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98: Four words
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Sweat rolled down Maksim’s temples even with the AC on. The tip of his shoes drummed into the tiled floors as he waited for the Mayor in the narrow hallway. The receptionist had directed him to this spot after calling Mayor T to confirm. Camilla had called the man yesterday before he left Sin City to book the appointment, and he had called him again this morning on his way here. He missed his wife, and it had only been a day. How was she doing?
The tote bag was at his feet, and his phone was in his pocket. He had to kill Viktor today. This visit to the Mayor’s house was the perfect cover-up for execution. Up ahead, a red light blinked at intervals. Security had searched him and the tote bag before letting him inside. He was alone in the hallway, seated on a cushioned bench lining the white wall. The receptionist told him the mayor was ready to see him, but ten minutes had passed without the man showing up.A door cracked open, and the mayor’s bald head poRelated chapters
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Darkness acted as Maksim’s cover as he slipped into the Petrov’s household. Was this the security they boasted? He dropped into the compound, his gait confident and soundless as he went to the door. This part of the house was quiet, and the hallway dark. His headlamp illuminated the route he took. On each side of the wall were portraits of the dons starting from Viktor Petrov to the first don of Nightfall Kings.The silence had him looking around to be sure Knox hadn’t tricked him. Reaching his destination, he removed the headlamp and shoved it into the purse strapped around his thigh. The injection was inside. His eyes shut in a brief prayer as he grabbed the knob and opened the door. Bright lines stung his eyes, but he quickly adjusted to them. Viktor was alone in the office like Knox promised.Piles of dollar notes occupied nearly every inch of Viktor’s table. Close to the edge was a money counting machine. Was the man doing his calculations hims
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 100: I adore you
Camilla watched the time like a mother hawk. Her husband should have showed up yesterday or even today, but he didn’t. All her messages were unread, and calls unanswered. To make it worse, he didn’t travel with Ivan this time, so there was no one for her to contact. She barely ate and the few sips of tea she took was because of Doris’ glare of disapproval.Where was her husband?A sob hitched in her throat as the big hand of the clock moved to 10. She should have convinced him to stay back. But how could a simple meeting with the mayor go so wrong? The surrounding books didn’t bring comfort but fear. She wanted more library dates with him. More reading dates.The knob jiggled, and she grudgingly shot to her feet to open it. Locking herself up here was the best bet. Doris worried too much about her, and she was feeling too queasy. If the housekeeper knew she had a flu, she would force her to stay in bed.Camilla opened the door. “Is h
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 101: Something precious
Camilla shut down at Maksim’s remark. He stayed quiet, waiting for her next move. As far as she knew, he went there for business. To see the mayor not murder Viktor. She tried to sit up, but he shook his head. He liked her down here, looking up at him, pretending to hate him. She was upset but fucking her had resolved that. “Oh my God. Since when?” Camilla asked. “Since when do you care? He’s dead. Who cares about the when or other details?” This time, she sat up, her eyes glossy. Was she crying for the old fucker? He deserved what he got. Later, he would play her the audio of his apology. That was if he hadn’t lost it. He had to hide his phone in the madness that happened after. Nightfall Hills were mourning their king, and the streets wept with them. Movements had been slow. Everyone who came in and left over the last few days were monitored. He wasn’t an exception. A rival in the same city as the day the man died? Suspicious. Thankfully, Mila and Knox were on
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 102: How?
Twenty minutes had passed since Alek left Camilla in the room. The edits were done. All she had to do was send the videos and pictures to him. On the condition he made it for breakfast. Seeing him had revitalised her, and she didn’t want the feeling to end.His world was so unpredictable. He said he would spend the day with her, but from her experience with him, something might come up. Resorting to cheap blackmails was uncalled for, but she had no option. She hadn’t forgotten his plans to send her away for a short period. So, this was one of their few chances to be together again.Waiting another ten minutes, she left the room when Alek didn’t show up. Over the last few days, she had gotten used to eating alone. Alek had been gone longer than a week in the past, but the ache that consumed her this time was different. As she sat for breakfast, her eyes skimmed the large meal scattered over the table.The Kalashnikovs knew how to treat their own, even
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 103: Gone
It was really Sofiya. Mama. This was her. Maksim brushed the tear that rolled down the corner of his eyes. Camilla was still on her knees. How did she get the pictures?“I can’t tell you,” she finally said.Maksim gulped. He didn’t want to ruin the progress they had made so far, but he had to know. Papa destroyed everything. The only memory he had was in his head. On some days, his mind played tricks on him. He couldn’t remember if she had jet black hair like him or auburn curls. The pictures showed it was jet black. He looked like her. Camilla tried to pry the phone from him. He didn’t release it to her but swiped on the next image to check for more pictures. Wow. They were gone. What happened?“It’s gone,” he cried out in despair.“Yes. You can only view it once.”She must be kidding. When had he ever put a restriction on her family pictures?“Tell me,” he snapped.“I can’t.” She stood, wriggling her fingers. Her reluctance was thick, but he didn’t care. He wanted to see Mama again.
