After dropping Nikolai off at the stop he wanted to be dropped at, Dimitri went to the warehouse and assembled all their men. A word from Lex had finally come, and it was not good news. He had to leave for Kazan the second the weather cleared, but not before he had a piece of good news for his probably dying boss. He had to find Tatiana and bring her home. No matter what. Nikolai had assured that once he got the word from Marina and confirmed that Tatiana was with Madam Volkova, he would join Ivan’s force and help them take down Madam Volkova for good. Dimitri could see a war on the horizon, and even though he would have liked nothing more than to kill that woman for good, something continued to bother him for some reason he couldn’t even explain. To clear his head while they waited for Nikolai to give them the go, he commanded his men to prepare and be on alert and drove back to his apartment to take a shower and change clothes. He hated being dirty, and he hated it even more when
Everything escalated between them too quickly. Not even in his dreams he could have thought something like they would ever happen with him. That he would get to kiss this woman he barely knew, or feel her hands all over him, her nails scraping at his skin or her legs wrapped around his hips. Fuck! Nothing could have prepared him for the way he was feeling right now. He kissed her harder than he should have, almost to the point it was rough and impatient and desperate. He knew she could taste the desperation in him, and somehow, she had welcomed it with open arms and a hungry mouth of her own. She didn’t just let him kiss her. She kissed him back like a starved woman. It was all teeth and tongues and her soft moans and her fingers in his hair and the way she couldn’t keep her hands to herself. He wasn’t much better either. He couldn’t k
When Nadia woke up the next morning, her body ached like hell. It was after a very long time she had had sex, and fuck, he was so rough and brutal and good. Just the thought of him and his hands and his thick, veiny cock forced her to squeeze her thighs, trying to suppress the urge to have him back inside her. But whom was she kidding? What happened last night between her and Dimitri Alexeev would never happen again. Not because she didn’t want it to happen, but because the sex between them was more like a comforting one, one that he probably thought the sad sister of his soldier needed. Nadia didn’t even know why she took the first step and kissed him. She had never done something so reckless before. Well, except for showing up at his door una
[NADIA]Throughout my life, I always knew what I wanted: to become someone who mattered, someone who did things that mattered to others; someone who wasn’t afraid of the world; someone who lived their life on their own terms.But, as they say, you don’t always get what you want. And in my case, I hardly ever got what I wanted—what I really, really wanted.I was only five when Mom and Dad passed away in an accident. My brother, who wasn’t older than ten, took it upon himself to take care of us. Of course, he didn’t get to make all the big decisions until our uncle kicked us out of his home as soon as my brother turned eighteen. It was only after we became homeless once again that he actually got the chance to become what he really wanted.Anatoly, my brother, wasn’t even that much older than me. We were maybe five years apart. That means when he turned eighteen, I was old enough to make tea and sandwiches and pack a lunch for both of us.My brother never really got the chance to actual
[DIMITRI]I watched as Nadia slammed the door of the car and stormed towards the two men standing outside the apartment building. Even though she looked relaxed, she moved so quickly that her ponytail whipped behind her back with each step she took. Her face was hard and her shoulders tense as she passed the guards and headed into the building.I grunted in frustration, gripping the steering wheel harder. “You have got to be fucking kidding me,” I whispered into the silence of the car before slamming my palm on the wheel.Nadia Sidorov had a bite, and I had no fucking clue what to do with her.She wasn’t like any other woman I had met before. She was hot-headed, stubborn and had a fucking smart mouth. Just like her brother. They were similar in many ways, but one thing that set her apart from every woman on this damn earth was that I was completely and utterly smitten by her.Fuck me.And it was bad news. It was fucking bad news.I could just imagine Ivan looking at me and laughing his
[NADIA]I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, couldn’t study.What the hell was wrong with me? For the past two hours, I had been staring at the pages of my textbook but none of the words were registering in my brain. And the more I stared at the book, the more I started to hate the sight of it.I threw the book aside and pushed myself off the bed, pacing the length of the room. I was so restless that it physically pained me to stay still. My heart was pounding so loudly against my chest that I could feel it in my ears, and my hands were shaking. There was something bubbling in the pit of my stomach, something that felt a lot like anger.I didn’t understand why I was feeling like this. Why was I so bothered?Dimitri fucked me last night. Big deal. He was a man, I was a woman. It wasn’t the first time I had slept with someone, and it sure as hell wouldn’t be the last. So why the fuck was I acting like a hormonal teenager whose crush didn’t notice her existence?I was being pathetic.I paced t
[DIMITRI]“Boss, we’ve got a hit!” Alexei exclaimed as soon as I answered the call.I narrowed my eyes at the road ahead. “What?”He nodded, breathing heavily. “Yeah. They found them. Tatiana and Lena. You should get back fast.”I gripped the steering wheel tightly and pressed the pedal, accelerating the car.Nadia, who sat on the passenger seat, all buckled up, let out a short squeal of surprise at the sudden jolt of speed. I glanced at her briefly, noticing how her hands flew to the side to grip the handle.She was quiet the whole ride.After I had made her pack her bags and forced her to come with me, she didn’t utter another word. She didn’t argue, didn’t cry, didn’t even look at me.Fine by me. I didn’t need her drama anyway.I focused back on the road and sped past a few cars, ignoring Nadia’s deathly grip on the handle.“I’m at least twenty minutes away. Send me the location. I’ll be there as soon as possible.”Alexei ended the call without replying.I put the phone back on the
