NatalyaI swallow hard, trying to get my anger in check before Mikhail notices. "Do you know who is behind the blackmail?"Mikhail shakes his head. "No, but Lev is on it.""Is it wise to trust Lev with that information?" I ask."I didn't tell him what the blackmail was, other than the fact they want your engagement broken."I set my hands on my hips. "I thought you said it was a provisional agreement."He clears his throat. "Well, now it isn't anything. We can't risk our grandfather learning the truth."A fact I know all too well, considering I've done everything Alexander has asked to ensure he doesn't. It grates against my last nerve that he would approach my brother directly and threaten him with the same information. This is between me and Alexander, and no one else.A sickness pulls at my stomach as I wonder if he got what he wanted from me, and now he's turning his efforts to my brother instead. God knows what he could ask for to keep quiet."How do you know the blackmail will s
So much for time away from Natalya.I watch her from afar as she walks down the street alone. It's surprising that Mikhail allows her to wander the streets alone when the tensions between the mafia organizations in Boston are almost as high as they are in Chicago. Her driver dropped her here, and I watched as she gave him a wave and then turned south down the street. A wave of vicious protectiveness sweeps over me. If Natalya was mine, I'd ensure she had a bodyguard wherever she went.I shake my head, wondering what the fuck is wrong with me. Five days I'd been home in Chicago and I was going out of my fucking mind. It was boring as hell and Hernandez was driving me crazy already, lecturing me on my duty to the family. I have no duty to the Estrada Cartel. I'm not in line to inherit, so I don't really give a shit about any of it. All I want is to finish my senior year and head down to Mexico. My home. The place I never should have left.And yet my uncle wants me to make political alli
"Here you go, one latte," the woman says, returning to the table and setting it down in front of me. As if she notices the frosty atmosphere, she clears her throat. "Are you alright, Nat?"Natalya meets her gaze and smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "Yes, I'm fine, Cynthia. Thanks so much."She nods, but doesn't look convinced as she leaves us alone."On a first name basis with the help, huh?""I've been coming here since I can remember with Mikhail. She's always been kind to me.""And why is it your mommy doesn't live in Boston?"Her eyes flash with anger as her back turns as stiff as a board. "Because she's a coward."I raise a brow, knowing that ever since Natalya's father died, her mother has lived in Russia. After all, I've done my homework and know all there is to know about her family."Is that right?"Natalya sinks her teeth into her bottom lip and shakes her head. "It's none of your business."I grab her hand from across the table and squeeze. "Everything about you is my
Alexander pushes me against the wall roughly, his hands moving over every inch of my body as if he's desperate for me. "Have you missed me, nena?"I glare at him over my shoulder. "No."He chuckles, the warmth of his breath teasing against my earlobe. "I'm not sure I believe you.""Let go of me," I say through gritted teeth, as he teases my hardening nipples through the fabric of my shirt."Hmm, I don't think so," he murmurs, hand moving beneath my shirt.I gasp as he pinches my bare nipple beneath the cup of my bra, sending a zing of need right to my core. "Alexander.""That's what I want to hear, you begging me."I clench my teeth together. "I'm not begging.""Sure sounded like it to me." He presses his body flush against mine, pushing me harder into the wall. "Do you feel how hard I am for you?"I groan, his cock solid between my ass cheeks. Even with my pants on and his, I can feel the heat of him."I'll take that as a yes." He reaches around and unbuttons my pants.I should try t
Alexander places his free hand and over my mouth. "I said be quiet, nena. Or do you not know how to be quiet when I'm fucking you?" He sucks on my earlobe, the sensitive flesh tingling. "Is it that good, Natalya?"I swallow hard and nod as my eyes roll back in my head.Alexander thrusts his finger in and out of my asshole in tandem with his cock, driving me toward the edge so damn fast I'm surprised at how well I keep control of the sounds I make.I bite my lip so hard I draw blood, but nothing matters at that moment. The mindless need to be fucked and come is overwhelming, as if it is taking control of my body entirely.Alexander is a bastard, but I can't deny that ever since the night of the winter formal, I've hardly been able to think of anything but fucking him.My vibrator is getting more action than ever, and yet every time I come nothing comes close to what he made me experience that night in the old ruins."Fuck," I breathe, as he moves his free hand to my clit and rubs. "Ale
Uncle Hernandez ushers me into his office, eyes narrowing."Is everything okay, uncle?"This isn't the first time since winter break started that he's forced me into his office with no explanation."Your grades have slipped this year. What's going on?"I shrug. "Does it really matter what grades I get at The Syndicate Academy?"His jaw clenches. "It's does when I pay one hundred thousand dollars a year." He bangs his clenched fist on the desk. "I want those grades back up to where they were or we'll have some serious issues."I clench my jaw and nod. "Yes, uncle." As always, I'm forced to bow to the Don Hernandez, and I'm sick of it.My father is pathetic and weak and tends to Hernandez's every will and desire. It makes me sick to my stomach. I hate my uncle almost as much as I hate my father, because in my eyes he was complicit in my mother's death.They're both self important assholes, and my uncle is a disgrace for ever standing by my uncle after what he did. A flashback of that ni
