"Are you sure you don't want to come in?" Mia asks.I shake my head. "Look, I'm sorry, I'm just so not in the mood for shopping."She gives me an apologetic look. "Of course you're not. I can't believe Massimo is making you marry Alejandro."I sigh heavily. "Me neither."She squeezes my hand gently. "There's still time." I know she thinks that perhaps I'll get lucky and find a way out of it just like she did, but Killian loves her. He was going to do anything to ensure he didn't lose her. It's a completely different situation between a Blaine and me. At least, from his side, it's different."I'm not holding out any hope."Sandro clears his throat. "Shall I stay out here or go inside with you, Mia?"Mia shakes her head. "It's just a little boutique. You can see inside through the windows. Stay out here with Azira."Thanks a lot.I'd rather be left alone to mope around in the street, but before I can argue, Mia dashes into the little boutique she loves so much.To say I'm not up for sho
"Are you insane?" Azira asks, pacing up and down the old abandoned dock warehouse that I picked to hide in.Her face is stained with tears and red, but she still looks as angelic as ever.I shrug. "Possibly."There's an acute pain in her eyes. "You murdered Sandro!" She's hysterical.I walk toward her, but she dodges away from me."No, stay away from me." Her eyes are wide with a mix of fear and anguish."Sandro, I assume, is your bodyguard, and I didn't kill him." I draw in a deep breath to keep calm. "I purposely gave him a flesh wound that will heal within weeks, but I had to make your kidnapping realistic.""How can you be so sure you didn't hit something major?"I stare at her, waiting for the penny to drop. Her anatomy professor knows exactly where to shoot a man to kill or to maim. "You do realize that's literally what I teach week in and week out?"Some of the tension eases. "Of course." She shakes her head. "But you can't kidnap me, for fuck's sake. My brother will kill you."
I hear the engines shut off and then counting in my head, twenty seconds later, the explosion rocks the entire building. A group of Sidorov men come barreling into the warehouse, all guns blazing. And the bomb I set up explodes, sending them all to the ground.Azira screams, pulling away from me as her eyes go wide, watching the carnage unfold. The bomb will injure people, but it's unlikely to kill. "Oh my God. Did you just kill men from our famiglia?" She stares at me in a way I never expected to see her look at me like, as if she thinks I'm as insane as everyone else.I have to give her the benefit of the doubt. She doesn't know my plan. I shake my head. "Just wait and see."I'm not sure whether it's my calm attitude, but she seems to settle down, glancing toward the entrance.Massimo Sidorov appears through the smoke and debris, with Leo Sidorov following him. And a few of their men behind."Get behind me," I hiss.Azira glances between me and her brothers a few times before finall
Bly moves suddenly and grabs a gun from a holster attached to his belt, pointing it at Massimo's head, and all the blood drains from my body.In that moment, I realize I could lose my entire world in the blink of an eye. My brother and the man I love. If Bly killed Massimo, his men would soon shoot him dead, leaving me with nothing but emptiness.I've never seen my brother defeated so easily in combat, but Bly is some kind of martial arts expert or something. He danced around my brother as if he was totally inexperienced, but Massimo has always been a good fighter. Blood runs down my brother's face, as I'm pretty sure Bly broke his nose."Blaine, please don't," I plead.Massimo may try to force me to marry someone I could never love when I've fallen hard for someone else, but I'd never want him dead. I love my brother, despite everything.Bly looks at me with a madness that scares me as I approach him. "He's my brother. I can't lose him."He bares his teeth like an animal. "The son of
Once they're gone, Blaine turns to face me. "Still want me now?"It's a good question because what I witnessed was honestly insane, but somehow I want him more. All of that he did for me, and while he may not be able to admit his feelings in words, he just demonstrated them with actions instead. "Of course."He gestures for me to approach him and I run into his arms, squeezing tightly.The fear I felt at the prospect of losing him was enough to carve my heart from my chest. "I meant it," I murmur softly, my face buried against his chest."What?""I love you, Blaine." I squeeze tighter and crane my neck to look at his face.His eyes are bright with emotion, his throat bobbing. "I—I..."I shake my head. "Don't say anything. You don't need to."He draws in a shaky breath. "You make me a better man, Azira.""I'm not sure that's true. You just almost committed mass homicide for me."There's a haunted look in his eyes, and I wonder what terrible deeds his past holds. A part of me is curious
Sitting at the front of the main hall, I wait patiently for her to appear. Graduation ceremonies are normally a drag I try to get out of, but for the first time I don't feel like clawing my eyes out.After all, I'm the only support she has here for this day. Despite sending invites to her family as an olive branch, none of them have showed up, not even Mia, her sister. I suspect that Massimo didn't extend the invitation to her, and that's why she's not here."Excuse me, sorry. Sorry." I glance up to see Mia pushing through to the seat next to me, followed by a reluctant looking Killian. "Blaine, I haven't missed her, have I?""Quiet," someone shouts as she drops into the seat next to me and Killian takes the one on the other side of her."Oh shut it," she shouts back.I smile, thankful that she made it for Azira's sake. Even though she hasn't voiced it to me, I know it hurts that her family has cut her off."She's not been up yet."Mia sighs in relief. "Thank fuck for that. Traffic wa
Azira leans toward me. "Do you know what's happening between those two?"I shake my head. "No, he hasn't spoken about her since the night at the cabin.""What are you two whispering about?" Natalya asks.Oak approaches, sliding a hand onto his wife's hip. "So, how are we going to celebrate you guys graduating?" His attention dips to the arm I have firmly around Azira's back."Hadn't really thought about it," Eva says, smiling at her husband. "Any suggestions?"Mia suddenly rushes over. "What the hell is going on?"Azira sees her and her eyes light up. "Mia, you made it!" She wraps her in a tight hug.Oops. I completely forgot about her sister being here.Mia gives me an accusing look. "You didn't tell her we were here?""We?" Azira asks, and I don't miss the hope in her voice. Mia doesn't either."Shit, sorry. It's just Killian."Her throat bobs and she nods. "Thank you for coming.""I wouldn't have missed it for the world."Killian walks over with his hands in his pockets. "Congratul
One year later...Blaine stands at the helm of the boat, navigating the sea as if he was born for this. The change I've seen in him in the past year has been immense as he opened up to me little by little, letting go of all that hurt and anger that he harbored toward himself.When he finally told me about what he'd done before Oak found him, I can't deny that I was freaked out. He's a murderer—one that got away with it—but I know that's not what defines him. His past further back haunts him and he still won't talk about his life in Russia before he emigrated to Toronto with his brother.I swallow hard as I place a hand on my swelling stomach. We're expecting twins in the fall, less than four months away. When I told Blaine I was pregnant, I think his brain misfired in shock. After all, we'd only just decided to start trying that month and it happened instantly.And then when we had the first scan, and the lady told us it was twins, he almost ran out of the room. I could see the panic
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