[IVAN]“Papa, can I come with you, please?”I pause on my footsteps and turn around to find my little daughter pleading with me with her puppy dog eyes. This is so not fair. She knows I can’t fight it. But despite being aware of her clever plan, I can’t help but succumb.I squat down and give her a gentle smile. “Papa would love nothing more than that,” that’s a lie, but not entirely. I would love to take my daughter places. I would love to show her around. But my profession doesn’t exactly allow me to be so open about it to my family. It took me months to explain everything to Ana. I wonder how long it would take for me to tell my daughter that her daddy isn’t some good man who does a nine-to-five job, but rather a mafia boss whose life is at stake every day.However, despite the common notion, danger doesn’t always lurk around the corner. For the most part, it’s very peaceful. So I guess today can be an exception. I wonder what Ana would say about that. She would kill me for sure.“
[ANASTASIA] “So what would you like to do, Princess?” My gaze shifts to my daughter, who’s sitting in the backseat and looking outside the window with a wide smile on her face. She’s so excited about today. I can see it in her eyes. I wish I had that kind of innocence and freedom. But unfortunately, it has been taken away from me the moment I joined Ivan’s world. Speaking of Ivan, the man who’s the root cause of all my problems. He’s sitting beside me, his hand on the wheel and the other arm resting on the backrest of my seat. I know he’s trying to play a good husband, a good father, and perhaps a well-round family person, but that’s not enough. Not right now. Right now he’s being nothing but a pain in my ass. First, he’s keeping a gun in his car, which is absolutely visible to the naked eye. How careless is that? He might as well have a ‘Mafia Boss’ sign hanging over his head. Next, he’s driving too fast. What’s wrong with him? Why is he so obsessed with speed? Lastly, and the mo
[ANASTASIA]Before I can respond, he pulls me close again, kissing me harder than before. His tongue pushes into my mouth, and his fingers dig into the soft flesh of my ass. I moan, and my knees go weak.The next thing I know, Ivan is picking me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist almost instinctively, my body pressed against his. He walks us towards the counter, but then he takes a sharp right and slams my back against the cold wall. I can feel his hardness poking against me, and it makes me shiver.At least, we are out of Tatiana’s sight.My fingers grip the front of his shirt, and I pull him closer, my tongue dancing with his. My heart beats faster, and the butterflies in my stomach grow wild. I can’t believe I’m doing this. I should not be clinging to my criminal husband as if my life depended on it. But something has swerved inside me. Something that always pushes me towards him. Something that makes me want to
[IVAN]“How bad is it?” I stride down the long corridor, Dimitri right behind me. “And why the hell didn’t you call me right away? Was waiting for him to fucking die?”Dimirti sighs, probably frowning at himself. “I thought we could handle it.”I shake my head. “Of course.”We continue walking down the dark corridor until a room arrives with its lights turned on. Beeping sounds emanate from within, and right when we reach outside, a nurse dashes out with a tray full of blood-soaked towels. She barely glances up, and continues hurrying out of sight.I stop and hesitate to walk inside. This was not supposed to happen. Not like this.I turn around and glare at Dimitri. “What the hell happened?”Dimitri drops his gaze to the floor, his posture stiff. “It was a small delivery, pakhan. I told him to keep his mouth shut. But something happened and a shoo
[ANASTASIA]When Ivan returns home this morning, he’s lost in his own mind.I watch him enter through the main doors, walk over to the sofa, and collapse on it.He looks exhausted.I pour some water for him in a glass and head over to where he sits. “Here.”“Thank you, malysh.”He sits up straight, and I place the glass of water in his hand. His fingers graze over the tips of mine, and he smiles up at me.I smile back, even though his mind is somewhere else.I take a seat next to him and face him as soon as he guzzles down the entire glass of water. “So, what happened?”“Sidorov is dead.”His words fill me with confusion and sympathy. I have no idea who the man is but it’s obvious Ivan cares about him. I also know that it always hits him hard whenever he loses one of his men. Ivan takes his position as the pakhan seriously, and I know it can be stressful for him, though he doesn’t complain too much.I scoot closer and wrap my arms around him. “I’m so sorry. What happened?”He leans ag
[IVAN]“Turn around for me.” I groan against Ana’s skin and push her back against the bed. She rolls over with a gasp, her cheeks flushed from pleasure, and her hazel eyes sparkle in the light of the sun streaming into the room from the large glass window behind me.“Get on your knees,” I growl, and she does so with a low moan, her body arching to give me access to her sex, her face buried in the soft sheets, and her sweet ass in the air.“Jesus, you’re beautiful,” I tell her and stroke my hard cock against the curves of her ass, feeling a shudder run through me. “All ready and waiting for me to have my way with you?”“Please,” she breathes, looking over her shoulder at me and I let out a growl, my body tensing with the desire to pound her senseless.I take a few deep breaths to steady myself and rub the swollen head of my dick over her drenched core, sliding i
Dimitri Alexeev was a man of few words. He preferred to communicate with actions, rather than words. But, if there was something that he knew, it was how to talk his way out of things. But when his phone rang that morning, while he was getting ready for the funeral of one of his underlings, he found himself in a very difficult situation. Dimitri stared at his reflection in the mirror. He was in the middle of buttoning up his shirt when his phone rang. His hand froze when he heard the tone and he turned to glance at the nightstand. The screen of his cell phone glowed in the darkness of his bedroom and he wondered who the hell was calling him now. He took a deep breath and walked to his nightstand, reaching out and grabbing his cell phone. Dimitri didn’t even check the screen, instead, he brought it to his ear and spoke. “What?” His voice came out low and hoarse. “Having a tough morning, I suppose?” Dimitri recognized the voice in an instant. Igor Fedorov, the head of Pakhan’s sec
