Nikolai spent years pulling himself away from the Russian mafia. While those connections still existed, they didn't rule his life, nor mine. However, I couldn't forget the life I came from or the home I'd been born in.If they were still alive, my parents were certainly living under the control of the Bratva back in Russia. For that reason, I owed Nikolai and Annika my life. They took me away and gave me a life worth living.And I massively fucked up by killing Dax.Knowing that my actions saved Rhea, and to a lesser extent the other dancers, I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. Rhea was mine and no one else would ever own any part of her. Not Dax, Luca, or anyone under the Genovese umbrella.Nevertheless, this world Jameson tried his best to keep me away from was one of merciless revenge. I'd taken mine by killing Dax and now his family wanted theirs. Because of my actions, I'd become a target. As my wife, Rhea was too.In the days since returning home, I'd worked relentlessly on
RHEA'S POV (Content Warnings: Blood, Miscarriage Mention)That night, Aleksander's embrace lulled me to sleep. After a relaxing shower together and a stomach full of good food, he took me into his arms and played with my hair until I passed out. It didn't take long for dreams to steal me away lately. I began snoring as soon as my head hit the pillow.In the late-night hours after I'd fallen asleep, a visceral wrongness descended upon me.Startled awake by an instinct that something happened to me it was still happening. Perhaps it was only the beginning.Exhaustion fled my body as icy panic flared within my chest. Whatever it was, my eyes snapped open to the heavy darkness of the bedroom. A blanket of shadows blocked out any light from illuminating my path, which let me know the hour was late.My limbs scrambled to get up from the bed. Shoving at the blankets tangled around me and rolling away from Aleksander's heavy frame. He groaned in his sleep at the movement but didn't wake. I w
Time moved in an odd blur. One minute I'm in the bathroom with Aleksander helping me put clothes on and the next I'm standing by the front door as he tugged one of his old college hoodies over my head. His lingering scent filled my nose and despite the situation, I enjoyed his tenderness. It kept me grounded."I called a driver to take us to the hospital. Are you okay to walk to the street and get the car?" Aleksander paused with one hand on the doorknob. My lips parted as my brain worked on remembering how to speak.Thinking better of it, Aleksander shook his head and jerked the door open. "I'll just carry you." His powerful arms swept my feet off the floor in the next instant. Cool night air blew over my face as he carried me into the night.An unmarked black sedan waited for us on the curb. With the heavy tinting on the windows, I couldn't make out the driver. At this hour, it wouldn't be Antonio. I would have preferred his smiling face right now.Effortlessly, Aleksander cradled m
ALEKSANDER'S POVIf God had a sense of humor, it was certainly a cruel one.The timing couldn't be worse. Paired with the bone deep fear for my wife's safety at seeing so much blood on her legs, I wasn't sure how I was functioning. Not only was the Genovese family on our trail, but this additional factor also impeded her safety.While I was confident that I could handle the Italians, this was something I had no control over. Another wrench in the plan that I couldn't fathom the depths of. How could I protect Rhea from this? A technician arrived for the ultrasound moments after we received the results. Rhea wasn't speaking much in her stunned state, and I couldn't blame her. I didn't know what to say either."Implantation bleeding is simply a byproduct of the fertilized egg attaching itself to the uterine lining. It's very common and usually isn't a sign of any problems," Dr. Alexander further explained."Usually isn't," I repeated. The weight on my chest prevented me from drawing in a
It ripped a chasm open in my chest to think of this massive news driving us apart. I held onto my crumbling nerves until they slipped from my grasp."Have I done something wrong?" I blurted.Startled, Rhea froze. A long exhale deflated her body, and her shoulders fell. Her head angled enough to watch me from the corner of her eyes, still rimmed red."What?" she exclaimed. Her brows lifted higher with each second that I didn't answer. She dropped her arms from her shoulders to curl them protectively over her abdomen. "No. I'm just sorry that this happened. It's my fault. I got so swept up in the wedding planning I forgot to take my pills.""Rhea," I gaped at her.She turned, fully facing me. Tears spilled over her eyes, flowing down her cheeks as she rushed to speak again. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen.""You have nothing to apologize for, baby."She spoke too quickly to hear me. Instead of stopping, she barreled over my words. "I really am sorry, Aleks
RHEA'S POV One whirlwind after another. One blow after another. Each time dragging me deeper and deeper into the arms of despair. Falling, sinking until the darkness swarmed over my head and I saw no light, no inkling of how to pull myself back up from the depths.My night started in pitch-blackness and blood. It ended in tears as the dawn crested in golden light over the horizon. A despondent ache carved a hole in my chest with pointed claws, wicked and sharp. Each slash cut deeper until no heart remained within me.We arrived at the Makalov mansion as the brilliant globe of the sun peeked over the city-line. Streaks of crimson cut through the rich blue morning sky. It mimicked whatever madness I felt inside of me.There was blood in the water, and I'd find no rest among these sharks.Aleksander left me in the room of his childhood. A room where he fucked me on the bed before dinner with his family. Now where he intended for me to stay for God knows how long.During a heart-wrenchin
