“Is it time for dinner?” he asked her.
“It is. We better make a move or there won’t be any stew left. Let’s get the kids to bed,” Ava said. She laughed when Ivan made a grab for her long hair.
“Oh? Katya cooked?” Viktor asked.
Ava had learned to cook simple dishes over time, but she’d never be as talented in the kitchen like Katya. She nodded. Together, they walked to the room next door. The kids’ bedroom was sandwiched between their bedroom and Viktor’s private office. As Ava lay Sofia in her cot and Viktor did the same with Ivan, Ava thought about the last two wonderful years. Right after Pavel was rescued, Viktor and she had immediately set a wedding date.
Of course, Gina and her mom had come. There had been a little explaining to do. They were initially against Ava marrying a Bratva boss. Viktor soothed things over by inviting them for dinner. After they saw for themselves how protective and caring Viktor was of Ava, they immediately became fast friends with Viktor. Her mother still volunteered to babysit the twins whenever she was in town. Of course, she stayed at the Kotov mansion and seemed to turn a blind eye to some of the suspicious activities going on. Knowing Viktor took care of Ava and the twins was the only thing that mattered to Ava’s mom.
After word got out Goran had died, his brothers fought amongst themselves. Goran’s older brother Timov became the next Pakhan. Timov’s reign had been cut brutally short when he was found dead in his bathtub with both his wrists slit open. The police deemed it a suicide, but the remaining Mogilevich Bratva members called it foul play. When Ava asked Viktor if he had a hand in Timov’s death, he only shrugged and said the Mogilevich Bratva had plenty of enemies.
Viktor sang softly to Ivan until their little boy’s eyes drooped. Her husband laid Ivan next to his sister. Ivan was a crybaby, a colic baby, but when placed right next to Sofia, he immediately quieted.
“Asleep, they look like little angels,” Viktor said.
He banded one muscled arm around her waist and pulled her close. Ava rested her head against his shoulder. They watched the twins for a few minutes. Peace and contentment filled every inch of her. Two years ago, Ava couldn’t imagine being where she was now. She’d just lost her job and was debating if sleeping with a stranger she’d just met at a bar was the wrong decision. In the end, that choice led Ava to the man of her dreams.
Ava now had a beautiful home and a new family to call her own. She still remained in charge of the Kotov Bratva’s accounts, although she now worked from home so she could look after the twins. Life as a Bratva Boss’s wife wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. She’d been threatened twice this year alone. Who knew how many threats Viktor received on a daily basis. None of it mattered because for the first time in her life, she was genuinely happy and in love. Even if she had the power to turn back time, she realized she wouldn’t change a single thing.
“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” Viktor asked. Using his two fingers, he tipped her chin, forcing her to look at him. Her heart skipped a beat, even now. Ava was tempted to tell Viktor that she’d preferred it if they skipped breakfast and just headed straight to the bedroom. Judging by the hungry look in his eyes, she knew he felt the same way.
She told him about her musings. Viktor only smiled and cupped her cheek to kiss her. He took his time, and once he released her mouth, Ava only wanted more. She trailed her fingers down his chest. Ava undid his belt buckle and felt the change in his breathing. She always liked the fact she affected him easily as he affected her.
“Let’s continue this in our bedroom, husband,” she said. She detached herself from him, only to grip his fingers and pull him outside.
“What about dinner?” he asked, amused.
“We’ll work something out,” she answered with a wink.
“We’ll just order in if we get hungry,” Viktor said with a nod.
He put his hands on her waist. She gasped as he easily lifted her in his arms as though she didn’t weigh a thing. Ava gripped his shoulders and felt like a newly married bride being spirited away by her ravenous husband to their honeymoon bed. With Viktor, life was full of surprises. Never boring. She began to undo his tie, then the top buttons of his white shirt.
“Naughty wife,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “I’ve only been gone for a few hours and you missed me this much?”
She smiled up at him. “You know I do.”
Viktor kicked open their bedroom and used his foot to slam it shut.
The End
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BONUS SAMPLE CHAPTER
WICKED KINGPIN
Winter Sloane
Copyright © 2020
Sample Chapter
Blood was supposed to be thicker than water. Right now, Leah hated her brother’s guts more than anything in the world.
The dark room reeked of cigarette smoke, stale beer, and sex. Larry licked his lips as he studied his cards. Sweat coated the back of his thin shirt. The big brother Leah used to worship and follow around when she was a kid had been reduced to this trembling coward.
Right now, she had zero respect for him. To him, Leah was just collateral damage.
