RosalynOne Week LaterI was a light sleeper. I blamed it on the trauma Ronan and Sean had forced me to endure when we were younger, when Father was away on business.I’d lie in wait, soaked in tears, clutching my pillow to my chest with one eye open because they could pounce out at any time to toss a toy insect on my bed or a real one, like Ronan did once.The slightest ruffle of the pillowy sheets, flash of light, sound of movement, or flutter of the silken drapes stirred me awake. The same happened when a chime on the nightstand vibrated with a hum. I snatched up my phone, groaning as I slid through the multiple notifications on the screen to fish out the message.I groaned, rolled my eyes, kicked my legs off the bed, and went to take a shower. The message was from Hannah: my best friendandbodyguard. She was waiting in the living room downstairs, and I wondered why.I’d known Hannah O’Conner for five years. She’d been nineteen while I was sixteen. She was younger and more vibrant, a
The urge to scratch his face or punch him in the nose was as overwhelming as the desire to run away from this horrible nightmare and not look back. I wanted death, and sometimes I wished I’d gone with Father that day.“I hate you, Ronan.” I resisted the urge to spit when his eyes twinkled mischievously.“Get her the fuck out of my sight,” he ordered Hannah, his eyes still holding mine, “and I don’t want to hear that anything went wrong. Do you hear me?”Hannah gave a curt nod, and he brushed past me, knocking my shoulder with his elbow. We both waited in silence until his steps behind us faded to nothing.****“I’m not getting that wedding dress.”She ran her fingers through her bob and smiled at me as we walked down the front steps. The air was warm, but the black gown made it feel like a hundred degrees. One of Ronan’s men pulled up in a Benz, got out, and handed Hannah the car keys before returning to his station.“He’s going to kill you, Lyn.”I flinched at the nickname and eyed t
NikolaiWhen the anchor mounted the podium and tapped on it, the microphone gave sharp, screeching feedback. The music and chattering buzz turned to a hush as other guests settled on the chair.“Ladies and gents, the Bercyna auction will be starting now,” came the brittle voice with a heavy English accent on the mic. The navy blue on his double-breasted suit gleamed under the light as he looked around the room. “As such, kindlyensure that you have your bidding boards beside your seat. We should already know that no individual here can place a bid without it. So, distinguished guests, the first item tonight is the Chandelier.”I flipped my bidding board. The number seventy-five was boldly printed on a white board in black. Anatoly smirked in the chair beside me and remarked on my consistency with the number at every auction event.Two blonde girls dressed in gold feather and sequin gowns wheeled out the piece from behind red velvety curtains. The Chandelier was a distorted painting of
“I’m surprised by a woman like you.”“A woman like me?” She appeared flustered. “Whatever do you mean?”“You’re bolder than the lot I’ve met. A woman who knows what she wants and doesn’t hesitate to go for it. I like that because I don’t hesitate. If I believe it’s mine, then it is, and nothing,no one, can stop me from having it.”She lightly tapped the window like a woodpecker would a tree. I flipped my head to the side long enough to catch the distant look in her eyes. In that sliver of time, she wasn’t the audacious bidder battling for a piece of art in an auction. The glimmer in her eyes dulled, and the smile on her lips wobbled.“I don’t know much about that.” She huffed, and before long, the façade was back. “We’re here.”We drove into a quiet estate, and I parked the car on the pavement by the front porch of a perfectly designed craftsman house with a touch of twenty-first-century modern style.I killed the engine, but neither of us made a move out of the car. Her fingers playe
I scoffed.Funny little thing.“My presence in this place doesn’t come cheap. And fifty thousand dollars is cheap. Quit beating about the bush.”Her silence was sudden, neither brooding nor final, and her eyes carried that longing I’d seen barely half an hour ago. She teased the tip of her hair between perfectly manicured fingernails and bounced the ball of her foot on the tiled floor.“Nikolai.” My name rolled off her tongue like a sultry tune and sounded unbelievably better than the last time I’d heard it. “I want you to kidnap me.”My eyes narrowed.This was the first time I’d gotten that kind of offer. Why would a woman willingly want to be kidnapped? The idea was as crazy as it was serious.I filled one of the glasses before handing it to her. Her fingers curled around the stem while I searched her eyes for a hint of sarcasm, or humor, or something that would indicate a trap.I found…nothing.She was as open as a blank canvas.That meant there were two things involved; she was eith
RosalynNo one said anything about the possibility of the tongue being a pain reliever. Maybe I could share that discovery because I was a firsthand witness that it was.Hiswas.The way he kissed me,tastedme, made me forget the reason I was so close to blowing over fifty thousand dollars that should have been for a wedding dress.Mywedding dress. The way he held and touched me dampened all the painful memories that drove me to my brother’s enemy to offer him a proposal that could destroy everything Father had worked hard to build.I hadnever, everbeen kissed like this.When he groaned into my mouth like a hungry lion feasting on delicious prey and drove his fingers into my hair like he sought solace, I saw the white puffy clouds through airplane windows and the brown, rich, earthen peak of tall mountains. He brushed the hair away from my shoulder and nipped on the tender spot on my neck, and my head fell back in bliss. I saw colorful meadows, daffodils, and sunflowers. I heard morning b
