And just like that, life barges back in. “I’ve got to take this,” Dmitri says as he stands up. “I might need to leave the hospital for a while, but I’ll be back. I promise.”As he walks away, I sigh and close my eyes. I just hope he’s safe.I open my eyes again,blinking against the hospital’s harsh, white lights. The steady beeping of the machines, the smell of antiseptic—yep, I’m still here. My body protests as I shift slightly, everything feeling heavier than it should. But before I can fully process anything, there’s a loud pop that nearly makes me jump out of my skin.I whip my head around, almost giving myself whiplash, only to see Viktor standing there with a ridiculous bouquet and an army of balloons.“Welcome to the land of the living.” He grins, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Sorry about that. One of the balloons popped.”I sigh, trying not to laugh, and watch as he awkwardly ties the balloons to the bedpost, the roses unceremoniously dropped on the bedside table.“Hey, sis,”
DMITRIOne.Two.Three.Boom.Watching the warehouse go up in flames is satisfying. The kind of satisfaction that seeps deep into your bones. The crackling wood, the thick smoke curling up into the night sky—it all feels like a cleansing, a purge of anyone foolish enough to betray me. It’s the kind of catharsis only fire can provide, a reminder to the world that Dmitri Orlov doesn’t just make threats. I deliver.“Is this the last one?” I ask, not tearing my eyes from the inferno as Leonid steps up beside me.“Yes, boss,” he says. “I just got word from the others. Two of the sites had some resistance, but it was handled.”Resistance. Pests. That’s what a once-powerfulpakhansyndicate and an Italian Mafia gang have been reduced to.Handled.Good. It’s the beginning of the end for anyone who thinks they can move against the Orlov family. If this doesn’t scare them, the fire will finish what my reputation started—reducingeverything they built to ash. And if that still doesn’t do the job? I
I slip in quietly, the sound of the shower masking my footsteps. I place my hand gently on her shoulder. She jumps, gasping, her wide eyes locking onto mine as she shakes her head.“You scared me to death, you brute.”“I would’ve brought you back to life,” I murmur, my voice low, possessive, as my fingers trail up to cup her chin. I tilt her head back, making her meet my gaze, my mouth hovering just inches from hers.Her lips part slightly, and my tongue flicks out to trace the seam of her mouth, teasing, a soft, needy sigh escaping her.There’s nothing gentle in the way I look at her—nothing soft. I’ve been cold, ruthless, dangerous all my life. But with Ana, there’s something else. Something more.My control frays at the edges every time she’s close, and tonight, I don’t intend to hold back.I deepen the kiss, cradling her face with a hand and pulling her close with the other. Her body is soft, as usual, and warm from the water cascading down.“You’ll get wet,” Ana whispers.“Mm,” I
ANAWell, here I am, standing outside the house where I grew up, feeling like I’m about to walk into a minefield.The door swings open before I can chicken out, and suddenly, I’m surrounded by Papa’s minions—I mean,associates. God, I’d forgotten how creepy it is when they all stare at you.Maria, our housekeeper—and let’s be real, probably the only sane person in this place—gives me a sympathetic smile. “He’s in his study, Miss Ana.”Great. Papa’s lair. Where dreams go to die and organized crime goes to thrive.I take a deep breath, straighten my shoulders, and march toward certain doom. Okay, maybe I’m being dramatic, but after months of radio silence, what else am I supposed to think? If it weren’t for Viktor practically begging me to come, I’d be home binging Netflix and pretending I don’t have a family.I knock twice, push open the door, and there he is—Nikolai Petrov, criminal mastermind and emotionally unavailable father extraordinaire, typing away on his laptop like he’s just a
DMITRIThe door to my office swings open, and I can’t help but chuckle mirthlessly at the sight of my unexpected visitor. Nikolai Petrov, in the flesh. How quaint.“I never would’ve expected Nikolai Petrov to grace my humble abode,” I drawl, sarcasm dripping from every word. “What brings you to my office?”He approaches my desk with the caution of a man who knows he’s walking into the lion’s den. “May I sit?”“Sure.” I shrug, feigning nonchalance. “You came all this way. It would be rude for me not to offer you a seat.”As he settles in, I fold my arms, giving him rope to hang himself with. I have a hunch this has something to do with Ana and their so-called reconciliation, but I trust Nikolai about as far as I can throw him. Once a traitor, always a traitor.“I came to apologize,” he finally says.A scoff escapes me before I can stop it. “For what? Stealing from my father? Threatening to usurp me from a position that was rightfully mine? How about for neglecting your daughter? Pick o