Leah clasped her hands together and stayed seated behind Larry like a good and obedient little doll. It was all a front. Most people assumed a five-foot-four girl was harmless. They’d soon find out she had sharp teeth. She was just biding her time.
The men Larry owed money to smirked at him and nudged each other in the ribs, silent laughter in their eyes. Everyone at the table knew the outcome of this game. Shane, the bald one with the ugly facial tattoo, blew smoke rings at Larry’s face, making him cough.
“Don’t worry, Larry. We’ll treat your little sister real good,” Shane’s partner, Guy, said. Guy gave Leah a sweeping look and snorted. “She’s a little too round for my tastes but she’ll provide our crew with some entertainment. We never had a virgin to break in before.”
She glowered at Shane. That only made him laugh. In her head, she imagined driving her fist into his thick skull and hearing it crack. They knew she was a virgin, no surprise there. Larry probably let it slip, intentionally or accidentally, Leah didn’t care.
Larry’s betrayal was an unforgivable act, but she doubted she’d live long enough to enact her vengeance against him.
A loud groan from the next table made her head turn. Seeing a red-haired woman being taken on the table by a heavily inked man made Leah swallowed. Whistles of appreciation broke out from the other men in the room. Some stopped gambling to watch.
They were all savages here. Here, the rules of the normal world didn’t seem to apply. Cops would never touch this territory. They were paid to look away.
The woman looked into it, but Leah didn’t know all the details. She looked away, only to find Guy grinning at her.
“You like an audience, bitch?” Guy asked her.
The repulsive stare he fixed on her made all the hairs on her arm rise up.
Underneath the rage and the frustration, Leah was terrified. The security here was tight. The suits guarding the doors didn’t bother hiding their guns. If Leah bolted out of her seat, she wouldn’t make it out of those doors in one piece.
Leah had come here out of her own violation. Larry didn’t force her. Worse, he had gone on his knees and begged her to come. He had told her he wanted his little sister, his remaining family member there for emotional support.
Emotional support her ass. The conniving bastard knew she’d come, knew she’d walk into the very bowels of hell itself for him. They were family. She and Larry had been on their own since they wer
e teenagers. The big brother who fought the authorities, who insisted they had to stay together—that Larry was gone. He was replaced by this yellow-bellied coward who would gamble his own sister for a chance to win all his money back.
“Enough horsing around,” Shane grumbled. “We have other debts to settle. What will it be, Larry?”
Leah returned her attention to her brother’s lousy hand of cards. Guy and Shane were cheating, there was no doubt about it. Too bad no one was going to call them out on it.
She had always possessed a vivid imagination. Right now, her mind took her to foul places. Once Guy and Shane were done with her, would they leave her body in a dumpster or would they drive her corpse out of the city? Would they bury her in the middle of the woods in a nameless grave?
In the slums, it wasn’t unheard of for young women to vanish without a single trace. She and Larry had grown up in the streets. He should know better than borrow money from lowlifes who worked for Knox Carter.
Leah dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands until they bled. She wanted to scream in frustration until her throat was hoarse.
“What’s this?” a deep male voice asked, dragging Leah back to reality.
Both Guy and Shane sat ramrod straight in their chairs. They definitely looked more alert and cautious. Less cocky and smug. This newcomer, this man, was different from every other scum in the room.
An indescribable commanding presence emanated from him, telling her this was one man no one in their right mind would want to screw with. Guy and Shane looked like small fry compared to him. Insignificant. Standing, this man must be at least six-foot-six. He was built like a house and every inch of him was padded with muscle. All of it was hidden under a suit of midnight blue that looked perfectly tailored to his body. The suit matched his eyes.
Only one word came to mind.
Predator.
He was one beautiful monster. No doubt about it. Women probably fell at his feet with a snap of his fingers, but beautiful monsters shouldn’t distract her.
Eyes the color of an angry storm met her gaze, held it. Leah sat rigid in her uncomfortable chair, unable to look away. He silently assessed her from head to toe. The look of open hunger on his face took her slightly aback because it was so unapologetic. So raw. She shivered involuntarily and wondered why his stare didn’t repulse her the way Guy’s and Shane’s did.
It should. This man would chew her up and spit her back out. He’d leave her empty. Leah knew that from a single searing glance. He’d leave her a wreck. A ruin.
For a second, she wondered what it would be like, being under a man like him. He was probably used to barking out orders. Making commands and expecting nothing but obedience in return.
Leah shivered. He curved his lips slightly upward, to what she supposed passed for a smile.
“Boss.” Guy sounded his voice first.
Boss? So this is Knox Carter?
Leah swallowed the lump in her throat and studied him closer. Black hair. Blue eyes. Knox was untouchable. The king of this city. Knox had dirt on everyone they owned. There was even a rumor the mayor did his bidding.