The plane is already on the runway when I arrive, the doors still open, but it looks like they're getting ready to leave.I launch myself out of the town car and sprint toward it, knowing I'll never forgive myself if I miss this opportunity. The opportunity to say my peace and goodbye to the woman who loved me like no one else ever has. I swallow hard, pain clutching around my heart. I miss her every single day.Running across the tarmac, I get to the steps just as they're about to remove them. "Wait! I need to be on this plane."One guy raises a brow. "And you are?""Alexander Morales." I glance up the steps to see my uncle appear in the doorway, and acrid hate coils through my gut at the mere sight of him."Let him on."The men stop removing the stairs and I bound up the steps two at a time, struggling to draw in enough oxygen."Talk about cutting it fine," Uncle says, eyes narrowing. "I didn't think you were coming."I glare at him, knowing that despite how much I hate him for what
Without another word, I get into the back of the town car awaiting us and stare out of the window.Uncle joins me and we make the silent ride toward the city center graveyard, where my mom was buried.I didn't get to attend her funeral, but I know she was buried in the family plot, even if she was a traitor."Does the rest of the family know she was a traitor?" I ask, glancing at my uncle.Hernandez nods. "It was Pablo who learned the truth. He had her followed to confirm his suspicions."I clench my jaw, realizing that if it was Don Pablo that found out about his mother's treachery, then there was nothing Hernandez could have done to save her.I fall silent and watch the scenes of my home town rush past the window, feeling an odd sense of nostalgia as places I recognize rush past.Places I'd been with my mom and dad before everything went to shit.It takes a ten-minute drive until we arrive outside the ornate, wrought-iron gates of the cemetery. A cemetery I visited weekly with my mo
Archer holds my hand as we pad barefoot through the sand, the sun just setting beyond the horizon and casting a warm, orange glow over the beach.Natalya's wedding was beautiful. And even though I still can't believe she's married the man that tormented her for years, I'm happy that she is happy."It's beautiful, isn't it?" I ask, stopping to watch as the sun dips slowly lower.Archer smiles at me. "Shall we sit down and watch?"I nod in response. "Sounds good." I sit down in the sand and he sits behind me, placing his legs on either side of my thighs and his arms around my waist. "This is nice," he murmurs into my ear.I lean back into him. "It is.""Did you enjoy the wedding?" He asks."It was beautiful, even though I still can't quite believe that Nat ended up with Elias after he was such a bully."Archer moves my hair to the side and skims his lips over the back of my neck. "Is it any different to you being with me after I blackmailed you?"I stiffen at the reminder. "Not sure it'
Motherfucker.I search the closet for something to pick the bedroom lock with. If Archer is facing my father and his goons, then I need to be by his side.Another shot echoes through the air, making me tense. I work even harder to focus on the lock, knowing I need to get out of this room. Finally, the lock clicks and I'm thankful I took the class on safe breaking two years ago when it was being taught.Quickly, I run out of the room and down the corridor, hardly thinking about what I'm doing.My heart skips a beat when I see my father and Archer standing outside of the window, each pointing a gun at one another. "No." I rush out of the cabin without a second thought. "Stop!""Adrianna," my father growls, pointing the gun at me. "What the fuck are you doing?"I freeze at the other end of his gun, knowing that he would without a doubt shoot me dead. "I'm not coming home to Mexico," I say.He growls. "Like hell you aren't.""I don't want to be married off to some mobster.""No, you want
I pull my jeep off the main road in the middle of nowhere, driving down an unmarked track. It may be secluded, but I know the path to this place like the back of my hand. After all, I spent just under two years living up here in my cabin.I notice Adrianna shudder."Are you cold?" I ask.She shakes her head. "No, this place just gives me the creeps.""The creeps?" I never thought of it as creepy."Yeah, like maybe you are actually a serial killer and this was your elaborate plan all along."I laugh, shaking my head. "You have a wild imagination." The woods open up to a clearing where my cabin is, and it's not just any old cabin. It's modern and sophisticated."Wow, do you own this place?" Adrianna asks.I nod. "I bought it when I needed to remain low while my family was looking for me." It was a difficult time in my life. One fraught with loneliness and a little too much alcohol, but this place saved me. "It's actually how I met Oak. He owns a cabin near to here and we met while we we