Curled up on the bed, an empty shell of myself, sleep found me. A fitful sleep, riddled with nightmares and dreams swelling with doubt. Even in slumber, tears stained my face, and every other breath came as a sob.It must have been close to noon when a soft rapping on the door startled me awake. Bolting upright, my eyes frantically scanned my unfamiliar surroundings. The knocking on the door continued throbbing through my aching head as I woke up to reality.The door cracked open before I could part my dry lips."Rhea?" Annika's low, crooning voice filtered into the bedroom. Garbed in a vibrant red dress, she swept into the room without an answer. Her hands fluttered to her immaculately made-up face when she found me disheveled in the center of the bed with puffy eyes. "O, moya khoroshen'kaya devochka."In the long months since meeting Annika, we'd grown close. When I'd suffered an injury after Aleksander's last assistant pushed me down a flight of marble stairs, Annika had come nearl
Once upon a time, the Makalov family prospered in Russia. My father, Ivano Makalov, and his younger brother Nikolai worked for the Bratva throughout their childhoods and teenage years. Their hard work paid off with each dirty task or gruesome job they completed.Stella knew of my father's and mother's failures in raising me and the squalid conditions we landed in after my father's fall from grace. It was horrifying enough that when Nikolai returned from a business venture in America; he whisked me away from my parents. Most of that time turned dark in my mind and I couldn't remember the severity of the situation.That's all my dancer needed to know. That my father peddled drugs in Russia and impregnated one of his clients. I couldn't stand the thought of telling her about my father, high on his own supply, skimming off the top, and stealing money from the Bratva. All those things put a target on Ivano Makalov's head.Nikolai successfully started up a business after ten years in Americ
EPILOGUE RHEA'S POV Three wonderful years came and went. Each one became a new chapter in my life that I'd never forget. I couldn't when I had otherworldly love pouring through me every day. More than I ever thought I'd experience in my life.Trudging through the grief of losing so much family ate a hole in my heart. Aleksander came along and slowly threaded the chasm together, healing me with each delicate touch and sensual kiss. An unlikely love formed from that illicit contract, and through turmoil and pain, we forged our story.Glowing, floating on top of the world, I swept into the kitchen. A delightful buzz from champagne left a rosy flush across my cheeks. I poured myself a glass of water, listening to precious laughter drifting from upstairs as I did."Rhea!" Annika's excited coo made me whirl around from the sink. I came face to face with her, waving her red nails, gesturing for a hug. I stepped into her arms. Annika shimmied against me. "How did the event go?""It was great
The technician broke the silence first. "Your chart says that you're estimated to be about eighteen weeks along. Is that correct?""Yes," Rhea swiftly answered. Her smile widened. "The size of a bell pepper this week.""That's right," the technician chortled. She glanced between the three Makalovs in the dimly lit room. One hand clicked a button on the ultrasound keyboard and the monitor flickered on. With the probe hovering over Rhea's navel, she asked, "Are you interested in knowing the gender?"Rhea's throat bobbed. Her fingers twitched in mine. Simultaneously, we locked gazes. It was an important question, and one we hadn't discussed nearly enough."I'm going to love them, regardless." Her bottom lip trembled as she studied my face. "As long as they're healthy.""Do you want it to be a surprise?" I whispered in my wife's ears alone. Leaning closer, I nuzzled into the side of her face. "Whatever you want, baby. Just say the word."Despite her nerves, Rhea giggled. She turned her he
ALEKSANDER'S POV A month passed, and we returned home.Keeping my promise to Rhea, I relinquished the reins over to Nikolai to close the loose ends with the Genovese crime family.My aunt and uncle understood and approved of my wish to keep my hands clean for my wife's sake. Nikolai didn't bat an eye when he proclaimed the Genovese would accept a deal and leave our family alone if we did the same.Antonio recovered from his injuries from the car accident. After two weeks in bed, he returned with renewed vigor. The incidents of that day wounded his honor, and he stated he needed to make up for it. As much as I argued, he needed to take time away. He continued showing up in uniform.Rhea had a checkup with her doctor. That was an appointment I wouldn't miss for the world. I held her hand through the follow-up tests, using her as my lifeline through the stress. I'm sure I was the same for her.The thumping sound of a heartbeat lifted a weight off my chest. Rhea cried from the sweet tast
