A broken heart is the most perilous thing in the merciless realm of organized crime. Elara Vetrova never imagined that one visit would set off a sequence of betrayals that would cost her everything when she goes to the hospital to check on Leo Volkov, the strong and cold mafia kingpin and also the ex-lover of her sister. Recently involved in a near-fatal automobile accident, the volatile leader is released before she shows up and vanishes without a trace, leaving only questions and a terrible sense of abandonment. Elara finds her boyfriend, Dmitri Baranov, locked in a private hug with her sister Mara, at home. Especially as her family ignores her suffering coldly, the betrayal cuts more deeply than she could have expected. Elara's mother leaves her feeling more alone than ever before since she values family relationships above everything else and shows no reaction to her wrath. But when the dangerous Leo resurfaces in her life—unwillingly dragged back into a world of secrets and vengeance—Elara finds herself in the middle of a lethal game forced to face the demons of her past. Elara has to choose who she can trust between her broken family, a forbidden romance with the guy who still haunts her nightmares, and a deadly conspiracy endangering her own life—and if she is ready to risk all for a second shot at love.
View MoreElara’s POV"You’re going to regret this, Elara," he seethed.I glared back. "Get in line."Leo covered us as we rushed toward an escape. Just as I reached the door, I peered back—Mara hesitated, appearing torn."Mara!" I shouted.She swallowed hard, then followed.We broke into the night air, rushing for the SUV parked a block away."Get in!" Leo ordered.We barely slammed the doors shut before he sped away, tires roaring on the tarmac.My heart was still racing. My hands wouldn’t quit shaking.I turned to Mara. "Start a conversation. These days.She did not look at me.Mara!She inhaled and sucked. "Elara, I had nowhere to choose from. Dmitri is the owner of me.Leo laughed. "That's a darn handy justification."She gasped but did not object.I started to tighten my hands. "For what duration?"Mara gasped. "A year."Over me a cool wave passed. "a year?"She said yes. "Elara, I got in hot water. I bargained with Dmitri to guard you. He left you alone if I worked for him, he told me. T
Elara’s POVYou are not obliged to do this.Leo's voice was tight, his grip strong on my wrist as if he could physically stop me from walking into the storm we were about to unleash.My pulse thundering, I wrenched free. " I'm not sprinting. Not with Dmitri. Not drawn from this struggle.His jaw contracted. "This is more than simply a struggle, Elara. It is a war. You believe Dmitri sent that email merely to intimidate us? He left already.My stomach turned, but I spoke steadily. "We then strike back."Under his breath, he muttered and ran a hand over his hair. "Damn it, Elara; you do not grasp—"Then make me understand! I snapped and pushed him to look at me, walking closer. "Because I refuse to sit in the shadows while you risk everything alone."His chest surged and dropped as his irritation collided with the heat flickering between us. At last he said, his voice hoarse and low, "You're too important to me." "I won't let go of you."I gulped hard, emotions stranding around my neck.
Elara’s POVOn the trigger, Mara's fingers quit. I'll shoot if you go one more step.I choked hard. "Would you?," asked?Still quiet.Her hand trembled just for a split second.And it was all the required assurance.Though she had always been frigid and manipulative, Mara was not a killer. Not in reference to me specifically.Dmitri also noted it.His delighted look veered toward something worse."She won't pull the trigger," he said, sneering. But I will.Time slowness.Dmitri pulled his rifle.Leo pushed me back behind him.Still another shot rang out, deafening and breaking through the darkness.I was startled.Leo stumbled."No!," I gasped.Blood in particular. His blood. Staining his shirt. A red bloom spreads too quickly.Leaving one knee down, Leo grabbed his side.Though she hadn't fired, Mara's gun was shaking now. She stood still.Dmitri moved forward, gun still trained toward Leo."You ought to have stayed out of this," Dmitri said, sounding nearly casual. But you have to p
Elara’s POVMy bones sank with a frigid coldness. Then what are our next steps?He bent forward, laying his forearms on the table. "We head for the docks. But not just by themselves.I scowled. "The said message—that is,""I know what it said," he added, interrupting. But do you honestly think I would let you leave there without backup?I let out a sneer. "Leo, should they spot someone else, they could kill you right away."His lips drew into a grim smile. Then I suppose I will simply have to be invisible.I started to blink. "You seem to have a plan."always. His eyes sparkle. And you are going to believe me.The air smelled strongly of gasoline and salt, and the water lapped gently against the wooden piers. Every shadow seemed to be a pair of eyes waiting on me.My heart hammering as I approached the meeting point, I moved slowly, deliberately.Then I turned to see her.Mari.With arms crossed, she stood close to the edge of the dock, her face invisible.I paused just a few feet apa