ANASeeing my father twice in one week? It feels strange after months of radio silence. We’re suddenly doing the whole father-daughter bonding thing.Color me surprised.“Dochka,” Papa says, arms open wide. I hug him back, but it feels about as natural as a fish riding a bicycle. How exactly does one hug the father who’s been MIA for months?He plants a kiss on my cheek, all misty-eyed. “I didn’t know how much I missed you until you left that day.”I resist the urge to roll my eyes. “Why didn’t you call then?” I ask, channeling my inner Yelena. “You could’ve asked me over for dinner, you know.”Papa sighs like he’s auditioning for a soap opera. “I wasn’t sure if you’d forgiven me. I wanted to give you time. Be less overbearing.”Right, because ghosting your daughter is the epitome of being overbearing. “I see,” I say, biting my tongue. “So why the summons now? And please stop using Viktor as your messenger pigeon. I have a phone, remember?”He offers an apologetic smile that doesn’t q
But I can see that Papa’s rage has blinded him. It’s doubtful Dmitri will fall for his ruse, whether I play a part or not. If Papa tries to kill him, Dmitri won’t spare his life. And if there’s even a small chance Papa succeeds, I could lose the man I love. I’ll lose Papa too because Dmitri’s people will come after him.Either way, I’m caught in the middle of a war I never wanted to fight. A war that will never end.Some days, I really wish I’d just become a librarian or something. At least then, the only thing I’d have to worry about is late fees.I take a deep breath, trying to appeal to whatever shred of fatherly love might be left in him. “I’m happy,” I plead, feeling like I’m talking to a brick wall. “Can’t you see that I’m happy withhow things have turned out? Why can’t you just let sleeping dogs lie?”But the look in his eyes is pure venom. If hatred could be bottled, his would be top shelf. “I was insulted,” he spits. “My dignity and self-esteem were stripped from me. I’m not
DMITRI“What’re you doing here?” I ask, unable to suppress the smile that spreads across my face as Ana appears in the doorway. It’s a reaction I’m still getting used to, this involuntary warmth that floods through me at the mere sight of her.She approaches my desk with a secretive smile, one hand hidden behind her back. “Is it weird for me to come see my husband?” she says, but I can see right through her attempt at nonchalance. Something’s definitely up.I’ve noticed she’s been off for the past four days, ever since she came home late that night. I didn’t push then, it was clear she didn’t want to talk about it. But now…“It’s not weird at all,” I say, rising to meet her. I take her in my arms, kissing her tenderly. We’ve been gentler with each other lately, mostly at Ana’s initiation. I find myself craving these soft moments more and more.She’s been coming home early, making dinner, insisting we all eat together. It feels almost like courtship. The thought both thrills and unnerv
NikolaiFive Days LaterRonan 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 driving for
In a heartbeat, he dove in, launching an attack, kissing me harder and rougher than before. I released multiple groans into his mouth, working his buttons faster, my head swaying from the impact. He put one arm around my back to steady me and skillfully unhooked my bra with the other. Aggressively, I peeled off his shirt, and at the same time, he tugged my bra off.My breasts bounced in freedom, and he took a nipple in his hot mouth.“Yes.”I sighed, throwing my head back. My fingers found purchase in his hair, and I ran my hand down the length of his back, feeling a subtle ache grow in my chest. I knew I would rarely ever get such opportunities to feel him.Stars blinded my vision when he sucked hard, kneading the soft mound in one hand and flicking his wet tongue over the pebbled peak in his mouth. This insane rush of pleasure should have felt wrong, but it was quite the opposite. When he raised his head, he lay me back on the bed and parted my knees with one strong move of his hand.
