Nikolai Five Days Later Ronan didn’t care much for his sister; that was understood. But he’d been publicly humiliated in his own territory. Knowing him as well as I did, that should have been enough to spark an irritation that would propel him to come after me. He never really allowed sleeping dogs to lie, so it was surprising that the past weeks had been met with nothing more than cold silence from his end. Aiden said he’d refused to discuss the incident at the church and kept mute since. But I knew the Irish mutt probably better than anyone did. Years ago, I’d spent months studying the asshole. He was not going to let it go. And if Aiden was unaware of his plans, it meant he secretly plotted to take me out. I tapped my steering wheel and adjusted the rearview mirror. The flash of a Mercedes bumper reflected through the mirror, and a smile tugged at the corner of my lips.Surprise, surprise.It was almost as if I had manifested the situation and was now living it. I’d been drivi
RosalynTwo Days LaterWe chose this place for one reason: It was the last place anyone would look for us.The air was thick with the scent of mildew and decay and the distant sound of raised voices and blaring music from the neighboring apartments. This was the kind of place people kept their heads down, where no one asked questions—old apartments in dilapidating suburban areas.I moved over to the grimy window, pushing aside the tattered curtain to gaze out at the bleak landscape. It was nothing like the view back at Father’s house or Nikolai’s, but it would have to do. The streets were lined with crumbling buildings, and the sidewalks were cracked and uneven. It was a place where hope came to die.Hannah joined me at the window, her shoulder brushing against mine. I didn’t think I’d taken the time to thank her for being here. Almost everywhere I was, if I was being honest.I sighed, my voice barely above a whisper when I asked. “This is it, huh? Our new home.”She nodded, pulling o
NikolaiTwo Months LaterAnatoly dragged the unconscious man on the floor, leaving a thick red trail across the room to a chair placed by the wall. He dropped the hefty man on the seat like a sack of weighty potatoes and crouched to his knees to tie him up. The man’s bloodied head lolled forward. Anatoly shoved it back with a grunt, impatiently working the knot on the twine.Leaning back in my desk chair, my eyes caught and narrowed on the fancy desk calendar. One of Timur’s weird gifts before his quick trip back to Mexico. The date, in small black serif fonts, glared at me.Two months.She’d been gone for two months, and there was no word. Nothing but silence. I secretly commended her for being able to maintain a low profile for that long. Honestly, I didn’t think she had that stealth ability in her. Even some of the men had grown weary of keeping an eye out for her. The routes had been closely monitored since her escape, but there were no traces that she had made any attempt to leav
Silence.Then, more heavy breathing on the speaker and quick-paced movement of shoes. He was moving with an urgency that could only mean one thing.“Ronan knows.Everyoneknows. One of the men walked in this morning with the verification of the news that his sister had escaped from your custody two months ago and hadn’t been found till date. I’m not fucking sure how he even got the verification in the first place, but Ronan is mad as hell and has set his men loose like dogs on a search.”Fuck.With a sudden burst of energy, I stood, sending my chair scraping backward, and grabbed my phone. Anatoly was right behind, snagging the car keys before we both headed out the door. Aiden was still speaking, trying to provide coordinates of her last sightings, most visited locations while she lived with Ronan, and possible places where she could be. Then, he paused.“Are you going to do something about finding her, or should I?”We approached the Tesla, but my feet stopped moving. Aiden remained o
Casting another tired glance at the half-empty cabinet, a sad smile touched my lips. We had a lot to restock and a very limited budget. Restarting our lives in a new city would cost more than just dreams and hopes. Our savings were drastically running low. Although we planned to get a job, I knew it was more likely for Hannah to land a better opportunity faster than I would. I had no work experience,andI carried a child.Lifting the bowl, I took the spoon to my mouth, munching on the crunchy cereal as I moved back to the tiny space we’d make-shifted to a living room if I could even call it that. The power was out—one of the bills Hannah had to settle today—so I reached for the fan on the table, and a knock came on the door.I dropped the fan, looking toward it.Deep down, I wanted to believe that it was Hannah, but an eerie silence followed. For our safety, we’d come up with a security phrase that we both used for identification when either of us were on the other side of the door.He
“Nothing I don’t already know.” He sucked on his teeth and looked around. “It’s funny that you think you’re in any position to demand anything. I mean, considering the dunghill you’re currently living in, it’s sad to see how far you’ve fallen from the top to the bottom, sister.” I scoffed. I shouldn’t have been surprised to know he deluded himself. My teeth jammed so hard that my head throbbed. “That’s where you get it wrong,brother. Living with you was the bottom. Thisdunghill,as you call it, is the top.” I didn’t see it coming. In a lightning-fast move, his long legs eliminated the distance. His hand closed around my hair like a noose, fingers twisting into a merciless grip. He yanked me down with savage force, slamming me onto my knees. My scalp screamed in protest as he ripped out strands of hair, the pain searing like a branding iron. My vision blurred as my face smashed into the cold floor, the impact shuddering through every bone. I caught the daze of horror on Aiden’s