“Knox, a chair for you,” another lackey in a suit said, dragging a chair from one of the unoccupied tables.
Knox sat down, just like a king. Leah slapped her hands on her cheeks, because she shouldn’t be captivated by a gangster. This wasn’t some fairy tale where a handsome prince was going to sweep her off her feet and carry her back to safety. Knox was probably the devil in disguise, ready and eager to drag her to the dark depths of the underworld with him.
What the hell did Knox want? Maybe he did this all the time. Checked in on his businesses. Maybe he liked lording it over the masses foolish enough to borrow money from him.
“Who are our guests?” he asked.
Guests? More like prisoners. He never spared her brother a glance even once. Knox kept his rapt attention on Leah. She hated herself for looking away first. Leah stared her hands, suddenly finding them way more interesting.
“Larry Taylor. This fucker owes us twenty grand. We gave him an opportunity of a lifetime. If he wins this one game, his debts are considered paid. He only has ten grand. Said his sister Leah will pay us the rest,” Shane said. “He claims she’s a virgin. We haven’t checked to see if it’s true, but we’ll find out soon enough.”
“Hmm.” Knox’s tone and expression were hard to read. His tanned face looked like it was made of marble.
“Yeah, boss. Look at the little shit squirm,” Guy said, obvious glee in his voice.
Guy was milking it all—Larry’s misery. Leah’s suffering and anger. If only she had a gun and knew how to use it. She would gladly put holes in his body.
“Cards, Larry. Don’t make us ask again.” Shane reminded Larry.
With shaking hands, her brother placed his cards down on the table. Shane and Guy did the same. Leah grimaced. A royal flush from Shane.
“The game’s rigged,” Leah blurted.
“Shut your trap, bitch,” Guy said, shoving the bills on the table into a bag. “We’ll find a better use for that mouth.”
“No. She’s mine.” Knox didn’t need to raise his voice. “Keep the cash. The money doesn’t interest me.”
Guy and Shane traded each other looks then shrugged.
“The bitch’s all yours, boss. Enjoy,” Guy said, rising to his feet. No questions asked.
Unease grew in the pit of Leah’s stomach. She didn’t know what was worse—being given to Guy and Shane or being under Knox Carter’s complete mercy.
“Wait, this wasn’t the deal,” Larry blurted, rising from his seat.
“Throw that piece of trash out,” Knox said in the same cold and deadly voice.
Fear raced down her spine. Leah couldn’t move a muscle. She had trouble drawing air into her lungs. She could only watch Guy and Shane haul Larry by his armpits. Larry didn’t give them much of a fight after Guy socked him in the ribs.
Helplessness filled her as she watched her brother disappear into the double doors that led topside, back to the real world.
Leah suddenly felt alone. Vulnerable. Larry wasn’t much help but at least, while he was playing poker with Guy and Shane, he acted like a barrier. The one last line of defense between Leah and her awful fate.
Maybe part of her hoped that the brother she once knew and trusted would have her back. That Larry would somehow find them a way out of there. The last shred of hope she’d kept alive inside her all this time wilted.
“We’re leaving. Come,” Knox told her.
He was suddenly standing in front of her. Knox had the gall to offer Leah his arm. The bastard moved so much faster than she thought was possible for a man his size.
She shook her head, despite knowing it was futile refusing a man like Knox.
“Don’t try my patience, Leah. I’m used to having my way.”
The sound of her name on his lips felt like a jolt to her system.
“Oh, I bet,” she murmured.
Knox didn’t look annoyed or pissed. That smile looked sexy and wrong on him. Leah had a feeling a man like him didn’t often smile but when he did, something bad was going to happen.
“You prefer to remain here?” Knox gestured to the rest of the room.
Everyone else was busy playing cards at their tables, going about their usual business. Still, Leah had a feeling Knox’s people were watching them. Waiting for her next move. There was no way out of this mess.
Leah hastily stood up only for Knox to eliminate the distance between them. Their bodies made contact. Her pulse raced when he hooked a finger under her chin and brought her face closer. He settled his lips against hers, a mere brush. Knox ran his tongue over her bottom lip. She could feel her nipples tighten against the thin material of her sweater. Moisture gathered between her legs.
She couldn’t believe the way her body was reacting. Leah shouldn’t be attracted to this man.
The next words he uttered nearly stopped her heart.
“You’re my property now. You’re mine to do as I please, but don’t worry. I’ll take good care of you.”
End of sample chapter
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Bratva Boss' Baby (Kotov Bratva Book 1) Page 16