The clouds? The meadows? The sunrise?Those were jokes compared to the intensity of fiery furnaces, boiling blood, and hearts banging from heated passion. At least, that was what I believed this moment to be—this moment where I was trapped in time with a sinfully beautiful man who could be my destruction.My black mourning gown was pooled at our feet, laying still beside my lace bra while I stood before him naked with nothing but my hair for cover. Unlike most girls my age, I didn’t like thongs. They were most uncomfortable, and I thought Nikolai would mind, but he’d hastily tugged my panties down my legs, almost ripping them off before lifting me and placing me on the soft rug.His hungry gaze burned every inch of me, from my face and my pebbled breasts to the low-shaven mound between my legs. I wished I could see through the unreadable granite expression on his face to know if he liked what he saw.I wasn’t as tall as most of the girls men like himhungwith or curvy enough to catch a
No compliments.“I guess that’s safer.” I lay back down, breathing harshly, waiting in anticipation while he tore the wrap, with my eyes glued to the ceiling and white-golden lights. Then, I accidentally murmured, “Can’t believeyouwalk around with a condom in your pocket.”“Oh, but I do.” I could almost hear the sardonic smile in his voice. “Just in case some random sister of an enemy walks up to me to join her fora glass of winewith the proposal to kidnap her.”He might not have meant what I heard, but I heard it anyway. I practically threw myself at this man. And before I was given a chance to change my mind, he eased inside me.My nails flew to his arm, and I gasped at the same time he caressed my hip and muttered a tortured but satisfied, “Fuck.”He muttered more Russian under his breath, rubbing my hips, sliding his hand up to cup one of my breasts. His eyelids grew heavier. He moved his hips again, and his lashes fluttered before his eyes closed.“Fucking…good….”The penetration
I got up from the chair, walking past Arlo to the door as I watched them both. Like the colors of a rainbow, my brother had different sides. He had his days: good ones, bad ones, crazy ones, and bloody ones. I didn’t trust him to keep his cool with this foolishly brave girl. But fuck interfering. I wasn’t going to stop him.Whatever he decided was going to be her fate. She was his problem to deal with now.“Let him do whatever he wants. My only concern is those two.”“But Enzo….”“I’ll blow his fucking head off if it comes down to the worst.” I was unbothered, and I made sure he understood that.“You know what? Forget your fucking brother….” The Italian and Rafa were still at it. “You’rethe piece of shit, you crazy fuck! Who stands in the middle of the road with a gun anyway? My papa’s going to have your head for this!”“Boy, am I going to enjoy killing you. You called me a dog. Pleased to inform you that I barely bark; I fucking bite.” Theshinkechoed in the room, and silver pressed a
TimurI adjusted the gloves against my wrist and tossed the syringe to the floor while I watched the sight of them resting against each other,Pchelkaand her brother. They both had bloodied faces, but I was more concerned with the sunshine princess, whose golden hair had mingled with streaks of red. The other one, with dark eyes and a spitfire mouth, had her eyes shooting daggers at me, Rafayel, and Arlo.She’d woken up first.“I’ve heard a lot about you, Timur Yezhov, but none of those briefs warned me ahead of time that you’d be this dumb.”“I’m going to slice your fucking tongue off, bitch,” Arlo sneered beside me in Russian, but I raised a hand. There was no use spilling her blood yet. We had to hear more from her; then I’d decide if keeping her alive was worth it. Her feistiness was interesting to watch—entertaining, even. She was good sport.Jerking my chair closer to their huddled bodies, I propped my elbows on my knees, leaning forward. She didn’t even flinch. Cocking her head
Jayden shot me anare-you-serious-right-nowlook over his shoulder, still marching forward toward the pavement.“They don’t have Honda Odysseys,” he emphasized, like that wasn’t already obvious. “And they don’t do simple.”Then, he halted in his tracks, allowing me to step beside his huge frame. Taking my hands in his, he let me in, permitting me to see the fear in his eyes for the first time that night.“Look, Seri, I know this is not the life you planned for either of us. You’ll miss your kids at school, you’ll miss the house, you’ll miss everything. But none of us could have known what Dad did, the debt he owed. I promise we’ll sort out this messafterwe leave. Those goons can’t know we’re gone.”Sniffling tears, I nodded and pulled him in for a brief hug before we got to the car. Subtly, he knocked on the window three times. It was eerie, like a secret Morse code only he and the driver understood, and when the door opened and the driver walked up to us, I blinked in disbelief.The la