One look in his eyes told me it was intentional. He was trying to get me in the mood to strip for him.“And all I wanted to do was shock you.”He laughed at my lame comeback, and I wanted to bite my tongue because I found even his laughter sexy.What is wrong with me?“Let’s do something.” He stroked the small of my back and tipped my chin higher up so I felt the warmth of his breath when he spoke. “It’ll be like a game. I will kiss you, and to prove that you don’t want me, you have to ask me to leave. And if you don’t ask me to leave, I’m going to fuck you hardwithouta condom.”I swallowed, and heat prickled at the back of my neck. Anyone with a brain knew he was setting a trap. I had a brain. Iknewthis game was fixed for his wins, but that tiny, relentless voice, nudging me to prove him wrong, made me nod. “Whatever.”“So, a deal then?”“Deal.”Smirking, he cradled the back of my head and pressed his lips to mine softly. The kiss was so gentle at first that my lashes fluttered shut,
Wasn’t he supposed to be at work or something?His amused gaze met mine after he locked the door behind him, padding over to the television to turn it off.“Clever you.” His thumb lingered on the remote button before he dropped it and turned around. My body tingled in awareness when his eyes ravenously swept from my head, past my bare stomach, and stopped at the aching spot between my legs.I blocked his view with my arms, trying to shield my partial nudity. “Um….” I averted my eyes. “I deserve some privacy.”He cocked his head to the side, a smirk forming after he licked his lips.“Why so eager now to put them back on when the intent was to have them off in the first place?”“Excuse me?” I had to act offended that he blatantly accused me of trying to seduce him when it was, in fact, true. “Why would I do something like that? This is my room, is it not?Although temporary, I believe I have the right to do whatever I want here, and that includes stripping whenever I deem fit.”“Hm.” He p
RosalynOff goes the scrunchie.Dua Lipa moved on the flat screen while “Levitating”reverberated on all four corners of the room, and I followed, shaking my waist and flipping my hair like a prisoner who could see the sun again after a hundred years of captivity.Off goes the shirt.Her pitch soared, and I threw my hands in the air, bringing them down in a spiral motion, dragging them down my strappy, low-cut bra, allowing them to linger on the waistline of my flared jean pants. I paused, my lungs heaving like I had run a marathon, my heartbeat thumping against my ribcage as Lipa dropped the climax of the song.Rewind.This striptease plot initially started with a revenge plan borne from a bubbling pit of frustration. To get back at Nikolai, of course. His betrayal still stung like the bite of ten jellyfish—not like I’d ever been stung by one before.But it stung, nonetheless. I wanted to get back at him, to make him know what it felt like to be left hanging at the edge of a cliff with
NikolaiTwo Weeks LaterTimur rubbed his hands with an arrogant smirk and pulled his chair closer to the table. His eyes lit with the unmistakable glow of a victor in an aggressive match. I scoffed, rolled up my sleeves, and adjusted the tilted angle of the chess board. We hadn’t even started yet, and he already looked like he held the trophy.“Why do you always set yourself up for defeat?”The sound of his laughter was just as I was used to—rich, haughty, and young. He ran a hand over his buzzcut, tilting closer to inspect the game that was yet to begin. “Are we doing this or what?”“Definitelyor what.” I pushed his head back with two fingers and positioned my elbows on my knees. “You just never get tired of losing. I used to love it—your silent way of respecting that I’m the boss—but it’s grown to be tiring.”“I bet five that Timur’s going to win today,” Anatoly piped up on the black velvet sofa at the corner of the office. He touched the tip of his thumb to his tongue and flipped a
“I helped them bring you here.”A turbulent of strong emotion crashed against the walls of my heart and threatened to drag me under. Was it disappointment, anger, betrayal, orrelief? I couldn’t tell, although the tidal waves seemed like all of them.“You helped them bring…?”“Don’t be slow, princess. Aiden works for me, and by doing that, he has to continue working for your brother.” When I glared at Nikolai, he cocked his head to the side and bounced the heel of his shiny leather shoes on the carpet. “What?”I ignored the handsome backstabber and faced Aiden. Looking at him made me want to cry. He’d always appeared so innocent yet fierce. I couldn’t say it was unusual to peg this type of atrocity to a man like him. On the contrary, men like him, Nikolai, Ronan…they lived for these kinds of tousle. But, deep down, in the recesses of my heart were….I may or may not have had the smallest crush on him while growing up.I thought he was one of thegoodones.“So, you’re…a spy?”“About a week
RosalynI woke up with a start, my eyes fluttering open to the darkened room. I barely slept for hours. My mind raced with thoughts that deprived me of rest. The weight of my actions bore down on me like a physical force, crushing my breath and making it hard to breathe. Every inhale felt like a struggle, like I was trying to suck air through a narrow straw, my lungs burning from the effort.It wasn’t the look on Ronan’s face that haunted me.Damn Ronan.I hated him from my core. No, it was Father’seyes, his words, his legacy. All haunted me now. I had done the unthinkable, the unforgivable. I had betrayed everything he built, everything he stood for. If he saw me now….I threw off the soft beige covers and got out of bed, pacing back and forth in the spacious room. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease, of danger lurking around the corner. Nikolai’s words when he showed up at the church unannounced, his actions that veered off the original plan, they al
Nikolai“We both know that these things are easier to put on paper. Executing the task? Now, that’s where the real work starts. It took lots of effort. Thanks, man.”“I know. I still don’t want it.”Anatoly grinned at the blond and threw a side glance at me over his shoulder. “Saints like this are pretty hard to find now, Niko. We should keep him.” The folded brown envelope bounced on and off his chest as he turned to pick a filled tumbler off the table. “At least accept the drink.”“I’m not thirsty either.”“Definitely a saint.” Anatoly chuckled and threw the envelope on the table, collapsing on the sofa to help himself with the Vodka in the glass.I rubbed my knee, crossing one leg over the other, and raised a brow at him. He didn’t budge, maintained a poker face, with his arms clasped behind his back and his legs spread only slightly apart. He looked like a soldier in the army, dressed in a suit and reporting for duty, not a thing out of place.“Just take it, Aiden. You deserve it