I approach Adrianna, who is standing with all her friends. My nerves are fried, mainly because I'm practically kidnapping the princess of the Vasquez Cartel. Thankfully, I saw Damien Vasquez leave ten minutes ago in his armored SUV. I'm pretty sure he hardly even said a word to Adrianna after the ceremony.I clear my throat. "Adrianna, can I have a word?""Stil not giving up?" Natalya teases.It's clear no one knows about us among her friends, except for Azira, and that was my fault.She meets my gaze and nods. I can tell from the look on her face that she's just as nervous as me. "Sure."I nod toward the exit of the hall and she follows me out of it."What's up?" she asks, as I lead her into an empty classroom and shut the door."I just wanted to double check you are all set for the plan?"She nods. "Of course. I'm packed, only essentials and no tech.""Good. And your father has gone. I watched him leave."She purses her lips. "I don't even know why he bothered to come. He didn't say
My father is standing at my door half an hour before the ceremony."Hey, Adrianna." He looks at my outfit. "You look well."I swallow hard. "Thanks for coming." I glance down the corridor. "Where is mom?"He shakes his head. "Your mother couldn't make it."It hurts a bit, I must admit. Out of the two of them, I'd expect my mom to be here over my father. She may not have ever been emotionally supportive, but she's always been a little less cold than him."Oh, is she busy?""No, but I don't enjoy traveling with your mother. You know that."I clench my jaw. "I know that." He doesn't like to travel with her because he likes to pay hookers whenever he stays away from home. The man disgusts me, but my mother isn't much better. Their marriage is a sham, and it has been all my life. Exactly what I want to avoid by escaping, as that was my future. My mom was married by arrangement to my father, hence the toxic relationship between them."Shall we get going then?" I say.He nods. "Lead the way.
Adrenaline has been racing through my veins since I woke this morning.It's sickening, but today is the day. Graduation is this afternoon and then all my friends and I will go out to celebrate. My father agreed to my plan and told me he'd booked into a hotel twenty miles away in the nearest city, as he's above the little inn in town and the motel near here. It actually makes the plan easier, as he won't be nearby when I make a run for it.However, after the celebrations are through, Archer and I will disappear. Our friends will know that we've left for good, but not where we are going. No one knows that, not even I do. I've let Archer figure the entire thing out and where I'm going to go.It's been hard trusting him in this way, as I've always relied on myself alone. He can't disappear with me, though. He has a life here at the academy, and so he's going to set me up with my new life and then leave. That's the part I've been trying to avoid thinking about entirely.I'm not sure how I'
I walk up to the door of Archer's apartment, my heart thumping at a hundred miles an hour.Am I crazy for being here?Perhaps. I knock on the door and wait a few moments and then I hear the thud of footsteps descending the stairs. Archer opens it and smiles at me with a smile that could stop most women's hearts. "You are here."I smile back at him. "I didn't get murdered.""I'm glad," he says, stepping aside to allow me in.I pause for a moment, knowing that now I'm coming to him of my free will rather than because he's blackmailing me. I'm not sure how to feel about that. It changes everything.His brow furrows. "Are you going to stay there or come in?"I purse my lips. "Still trying to decide."He laughs and grabs my hand, yanking me into the apartment and against him. "Don't be an idiot.""I'm normally the one saying that to you."He leads me up into his apartment, where he has a table set with candles alight. "I was prepared since I hadn't heard of any murders on campus." There is
My plan to get my revenge on Archer is backfiring.Why the hell do I feel so excited whenever I see him?And when he touched me earlier by the stream, he was trying to comfort me, but his touch ignited butterflies fluttering in my stomach and made my head spin. He keeps talking about feelings and how he wants us to continue after I graduate, which is insane.I can't work out if he's only saying it because I've never admitted I want him. All the while, I've made sure I keep detached and cold, even when he talks about his feelings.As I walk into the academy, I'm ambushed by my father. "Where have you been?"I cross my arms over my chest. "I went for a walk. Is that a crime?"He sighs heavily. "I'm here to take you back home."My brow furrows. "But what about the academy?" I ask, wondering why he didn't come to get me during spring break, especially as he said he had a meeting set out for me the week before.He yanks my wrist and drags me into an empty classroom, slamming the door behin
I sense Adrianna isn't used to relying on anyone for anything."Seriously, Adrianna. Let me help." I need to help her as I need to know her plan. She's so pigheaded. It wouldn't surprise me if she disappeared forever and I couldn't find her. It's the only way to ensure I keep tabs on her."Fine, you can help."I smile, relief coursing through my veins. "Good, as I have quite a few ideas.""Such as?"I pat my lap for her to come and sit on it.Her eyes narrow, but she sits anyway."Your father is coming to graduation, and that's a complication, but not the be all and end all. I mean, you dictated to your father before, so do it again.""What do you mean?""Tell him that you are going to celebrate with your friends. They're all going to be celebrating, right?"She nods. "Yeah.""Then tell him to book a motel and you'll leave with him the next morning."A crease forms in between her brows. "I'm uncertain it will work, but I can ring him beforehand. It's an option, I guess.""Well, tell m