NikolaiI stared out the passenger window, the lights reflecting from the tall city buildings blurring together and creating flashing white rotating circles through the windshield as Anatoly navigated the streets. My mind raced with every possible scenario, but my eyes kept drifting back to Aiden’s message on my phone.“Ronan took Rosalyn to Nova Clinic, 5th and Main. That’s all he says.” I re-read the text for the tenth time, searching for hidden meaning.Why Nova Clinic? What would he take there? Even if there was the slightest possibility that she’d been sick and needed medical attention, I could bet two of my properties that Ronan would have left her to die. He’d just find another way to extort funding from Tristan—or better yet, some other asshole to extort from. Ronan always made sure he never fully ran out of options.“How much longer?”My patience wore thinner than a used-up thread. I didn’t understand it—the overwhelming feeling to get to her as soon as possible. Like an itch
“We’re playing the offensive.”“Fuck, yes!”Like me, he maintained his composure, sticking one hand in the pocket of his pants as he gunned down one…two, threemen. Only bringing out the fist when necessity demanded that he lay a punch.I refilled my magazine and laid two bullets in one man who thought he was big enough to swing a fist at my jaw. The fist connected, but I swung an arm, knocked him out, and made sure he never saw the light of the day again. Eager to march inside the building, I advanced forward toward the entrance, shooting down every man who was nothing but a hindrance and leaving the fight behind for Anatoly and the other men to handle. I’d barely gotten to the entrance when Ronan emerged through the screen doors, aiming a gun at my head. Aiden followed after him but made a motion with his hand, signaling that he was going to make himself scarce from the scene.The hate in his eyes screamed no mercy, and I knew he was going to pull the trigger.I swerved to the right,
I never considered myself a saint, but growing up, a part of me hated it when Jayden called the Lord’s name in vain. I was uncomfortable with anyone doing it, and because it felt wrong, it made the hairs on my neck rise, so I’d caution him. But now, I felt nothing but satisfaction as I watched Timur—not hate or caution…justsatisfaction.His gaze faltered, and he leaned against the wall, tugged down the zipper of his pants, and—in a blinding flash—he pulled out his—“Put a finger in your pussy for me,Pchelka.”I couldn’t concentrate, not when he offered me a full big-screen-worthy view of watching him wrap his hand around his veiny hard-on.“Serena.” His commanding voice and the huskiness, combined with the sound of my name, brought me back to focus.On its own accord, my finger moved towhere I badly ached for him, and, like the first time, I slipped inside through my slickness. An involuntary moan left my lips, and my eyes fluttered, but he didn’t even give me a chance.“Eyes on me.”
Through my reflection in the mirror, I watched my cheeks flush a deeper shade of scarlet, and my body tingled in excitement. I didn’t even know when I laughed out loud.What are you thinking, Serena?And yet, despite the million and one reasons I had to desist from taking any step closer to the bed, one reason posed to be the most convincing, forcing me to abandon thoughts about right and wrong until I lay my back on the soft mattress, spread-eagle style:I missed him.“Oh, Serena.” I heard the nerves in my voice and pinned my eyes to the smooth ceiling above me.Clutching the sheets with one hand in a vise grip, I spread my legs wider. The cold air hit my skin, causing goosebumps to rise, and I turned toward the window, only realizing now that a rainstorm had picked up outside. I should have shaken off the stupid idea that brought me to the bed in the first place, got on my feet, and moved to close the shutters. Instead, I pulled the bed covers over my legs and lowered my back into t
SerenaFingering the hem of my dress, I stared at the soft fabric and looked back at the mirror. Blue eyes met mine, golden hair poured below fair shoulders, and I blurred out the image of soft curves and bare hips.Countless times, especially in high school, I’d been called a prude.It wasn’t true. Or maybe it was. I didn’t squeal or gush over pictures of slippery hard abs or full naked men as they did or swooned over R-18 magazines they snuck into class. I couldn’t remember ever being a big fan of nudity, not even where I was concerned. I just didn’t know how to…reactto provocative images or thoughts.Sad, but needless to say, it contributed a lot to my not having many friends.I shook my head in an attempt to get rid of the distracting thoughts. Then, I stared again at the mirror.Throughout everything I’d been through in recent times, I was still me. I was the same person who watched her parents break apart, the same girl who had to step into the shoes of both parents to cater to