Keeping one hand on his cheek, our lips a hair's breadth apart, I hooked my other arm around his neck. Chest to chest except for his hand on my breast, I breathed my promise into him. "I love you, Aleksander. Forever."A relieved shudder rushed through his body from head to toe. The stuttered sigh past his lips tickled my mouth. I repeated my vow to him, again and again, accompanied by each primal thrust of his hips. "I love you. I love you. I love you."Lush warmth blossomed in the center of my being. It rose from a taut coil in the depths of my core. All at once the carnal pleasure of Aleksander making love to me exploded through my body, rushing in waves from between my thighs to each of my limbs.Quaking against him with searing pleasure wracking my body, Aleksander couldn't hold back. My pulsing cunt forced him into the throes of his climax, following the heels of mine. He painted me from within, claiming me in the salacious way that I enjoyed.He caught my cries on his tongue, s
He seized me in his hands, tenderly stroking them over my fevered flesh. I didn't notice when the gloves came off, but I savored the sensation of his skin on mine. Aleksander explored every dip and curve of my body as if discovering me for the first time.His scruff tickled my throat as his lips tasted me from my chin to my collarbone. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and Aleksander grabbed my hips. In one swift motion, he lifted me off the floor. My legs curled around his waist.The stiffness of his growing erection slipped against the wet center of me. A groan escaped from his mouth into mine. We shared a brief moan at the sweet moment of friction.Aleksander's lips clashed with mine in a passionate frenzy. He moved forward, marching us under the hot spray of the shower. We didn't stop until my back met the tile, crushed between the shower wall and Aleksander's perfectly sculpted frame.I grasped the back of his hair in one hand, tugging slightly as Aleksander's teeth nipped at my
RHEA'S POV Every ounce of my consciousness slipped from my grasp the moment Aleksander freed me. While all the world moved around me, my thoughts stayed still within the pit of darkness consuming my mind. My awareness stayed on my pulsing veins, coursing with cold blood and the rough pounding of my heart throbbing through my limbs.Each breath cleaved through my lungs, strained and burning. Only the heat of Aleksander's hand on my arms kept me on my feet. He was my anchor to reality during a turbulent car ride, and as he swept me through the blinding lights of a semi crowded lobby.A hotel, I thought, somewhere downtown. My eyes couldn't focus on anything, from the onlooking strangers in the shadows to the overly bright glow of opulent lighting. Aleksander and Nikolai's hushed voices brushed against something inside my head. I knew they were with me, but I moved on autopilot.My body floated on a cloud. Up an elevator. Several turns down hallways that felt like a damn never-ending ma
Men screamed. Blood and brains splattered the walls and floors as they went down.A figure popped out around a corner. I fired one shot at his head, and he descended to the ground like an axed tree falling in a forest.Another came behind him. Too close to shoot from afar. My left arm shot out and blocked his. I used the momentum to force his aim up. My opponent shot and missed, bullets lodging in the ceiling. With my left hand, I pointed the gun at his stomach and fired two rounds.The last shot went into the side of his skull as he stumbled to his knees. Then he dropped like a stone on the filthy concrete.An arm emerged at the end of the corridor I passed through. I pulled the trigger, yet nothing left the chamber.Regardless of my unloaded pistol, I grabbed the arm in front of me. One twist of the wrist forced his weapon from his hand. The gun clattered away on the floor.The man grunted. When I jammed the butt of my gun into his face, breaking his nose, he screamed. As he fell, I
ALEKSANDER'S POV Nikolai burst from the front doors of the Makalov mansion. I followed hot on his heels, rushing toward the line of awaiting cars parked around the massive fountain at the end of the driveway.The very last thing Nikolai and I expected was to receive a call from an anonymous contact who worked for the Genovese. Someone in their organization vehemently opposed a potential war. Enough to give away Luca's location.Rhea was the one thing in this world I wanted more desperately than my body needed air. Luca Genovese stole her from me. Now betrayed by his own, I would take his life.The fiery glow of dusk settled itself over the horizon. A brisk wind whipped up the edges of my coat. My fingers twitched, itching for a cigarette to relieve my bristling nerves.Leaving Annika safe at the mansion, I joined my uncle in the backseat of the first car. Personal guards accompanied us. All well-trained and armed with the same pistol I carried.Savage anger writhed like a serpentine
"I'll handle it." The snarky response pulled me from my thoughts. Then the door at my back pushed open with a grating creak of metal on metal. I slammed back into reality, where I sat handcuffed to a chair in some semi-abandoned building.Every breath I took burned my chest. My body tensed with the fear running in my blood. As Luca's shadow rose ominously over the opposite wall, I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move a muscle as each sinister thump of his shoes carried him closer.Luca appeared in front of me with an eerie aura. His disturbing grin slashed wider upon finding me alert.I tried maintaining my gaze at first. He lasciviously ogled every inch of me with a malicious sneer, twisting his features. The threatening glint in his eyes forced my gaze down to his expensive leather loafers crunching on bits of broken glass beneath us."You're finally awake," Luca announced, cocking his head to the side. "The accident was unfortunate, but I didn't think your driver knew any defensive ma