They got into his car.For a long moment, Dimitri just sat there, doing nothing. His hands were on the steering wheel but he continued to stare over the hood of the car. It was as if he was suddenly struggling to remember how to even drive the fucking car. It boggled him that he was struggling this much. What was wrong with him? Why was he acting this way? It was a car for fuck’s sake! And she wasn’t even his type. So why did she seem to make his blood boil so much?He could see her from his peripheral vision and he could tell she was just as confused. The only reason why he wasn’t acting like an idiot right now was because she was being quiet. If she said something stupid, he was sure he’d end up being an asshole to her.The silence was suffocating and it made his skin itch with uneasiness. He wasn’t good at small talks and this was no different. He needed to say something to get her to speak, but he was at a loss.Then sudd
[NIKOLAI]Once we finally get to his office, Konstantin takes his seat behind the desk and raises an eyebrow. He looks kind of pissed, but not enough to end me right here and now.He might have the power to do that and carry on with his day as if nothing happened, but I know in my gut he won’t. He made a promise to our parents that no harm would come to me. And if there’s anyone I know who keeps their word, no matter the circumstances, it’s him. My very own, very infuriating brother.“So,” he drawls, leaning back in his chair and propping his legs up on the desk, crossing them at the ankles. “What do you want to talk about?”I don’t sit in the chair in front of me; instead, I start pacing the room. I glance around and find it exactly how our father designed it. Not a single thing has been changed or moved. It’s like walking into a museum of old memories.“I want to challenge Madam Volkova,” I say, almost expecting him to scoff.But he doesn’t. Instead, he tips his head to the side. “Wh
[NIKOLAI]I hang up the phone and stare hard at the ground.“Fuck you, Dimitri!” I growl, clenching the phone tighter and huffing out a heavy breath.The bastard has the audacity to make me responsible for everything that happened to Ana and Ivan. But is it? Am I really the one to blame?I look away, peeling my back off the car and slipping inside.I put my hand on the steering wheel, unable to shake his words from my mind.Shit. If only I had known the consequences of my actions, maybe this day would have never come. Maybe Ana would still be safe, and Ivan would still be breathing on his own, not with the help of some fucking machine.“Fuck!” I punch the steering wheel, growling louder.I turn the key in the ignition and drive away from the motel. I’m not sure if what I’m about to do next is the right choice, but it seems like the only option I have left. I can’t go back to Madam Volkova after my fallout with her, and Dimitri doesn’t seem interested in having me by his side either.I
[DIMITRI]I storm out of the building and light a cigarette, unable to think of anything else.I breathe in the smoke and then blow it out, hoping it will take away the stress pressing on my chest, making my lungs incapable of doing their job.I don’t know what to do anymore. Ana is finally awake, which is good news, of course.But what the hell do I tell her when she wakes up next time and asks the same questions all over again? How do I give her the answers that are sure to crush her?Maybe I’ve developed a new weakness these days—maybe falling in love makes you a fucking weak asshole—but I can’t seem to bear seeing that woman cry. I just can’t.It fucking stabs me right in the throat to see those tears streaming down her face, to see that fear in her eyes that seems to linger around her whenever she asks about Ivan.I take another big breath of smoke and then drop it, crushing it under the tip of my boot.“Fuck!”My phone rings just then. I thank God for the fucking distraction and
[ANASTASIA]“Mommy!”One word, and my heart shatters into a million pieces.Before I even turn my gaze to the door, warmth floods through me, and tears well up in my eyes.My little girl comes running into the room, her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail bouncing with every step. Her eyes are sharp, excited, and filled with so much love. Her face is a canvas of every emotion I’ve ever seen her wear in my entire life.I don’t even realize it, but my arms open on their own, my chest aching to feel her little heart against mine.But just when I think she’s about to jump onto the bed and throw herself into my arms, she stops and stands there with her hands behind her back, her little legs fidgeting as she looks up at the doctor, her small eyes seeking some kind of permission.I suppose the last two months have changed a lot. My daughter, who used to storm in and out of any place she wanted, now suddenly looks afraid of hurting me.Tears race down my face. I wipe them as quickly as I can,
[ANASTASIA]“How long was I out?” I whisper, lips trembling. “How long was I unconscious?”Lena, now standing in front of me, looks like the words are stuck in her throat. She swallows thickly and squeezes my hand, a sad smile playing on her lips.“Two months,” she says, but it feels like she’s talking about someone else. “You’ve been in a coma for two months.”This can’t be true. It can’t be.Tears burn my eyes. My heart feels like it’s on fire. “What the hell do you mean by that? How can I be… how is that even… I can’t… I mean… this can’t be…”I don’t even know what I’m trying to say, but I know I don’t believe her.Frustration grates beneath my skin. “Just call Ivan. If he says the same as what you’re all saying, then I’ll believe you. Just call him, Lena. Where is he anyway? Shouldn’t he be here? Sitting next to me, taking care of me? He promised he’d never leave my side again. He promised, Lena. He fucking promised.”“I know,” she sobs, wiping her face with the back of her hand.