Elara’s POV"Mara, kindly put the gun down."My heart was slamming against my ribs but my voice was steady. Standing a few feet away, my sister clutched a silver pistol as natural born with it in her hands.She laughed. “Why? Does it frightens you, Elara?Leo moved in front of me, his hand hanging over his own rifle, his body stiff. What the hell are you doing, Mara?Tara should be asking you that, Mara replied, tilting her head. "Playing hero and running about with Elara, avoiding Dmitri's troops. It's very lovely, honestly. It will not save her, though.My gut turned whirl. "You are handling Dmitri." It was not a matter of inquiry here. The revelation knocked me like a fist to the stomach.The smile of Mara grew more pronounced. You were always the slow one.I thought the ground underfoot had vanished. The one person I considered trustworthy—my own sister—had been fooling me all this whole time.Leo's mouth closed. This thus was your entire strategy all along. To turn over Elara to
Elara’s POVLeo hissed, his fingers tightly around my arm as he dragged me into the dark alley, "Don't say another word, Elara."I yanked my arm free and whirled toward him. "What is your issue?," I snapped, my voice cutting, my chest heaving from the turmoil we had just escaped."My Problem?" He moved forward, his blue eyes almost ablaze in the low light. "Your problem is you almost got yourself killed back there because you think you can take on Dmitri's men without a plan!"Ignoring the stifling heat between us, I poked a finger into his chest. "You are not allowed to lecture Leo! About what we were walking into, you did not exactly warn me!"And you believe that to be acceptable to dive into the crossfire?" His voice grew and for the first time I could see actual terror in his eyes. "If you deny me, I cannot protect you.""I never asked you to shield me!” I shot back, even though the words felt like a lie the instant they left my mouth.For a minute, we just stood there, our heavy
Elara’s POVHissed, glaring at Leo as we stood in the conference room's corner, "Tell me you didn't just plan this entire thing behind my back."He leaned against the edge of the table, his sharp blue eyes fixed on me. He said just, "You're angry," his voice shockingly calm."Angry?." I spitted. "You mentioned little risk, so I consented to this meeting. But I'm caught in your mess while Dmitri's men circle like vultures!"You're not stuck," he said, coming forward with easy grace. "We have any leverage at all thanks in large part to you.""Use?" Though tension flared in the air, I shot back, keeping a quiet voice. Leo, you are not a pawn. And I most definitely do not represent your leverage.Leo's jaw hardened, his usually lighthearted smile replaced with something darker, more severe. Elara, you are not a pawn. Whether you like it or not, though, you are now in this struggle. Dmitri cannot stop. He has demonstrated that rather clearly.I ran a hand through my hair and breathed stron
Elara’s POVFear's cold, metallic taste swept across my mouth as the masked man's words resonated around the room, smothering all hope. then you both die.The weight of the phrase hung thick and suffocatingly against my chest. A consistent cadence of fear, my pulse hammered in my ears. But within the anarchy of the circumstances, I could hear Leo's breath next to me—deep, consistent, like he was the only solid object remaining in this craziness.Trying to calm the growing panic in my chest, I tightly grasped his palm but it was insufficient. My eyes strayed to the man wearing the mask, seeking to decipher his intentions, but his posture revealed nothing that suggested his next action. He was cool, under control, and at that one instant he possessed all the power."Leo," I said, hardly able to control the words. "What do we do right now?"His palm tightened around mine, his words a deep growl felt through my very bones. "We battle." Our fight has always been constant.I could see the f
Elara’s POVThe gloom felt like suffocation. My breath was shallow and rapid, my heart racing as the world turned black. Every sound sounded magnified: the subtle shuffle of bodies moving in the dark, the distant echo of fast footsteps, my pulse's quick hammering in my ears. We seemed to have been sent to a world in which everything was in continual motion but nothing made sense and time did not exist.I reached out instinctively, my fingers stroking something solid—Leo's arm. The contact anchored me enough to remind me that we were not alone in this. But I could sense the tightness in his muscles, his body coiled like a spring almost poised to break. His presence warned as much as comforted.Leo?" I murmured, my voice quivering slightly in the strange quiet."I'm here," he said, his voice cool but tinged with the same discomfort I sensed. "Keep close." Try not to make any noise.I nodded, not sure whether he could see it in the darkness. I was clueless about what this new degree of r
Elara’s POV Although I had never visited this hospital before, just now it felt all too familiar. Everything appeared to reflect the chilly indifference of the world I was born into—the white walls, the distant buzz of fluorescent lights, the faint whispers of staff strolling past. Though Mafia life had advantages, it also had drawbacks; I had always loathed the coldness around it. Here I was, though, standing at the emergency room's threshold, clutching sweets and flowers in a plastic bag, trying to somehow make the visit less embarrassing. About Marko Kuznetsov, I conflicted emotions. Indeed, he was the ex-sister of mine and indeed, he was a dangerous man in every respect. But there was something about him that made me pity him. Not the merciless monster my relatives depicted him to be. Though no one ever bothered to find out, he had also suffered. "Excuse me," I began, attempting to keep my voice steady as I went forward to the front desk receptionist. Here I am to see Marko Kuzn...
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