[NADIA]Hours go by, and I do nothing but sit in his car and glower at the roof. This is so unfair, uncomfortable, and unnecessary. Why do I have to stay with this mean man? I was barely able to stay sane when they forced me to live in that apartment until they made sure it was safe for me to be on the streets.The problem with this whole situation is, I don’t even know why my life is in danger in the first place. Even if my brother did something stupid and died because of it, what does that have to do with me? Why would they come after me when they have already taken care of my brother?I just… I just don’t understand any of this. I just… I just don’t know what the hell is going on. I sigh—for the hundredth time, perhaps—and shift in my seat, trying to get more comfortable. But it doesn’t help. I have been sitting here for more than an hour now, and the man who left me to my own devices is nowhere to be found.I desperately want to get out of this damn car and get some fresh air into
After our fourth round of pure, wild sex, I have nothing left in me. Every ounce of energy drained, I barely manage to pull the sheets over myself before sleep claims me.When I wake hours later, the room is dim, the soft glow of my bedside lamp casting long shadows on the walls. My body feels heavy, sore in the best way possible.And then I see him.Dimitri—freshly showered, fully dressed—sitting at my study desk, casually flipping through my books like he owns the place. Like he hasn’t just spent hours wrecking me.I prop myself up on one elbow, my voice hoarse from sleep. “Seriously? You had time to shower and invade my personal space?”He doesn’t even look up. Just smirks as he turns another page. “You were dead to the world, milaya.” His fingers trace the edge of a textbook. “Figured I’d entertain myself.”I groan, burying my face in the pillow. “You’re insufferable.”He chuckles, low and rich. “And yet, you keep letting me in.”That’s actually true.I shake my head and pull myse
[NADIA]“You’re here?” I say into the phone, clutching my books tightly to my chest as I glance around. “Where?”“Outside. Meet me when you’re done with your classes.”A wide grin spreads across my face, excitement bubbling inside me. “Oh, I’m done. And even if I wasn’t, I’d still run to you.”Dimitri chuckles—that deep, rich sound that always makes my skin ripple with want. “Can’t wait to see you. Come soon.”The call ends, and I quickly excuse myself from two classmates who wanted to discuss something about today’s lecture. Rushing down the corridor, I nearly bump into a few students, barely dodging them in my hurry. Thank God no one gets hurt as I half-run, half-speed-walk through the massive glass doors.And then I see him.Dimitri stands outside, leaning casually against his car, dressed in a dark suit that only makes him look more devastatingly handsome. His brown hair is styled just right, accentuating the sharp planes of his face, and those piercing dark eyes are locked onto m
The Ivan I know is strong. Unshakable. Even in the worst situations, he carries himself with a quiet, effortless confidence that makes you believe nothing could ever touch him.But the man lying in this hospital bed, surrounded by beeping machines and the sterile scent of antiseptic, looks nothing like that.His skin is pale, almost sickly under the fluorescent lights. His face, usually so sharp and alive, is slack, lips slightly parted as if he’s lost in a sleep too deep to wake from. Bandages wrap around his head, a stark contrast against his dark hair, and an IV snakes into his arm, keeping him tethered to life.A terrible, suffocating weight presses down on my chest.This is wrong.Ivan doesn’t belong here. He belongs anywhere but here.For a moment, I just stand there, with my back pressed tightly against the door, like it’s the only thing keeping me upright. My pulse thunders in my ears, and I force myself to take a step forward. One. Then another.I don’t know what I expect whe
[ANASTASIA]Ever since I woke up after the incident, I have been dying to see Ivan.But now that I’m standing outside his room—where supposedly he had been admitted—, I can’t muster up the courage to push open the damn door.I’m nervous. Terrified. And most of all, unsure.I don’t know if I’m ready to see what lies behind this door.I don’t know if I’m ready to bear the truth either.What if Lena wasn’t exaggerating?What if Ivan is….No! No no no no no. I can’t think of the worst now. I can’t break myself just by imagining what might not be waiting on the other side.I sigh. Swallow. And lick my lips.“What’s wrong?” Lena asks, whom I conveniently forgot for some reason.She stands behind me, probably waiting for me to just rush in.But how am I supposed to explain this hesitation now that I’m actually close to the truth? How am I supposed to explain that I have second thoughts for unknown yet obvious reasons?“I don’t know,” I sigh, wiping the sweat off my forehead, even though it’s
[ANASTASIA]The next time I open my eyes, I’m not alone.Lena sits next to my bed, her hand in mine, her eyes closed, as if she fell asleep while watching over me.For the first time since waking up from my so-called long slumber, I look at her carefully. She looks more tired than I’ve ever seen her. The wrinkles on her face are more prominent, the skin around her neck slightly sagging, and her hair whiter than I remember. It’s as though she stopped taking care of herself, as if in the past two months, she aged by decades.My heart clenches painfully in my chest, so much so that I can’t stop the warm tears rolling down my cheeks.I turn away, wishing more than anything to wake up from what has started to feel like my worst nightmare—the kind of nightmare I never imagined could exist.“Ana…?” Lena’s gentle voice pulls me from my thoughts. I turn back to her and notice how she straightens up, her eyes alight with genuine concern. “You’re awake. Do you need something? Water, maybe?”I nod
[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,