[DIMITRI]A week later, we both sit in the car and stare at the huge gates ahead.“This is it, I guess,” she says softly, for the first time not so eager to talk about leaving.It’s strange how the last few days changed everything. They changed me. Who would have thought an asshole like me could ever fall for an angel like her? Nadia is an angel. She’s the most beautiful, pure-hearted, a little fiery, but the best of the angels out there. In fact, if you ask me, she’s the only angel out there.My angel.I let out a sigh. “Yep. This is it.” I turn to look at her and can’t help grabbing the back of her head, pulling her in for a kiss. A long, deep, and passionate kiss. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of her—her lips, her body, everything about her. “I’m going to miss you like hell.”She grins, her pale blue eyes twinkling, her stubborn blonde curls escaping the trap of her knitted cap. “I’ll miss you like hell too. In fact,” she brushes her nose against mine, “I think I’m going to mi
[NADIA]I’m not sure what to say.And if I look like someone who has been slapped across the face with a hand as cold as ice, then maybe I do look like that person, because apparently, I feel like that person.Every word coming out of Dimitri’s mouth is like slap after slap.But not in a bad way, of course. More like a slap of surprise. Or shock. Or whatever I’m feeling right now that has no name.“What did you say?” I can’t help but ask. There’s still a chance I heard that wrong. Never before has Dimitri talked about my Uni of his own free will. So, to think he not only brought it into the conversation but also seems happy about it is a little hard for me to believe.He gives me a look—of course, he does—but doesn’t try to argue. “I said you’re going back next week. They’re expecting you to continue your semester and sit for the final exams.”“But what about my attendance? I’m way behind—”“It’s been taken care of,” he says, but the smug look on his face is scary as hell.I tilt my h
[DIMITRI]I should’ve known my words would get twisted like that. And of course, it would end up hurting my woman in the worst way possible.But God knows that wasn’t my intention. I just have a crude way of speaking and often forget not everyone can take it. It’s an old habit, one I need to work on changing.I cup Nadia’s face, wiping her tears with my thumb. I should be comforting her after everything she just blurted out, but instead, I can’t help it—I start laughing. I can’t stop until she looks up at me like I’ve completely lost it.Her eyebrows snap and her lips upturn in a deep frown. “You think it’s funny?”“No!” I shake my head, meaning it, but laughter simply bubbles out of me. I turn around to take a breather, and when I think I’m in better control of myself, I turn back around to face her.Only to find her gone.Whatever lingering smile on my face dies right away. “Nadia?”I glance toward the door and see her rushing out of the room.“Shit!” I bolt after her down the hallw
[NADIA]After getting another round of hot sex out of our system, with both stayed sprawled out on the carpeted floor of his office, with me using his arm as a pillow.I sigh. “I can’t believe the kind of stamina I suddenly have.”Dimitri chuckles, the deep sound vibrating through my entire body. “And I can’t believe I get to make love to a woman without her screaming within five minutes how she can’t handle someone like me.”I turn over my stomach, resting my chin on his chest. “Really?”“Yep!” He says, casually, entwining my fingers with his and kissing the tips of each one. “You’re the only one to never have complained about anything. Not even my ugly face.”“Hey,” I shush him, placing my finger on his lips. “Never say that again.”He quirks up a brow. “Why? You want me to say I’m fucking beautiful instead.” He rolls his eyes.“You ARE beautiful,” I say, more stubbornly because he seems to be in the mood to not take me seriously. I can tell. I sure as hell can. “Sure, you have scar