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 104: You cheat
Plans had changed. And the first item on the list was to protect Camilla. Goal two, become Grand Sinner.Maksim had to do both of that before Viktor’s burial, which gave him eight days to get his wife out of here. Speaking of his wife, she giggled from the bed, her legs flapping as she read one of her cute books. She had been reading since they got here, and he had been busy with calls. He should be glad she wasn’t complaining, because he had barely paid her any attention.Her hair was tucked into a bucket hat and the pink bikini top called out to him. The rest of her body was hidden behind the scarf around her waist. When he stepped out, she had been in a dress. Just how long did he spend on his phone call? He drew closer to her, but she didn’t spare a glance his way. As he was about to tug the book out of her view, his phone buzzed in his shorts.“Fuck.”“Go,” Camilla muttered, without looking up from her book. “I
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 105: Me and you
So far, Alek had kept to his words. He had received zero calls since they both sank into their lounge chairs. The silence stretched between them, comfortable and palpable. Her eyes were on the book, but she had barely read a line since he sat.A shirtless Alek was even more of a rarity than Alek with his hair down. Today, she had both versions of him. He bent to open the cooler, and she licked her bottom lip slowly as the muscles in his arms and back stretched. Her nipples beaded in her bikini top, and she forced her eyes back to the pages of the romance story. It was a new to her author. Her mind drifted again as he straightened up and stretched his arms.“Do you take beer?” he asked.There was a bottle in his hand. He opened it with his teeth, tilting his head back as he guzzled the drink. The liquid trickled down the corner of his lips, and her body tingled. She crossed her legs, fighting off the urge to slide over his lap and lick him.Letting out
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 106: Someone important
Morning met Camilla tangled in the sheet. Her top bare, and the bikini bottom barely covering her ass. She stretched her arms, yawning. Her body was sore from the sex, and wait, how did she get here? The bed?They had been outside, talking late into the night. Where was Alek? She rolled to the other side, but it was empty and warm.Sitting up, Camilla traced the teeth marks over her boobs. Her husband was a beast. Her gaze briefly met her twin image in the mirror, and she shuffled to the bathroom.There, she rinsed her face and brushed her teeth. Her nipples puckered from the cold air, begging for attention only Alek could provide. She didn’t cover up even with the chill beach air hitting her skin. Grabbing a robe draped over the chair before the tall mirror, she donned it without knotting it at her waist or covering her sensitive boobs.The bedsheet was rumpled, with pillows strewn over the bed. Camilla fixed both, smiling at her handwork as she hopped out
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The Mafia’s Temporary Bride Epilogue (II)
Camilla froze. Her heart raced shamelessly, and emotions she thought herself no longer capable of feeling flooded her. This was their first meeting since he dropped her at KJ’s house. She should pry his hand off her, scold him, or leave. But she did none of those things. It had been months.God, she missed her husband so much. So fucking much it was hard to fully express the loss without breaking down in tears.“Alek.”“Cam.”Camilla’s hand dropped over Alek’s, and she knew the feeling was mutual. He missed her too. If not, he wouldn’t be here with flowers. Or here at all. Her tea was getting cold, but she didn’t care. The shop was empty, so she didn’t have to hide or pretend. She wanted her husband here.Operations didn’t start until 5. So she liked to have an hour of silent reading before the hustle. But she didn’t mind sharing her solitude with Alek. He was the only one worthy of shar
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 122: Epilogue (I)
The alarm on Maksim’s phone went off at exactly 3:45 pm. He shot to his feet and grabbed the bouquet of sunflowers on his desk. Outside the store, people went about their daily activities. But it was only a matter of time until his wife showed up.His wife.Maksim had never thought of Camilla as anything but that, though they had been separated for months. She hadn’t changed her mind about their ending. Not as if he had asked her. He lacked the courage to do that, so he had resorted to stalking her.That was how he knew her routine. That she would walk past this store and head to the coffee shop ahead of it in ten minutes. The man in charge of the shop would be late, but Camilla would wait. And when he finally arrived, he would apologise for coming late. It was the same routine over and over again with her. But with each day, she had grown less skittish and read more books.He couldn’t say if she still read romance, but she read a lot more now.