TimurThe dreams should have been the first sign. After I noticed that they’d been gone for more than a week, I should have known. Thinking about it now, I almost couldn’t remember the artistic red splash on the wall or the face that owned those lifeless eyes. A new kind of nightmare haunted me. This one was a living nightmare, with perfect lips, perky tits, blonde hair, and blue eyes. Saying I was screwed wasn’t even going to cut it.Fuckedbetter suited the context, and it wasn’t helping that I suddenly remembered Nikolai’s question.Why didn’t I sell her off, leave her in the sea of sharks to feast on? Then, I wouldn’t have to deal with fighting off the provocative images and sounds from my mind that I’d practically guided her to plant there. Her well-being wouldn’t be my fucking business; none of her would concern me. But simply, the thought sent a violent fire that spread up my back, forcing me to straighten up on the chair.My gaze on the desk hardened, and I directed my anger tow
The mirth in his eyes disappeared, replaced by an inferno of undiluted desire. Without looking at me, he recited the third piece of our own secret mantra.“Have me.”The tip of his veiny erection—which was very hard and big—rubbed against my sex before easing into me. My eyes fell shut, shock waves rolling down my body as I tensed, my walls clamping around him.“Fuck…” he cursed, a smooth roll of Russian pouring from between his lips. Almost resisting him, I clenched down on him so tightly, struggling to adjust to his full size, and his jaw flexed. He caressed my bare ass, muttering incoherently in his foreign accent while he squeezed gently.Finally, with gritted teeth and holding back a drop of tears, I relaxed.He watched me, his eyes boring deep into my soul as we moved together. I felt my world shift. I was aware of every gasp, every sigh, every flicker of pleasure that danced between us. I surrendered to the fire that burned brightly within, trusting him to guide me through the
He was all man and no emotions, with a very inviting chest, a chiseled torso, and a mouth that held back nothing. Whenever Jayden cursed, it sounded dirty, but the same words pouring out from this man sent tingles to my toes.Nodding, I gulped. “I understand.”“Want me.” His fingers brushed my cheeks so lightly as his eyes stared into the depth of my soul. “Have me. Need me.Those are the only things I want you to think about. I’ll handle the rest.”Want me.Have me.Need me.I was already breathing fast, and my clothes were still on.This moment between us reminded me of the first time I had welcomed the sixth graders to class. Only now, he felt like the teacher and I, the new student. And this was like class.He was going to handle the rest, he said. All I had to do was immerse myself in the waves of tumultuous passion for thisman, whose gaze licked the length of my body as though it were a delicious lollipop.“Are you okay now?”Startled, I looked back at him, rattled on my rocker t
Then, the moment came.As his lips brushed softly against mine, the kiss was gentle, almost reverent. In that fleeting moment, I felt the wallsof my heart begin to crack, and I wasn’t sure at the time, but something in me wanted more.****We went into the house at separate times for a quick shower and a change into something smoother. Klavdia practically had to force me out of the room when all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep the rest of my life away.He had some of his people set up and organize one of the large halls in the house to be decorated. Before now, I didn’t even know such a chamber existed in the same building, and slowly, it started to sink in, what Klavdia said about being the lady “…of all of this.”I could hardly believe it as I stepped into the grand ballroom. It was jaw-dropping magnificent. The air was thick with the intoxicating blend of expensive cologne and the sweet aroma of floral arrangements. Russian laughter—if there ever was such a thing—and mu
SerenaI didn’t like it.Not the dress, the tears. They just kept rolling freely, and Klavdia had already warned me to wipe them off and not ruin my makeup. Somehow, she reminded me of my grandmother. She died of a stroke when I was six. I didn’t remember much abouther except that she was low-key stuck-up, had long white hair, and never smiled. And she gave great advice, like telling a six-year-old, “Whatever you do, don’t get knocked up before you get married.”Needless to say, years later, I didn’t have to do much to follow that advice.Klavdia seemed like the type, too, but I doubted that we’d ever get to the stage where we’d share bits and pieces of our lives over cups of tea and biscuits, and I’d get to know if she had grandchildren.She also said I wasn’t supposed to let mysoon-to-be husbandsee it. He’d already made it very clear that he found tears sickening.Carefully dabbing the tears off under my eyes, I fixed my mascara and eyeliner, aiming to reappear brand new, like a gif
TimurThe air buzzed with the familiar energy of drunkenness, wasted lives, and ecstasy.The club lights pulsed low, a hum settling over the crowd as we made our way through the reserved spot with “VIPs ONLY” dangling beside the plush red ropes. The place was high-end and sleek in design, with black marble, plush leather seats, and a bar that stretched half the length of the room. Neon blue lights traced along the walls, flashing a glow that glinted off the glassware and tinted everything a cool, metallic hue.One of Rafayel’s contacts owned the club.I nodded, assessing the bubbling life. Not bad.My brother’s laugh cut through the bass-heavy music, and I turned in time to see him share a handshake with Arlo, both of them already in high spirits. I didn’t need either of them to tell me; they’d probably made some stupid bet on something I wasn’t going to bother myself about.Nikolai followed close, his gaze scanning the room—a man with more restraint these days, but still, he’d undoub