.” The confident arrogance drains from her face as the reality of her situation sinks in.

I pull out my phone and quickly type a message to my contact within the Chicago PD.

Got a hell of a catch for you. I hit send, the text sealing Sharon’s fate.

As I secure her to a pipe, ensuring she’s not going anywhere, Sharon’s fury becomes a living thing, her insults sharp as knives. But her words are simply background noise, empty threats from a defeated enemy.

Police sirens begin to wail in the distance. Sharon’s reign of terror is over.

Maura’s grip on my hand is both a lifeline and a reminder of what truly matters. I lead her away; her gratitude for choosing a path of mercy over violent retribution echoes silently between us. “Thank you for sparing her,” she says quietly. “I know what she’s done, but all the same…”

“All that matters now is that you’re safe,” I reply. There’s a part of me that wants to tell her I know about the baby and our future together, but it isn’t the right moment.

We rejoin the others, my heart rejoicing at the sight of them alive and well. We reigned victorious and defeated Sharon’s army of evil. An immeasurable wave of relief washes over me.

Grigori steps forward, a cocky smile on his face. “We’ve got a few of Sharon’s crew tied up. The rest took off as soon as they saw the tide turning.” His report confirms it—a total victory; Sharon’s treachery is over at last.

The knowledge that we’ve ended the threat, that Maura and our future are safe, fills me with a sense of profound relief.

The CPD cruisers pull up, their sirens and flashing lights cutting through the silence of the aftermath. I step forward to meet them. The officers are wary once they recognize me, but they step out to greet me, nonetheless. “You’ll find Sharon Flanagan tied up on the roof.”

The officers exchange a look. Sharon Flanagan’s name clearly rings a bell. “We’ll take it from here, Mr. Ivanov. Thanks for securing the situation,” one of them says, the hint of a smile playing at the edge of his lips as they head into the warehouse.

It’s a comfort to have Maura at my side. Her presence is calming after the chaotic events of the night. Pulling her close, I let the barriers fall, the words spilling out with a raw honesty I’ve rarely allowed myself to express. “I can’t believe I almost lost you tonight. I’ve been a damn fool. I should’ve told you this long before now—I love you. Every moment without you feels like an eternity.”

Her eyes, bright and damp with unshed tears, meet mine. Within them, I can see everything we’ve been through, everything we are, and everything we will be. “I love you, too, Luk. More than you could possibly know,” she whispers back, her voice steady and sure.

In the embrace that follows, there’s a sense of homecoming and of the storm passing and leaving in its wake a clarity and an unbreakable bond.

“Let’s go home,” I say. The thought of us together in front of a roaring fire is the only thing I want.

Her warm and genuine smile lights up the dark corners of my heart. “I can’t think of anything better,” she replies.

Together, we watch as Sharon is loaded into the back of a squad car. The anger in her eyes is profound, a silent vow of vengeance, though it’s muted, powerless behind the car’s barred windows. The officer nods at me.

As we walk away, leaving the chaos and the remnants of Sharon’s empire behind, I feel a weight lifting. The battle is over, but our story is just beginning.