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 121: Our cliff (II)
“Safe. Sonia and the rest of the girls and women we found have been taken care of.” Maksim knew the man wanted something more, so he waited. Antony didn’t disappoint him by saying, “Some of our guys aren’t so happy Oleg had to die the way he did. So here’s what we will do—” “No deal,” Maksim interrupted. Antony chuckled, a hand going over his belly. “You haven’t heard me out.” He said nothing, and the other man added, “I’m guessing you don’t want to see this Sonia. I’m as curious as you probably are. Is that her real name? Why do you look so much like her? Why did Oleg keep her in such a place after she birthed the heir to his throne?” “What do you want?” “Nothing. For now,” Antony added. “But soon, we might need your help. If you agree, I’ll let you know where Sonia is.” Maksim dropped the file on the bench. It was still open, so he gazed longingly at the picture. He had lost Camilla and Doris, could he lose his mother? How was he certain it was her? His he
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 120: Our cliff (I)
The living room was quiet. Maksim and Christian sat on the floor. A few times, he glanced at the phone in his hand, expecting it to light up with his wife’s name. Things had progressed from bad to worse since the day she overheard his conversation with Vanya. Before that day she was only giving short replies, but now? She said nothing. A few people around him had suggested a change of location to help her mood, so now they were camped in Christian’s other apartment. It was located Nightfall Hills. But Camilla hadn’t reacted to the move, not even Doris’ appearance. He brought the housekeeper to cheer her up. Their relationship had improved. He wasn’t sure if those two spoke. But whenever he was around them, both women were always quiet. “What do you keep looking at?” Christian asked, snatching his phone from him. Maksim shrugged. His head fell back to the couch he was propped against. He wished for so many things he would never have. “She’s leaving me.” “How
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 119: Their home
Camilla was still asleep when Maksim left the room. There was a smile on his lips as he stepped out. He had to arrange pillows in a long line so she wouldn’t know he was gone. Christian called as he got into his car. At first, they had agreed for his wife to move to Nightfall Hills. A change of location, as was suggested by everyone and also get her closer to her family. With his enemies dead, she wouldn’t have to worry about her safety. But he wanted her to go home when she felt better, close to the version of herself he took months ago.The call lasted seconds. They would visit his friend but might end up not staying. He would have to ask her first. As he got closer to his destination, he pulled out his phone to call Ivan. Camilla was slowly getting better, and he needed to check on her. He had never left the house without informing her first, but he hadn’t wanted to wake her up this morning. She looked cute. He also had Ivan at home for emergencies.A
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 118: Babe
Alek was taking too long to get out of the bathroom. Camilla patted her foot on the floor. She had the option of knocking, but he would demand her voice. Talking still felt strange. While in captivity, she had gotten used to the silence. Her voice didn’t save her when those men had her on the floor. She had begged them to let her go, but…But what?A mental block paused her thoughts. The memories after that were too fuzzy. A blank wall she couldn’t get past. Something bad had happened. That was for sure, even if she didn’t know what it was now. The only person’s touch she could tolerate was Alek’s. Even Doris’ doleful eyes couldn’t get her to allow more body contact. Her body was revolting against something her brain and mind was stopping her from remembering.The baby was gone. Their baby. Alek hadn’t blamed her. He didn’t even mention it. That was supposed to be the surprise. The final addition to their ha
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 117: Progress
They could get another baby. If not this year, then next. The most important thing was Maksim had his wife back. Even if she had becoming unbearably quiet. Camilla was awake now. He could tell from how she pulled the cover over her shoulders.Maksim had tugged it down at night to hug her while she whimpered in her sleep. There was no conclusion on the rape. The tests for STIs had also come up negative. Dr Igor mentioned the absence of semen, but according to him, that could also be because of how long ago the assault happened. For now, they couldn’t conclude on if she had or hadn’t been molested. Only Camilla could answer that question for him.The blood was from losing their baby. A baby he couldn’t protect. Maksim stood by the bedside table, his hands fisted at his sides as he stared at the woman on the bed. She looked like his wife, but she wasn’t. She was someone else. A broken version. Her back was turned to him, and in his hand, he held a roma
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 116: For true evil
Couldn’t the car possibly go faster? Left to Maksim, he would have swam across the river, but that would have been a stupid move. How would he carry Camilla after finding her? Now he was in a car with Ivan behind the wheels. His driver had arrived while he was talking to the men.After today’s display at the house, he was sure no one would question his authority for a long time. Before their fear of him fully dissipated to be replaced by respect, he would fish out every single one that had partaken in Camilla’s disappearance and eliminate them from this earth. If that was the only thing he would do as a Grand Sinner, he was completely fine with that.Maksim had never thought of himself as good, even the time with Camilla hadn’t changed that view he had of himself. But the incident of this morning had revealed he had the capacity for more. For true evil.The car slowed as they reached a lonely path. The road was rocky. Trees lined each side of t
The Mafia’s Temporary Bride 115: Baby (II)
If Maksim wasn’t going to listen to Doris at all, the use of his full name had grabbed his attention. She had never called him that. That being said, she stormed out of his sight. Baby? Camilla was pregnant? She wasn’t one to keep secrets from him. Not ones as huge as this. Think, Mak. Think.Wait. She promised to give him a surprise when they reunited. Was that it? No. No!Rage penetrated Maksim’s frame. On his feet, he went to their room. All plans to wait for Dmitri’s reveal dissipated into thin air as the housekeeper’s words danced in his head.Baby.Their baby.He lied to her.He promised to protect her, and he didn’t.In their room, Maksim grabbed two guns and attached silencers to them. For every of Papa’s man he met on the way to his office, he put a bullet in the centre of their forehead. Bodies fell around him. He had the element of surprise and silence for the attack. By the time he arrived at Pa