Serena“And you’re sure this is a good idea?” I asked for the hundredth time. And, again, earned a tired, frustrated growl-slash-sigh from Jayden.Upfront, he stopped walking and turned around with his flashlight pointed directly at me. I squinted, raising my arms to shield my eyes from the bright rays. We were in an abandoned dry canal—one I didn’t know how Jayden had managed to find. Dressed in a black hoodie with a backpack slung over his shoulder, standing at the center with that annoying flashlight, he looked like a villain—a teenage ninja villain.But it was just Jayden.“Take that thing out of my face, please.”I couldn’t see his face, but I knew my brother well enough to feel his vexed eye roll. He dropped the flashlight and turned his back to me, continuing his trek down the canal. Quietly, I shifted the knapsack on my backpack, following the sharp outline of his broad back as he trudged deeper into the swallowing darkness.“No, it’s not a good idea,” his voice echoed around
“Fuck! I almost had him,” Rafayel cursed, dropping his cards beside mine.“My apologies, but this is important. Level one shit,” Arlo said, looking anything but remorseful for interrupting our moment.I didn’t mind because I knew he had something—he always did.He stopped in front of me, flashing his phone toward me as if I could see the screen. A sly grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Got updates on the Skye siblings.”The Skye siblings.Truly, level one shit.“Good or bad?”“Somewhere in between. They barely leave the house. They’re scared. Real scared.”Satisfied, I approved the update with a nod. Of course, they were scared. They knew exactly what was coming and couldn’t run far enough. But Arlo wasn’t done.“But that young one,” he continued, his eyes narrowing slightly, “Jayden.”“The boy?”“He’s got eyes of fire. They know we’ve been watching and are gonna try to run. I see it.”I sat up straighter, grabbing the cards. “Then let them.”He paused, and Rafayel raised a ques
TimurRafayel dealt the cards with that familiar glint of mischief in his eyes, but his face remained calm.Clicking my tongue distastefully, I leaned backward on a chair, folding up my sleeves. We sat across from each other, the low rumble of thunder muffled in the background. It was supposed to be one of those rare moments when we had some peace, no business to deal with, no chaos to clean up—just a game of cards between brothers—until the clouds gathered.“It still bothers you, doesn’t it?”Rolling the cigar stick between my fingers, I trimmed the end with my cutter. “Sometimes.”“And the dreams?”I fixed the cigar between my lips, bouncing my feet up and down the rug. “Stopped about a year ago. Stop talking, and let’s play.”Fucking lying through my teeth. The dreams hadn’t stopped. Not since that night after I was literally tied to a chair and forced to watch one of my father’s techniques for truth extraction. The aggressive thunderclaps, the artistic splash of red on the walls,
Serena“Who were those men?”That was the first thing Jay had asked five nights ago after the unannounced visit of the men in black.Quickly, I’d wiped the tears off my cheeks with the back of my hands. My feet stopped moving, pausing by the counter. I was about to put the cake away, ready to chuck it inside the fridge, when he stormed into the house, confused, concerned, and angry at the same time.I’d wished him a happy birthday, but Jay didn’t care, not about the wish or the cake I’d spent hours baking. Instead, we’d spent the wee hours of his birthday talking about the Russian mafia and the debt our late father owed.We sat in the living room tonight, the same cloud of gloom and uncertainty hanging over our heads as more rain pelted the glass windows. He parted the curtains with his fingers again—for the fifth time exactly—and the view was the same: rain, dark, cloudy skies, billows of what appeared to be dusty wind, and a black truck with bright white headlights.“They’re not goi
“This…this is outrageous!” Waving the paper midair, eyes zeroed in on me, glaring with instant anger. “My dad died last year, so you can’t get anything from him.”“We are well aware of that because he stopped paying last year.” Eagerly, Arlo gestured toward the contract. “Read the last line.”She did.And she jumped to her feet, red-hot with anger. She was trembling with tears, the prickly pines emerging from within as she got ready to defend her home and her brother with everything. “No.”I sat back, assessing her while she faced my underboss.“Technically, yes. Oliver signed that contract.”“And I don’t care! You…you guys can’t do this. It’s evil. How can his debt pass on to his male blood relative? It washisdebt, and we knew absolutely nothing about it. Jay doesn’t know a thing. Please, I’m begging you. He’s only seventeen. He’s still a child.”“Child, my fucking foot. I cut a man’s finger off at fifteen. Your brother’s already fucked a woman, and you wouldn’t even know.”Realizing
TimurI sat on the couch in the dainty living room, Arlo standing beside me and Kristian and Vasili by the door. Everything was more her than Oliver: the colors, textures, and smell. She owned the space, and her composure and confidence were the indicators.Placing the basketball cake on the center table, she took the seat opposite mine, crossing her legs with elegance and chewing her bottom lip with her nerves all over the place.Raising her head, she looked me in the eyes—a sparkling pair of blue eyes that reminded me of the reflection of clear skies on the vast ocean. She was not tall, but when she squared her shoulders in a feeble attempt to appear fierce, her height edged upwards.“You claim that you’re my father’s friends, and yet, I don’t even know your names.”I shouldn’t have been surprised that she wanted an introduction. She looked like the type, anyway.“Timur Yezhov. Not exactly pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Serena Skye, given the circumstances.”“Arlo.” Arlo ra