Deceptive Love
A Mackenzie & Volkolv Series Prequel
Elizabeth Knox
Contents
Available Now
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
Available Now
By: Elizabeth Knox
Series: Skulls Renegade
Reign
Redemption
Revenge
Relentless
Reckoning
Reclaimed
Reckless
Regret
Reclusive
Retribution
First Generation: A Skulls Renegade MC Boxset
Series: Steele Bros.
Tough as Steele
Stripping a Steele
Protecting a Steele
Steele her Heart
Stolen Hearts: The Complete Steele Bros Boxset
Series: Reapers MC
Scarred
Blackjack
Here Kitty, Kitty
Booger
Widow
Kade
Hawk
Bull
Cobra
Mouser
Dixon
Zane
Amara
Series: Iron Vex MC
Enraged
Series: Royal bastards Mc: Baltimore/Knights of retribution mc
Bet on Me
Deceptive Love
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are all products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblances to persons, organizations, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Deceptive Love. Copyright © 2020 by Elizabeth Knox. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations used in articles or reviews. For information contact E. Knox.
https://www.facebook.com/elizabethknoxbooks
Editing by: Kim Lubbers, Knox Publishing
Proofreading by: Jackie Ziegler, Knox Publishing
Cover Design by: Clarise Tan, CT Cover Creations
Photography by: Wander Aguiar
Modeling by: John DeWall
Formatting by: E.C. Land, Knox Publishing
Created with Vellum
Playlist
I Don’t Like You — Grace VanderWaal
Somebody Else — Katelyn Tarver
Now I’m In It — HAIM
You Mean The World To Me — Freya Ridings
Priest — Julia Michaels
Before You Go — Lewis Capaldi
Pretty Much — Phases
Starting Over — Niykee Heaton
If I’m Being Honest — Anna Clendening
Kissing Other People — Lennon Stella
In My Daughters Eyes — Martina McBride
Acknowledgments
My Betas, Courtnay, E.C., Jai, Chas, Tania, Janet, Taneesha, Kim, Isabelle, Jojo, Michele, Cynthia, Heidi, Vikki & Lisa— Thank you ladies for sticking by my side through this story, and supporting me when I had to make a big judgement call. I was so nervous, but I’m thrilled to write more about the Mackenzies. Now, we’re onto the next one!
My Blogger Team— This piece is a bit different than my typical writing and I can’t wait to hear all of your input. Thank you all so much for continuing to stick with me through all of my projects.
My Editor, Kim and Proofreader, Jackie— Thank you both so much for continuing to keep up with my asinine schedule. We’re the dream team, ladies!
Rae, E.C., and Raven— You guys are my rocks. I hope you know that. Love you all so dearly!
The Hopeless Romantics:
No matter what happens in your life, continue to follow your heart. Don’t let your experiences in this cruel world make you bitter. Continue to be sweet and shine your light.
Trigger Warning
This book is intended for mature audiences only. If darker books are not for you, please do not move forward. After re-adjusting my trigger warning system, I will not be giving any spoilers. Please understand that this is not your run of the mill romance and tough subjects will be spoken about in this storyline. These characters are flawed and aren’t your average mafia romance. Proceed with caution.
Timeline Note
This book takes place before Forbidden Love, and all my other works. If you’ve read my other series which include the: Skulls Renegade MC, Reapers MC, The Clans and Steele Bros, you may see names brought up that tie into those series, specifically the Skulls Renegade MC.
Prologue
A soulmate isn’t someone who completes you. No, a soulmate is someone who inspires you to complete yourself. A soulmate is someone who loves you with so much conviction, and so much heart, that it is nearly impossible to doubt just how capable you are of becoming exactly who you have always wanted to be.
~ B.S.
Sofia
6 months ago . . .
“Sofia!” My stepmother calls from the open window of the kitchen. I’m down on the beach with my brothers Rafael and Alejandro. Rafael is sitting on a chair down by the water while Alejandro sits next to me under the cabana.
He snickers lowly, “You’d best get up there. You know the puta will have a fit if you don’t.”
I roll my eyes, not wanting to trek up all those stairs and go speak to her. She is as dumb as a doornail and frustrating as a mule. My father only married her so he wouldn’t be alone. She’s an ex-beauty queen. She’s basically a trophy wife. All the men in the cartel have women who are like her. My mother on the other hand wasn’t anything similar. She was a good woman who captured my father’s heart when they were young. When I was a little girl, they would tell me the story of their love. So much so they’d make me believe I’d experience something similar. Fast forward a few years and the beautiful love my parents had for one another was traded for a murderous hate.
My madre literally tried to kill my father. She was lucky the knife she stabbed him with didn’t sever an artery. Now she lives in America with our younger half-brother, Roman, who is about sixteen now.
Because of the lifestyle we live in I assumed I’d be introduced to many potential suitors and someday have a beautiful love story. Only, I haven’t been so lucky. Here I am at twenty-two with not so much as even a kiss. My father has kept his perfect little virgin princess locked up in our beach house of a castle. We live right on the beach. Our home is surrounded by a fifteen-foot high stone wall.
“I don’t want to see that witch,” I inform him, keeping my butt firmly planted on the sand.
“Sofia, your father wants to see you!” she screams out.
“Fuck. Looks like I have no choice now,” I grumble, starting to stand up. Alejandro grabs me by my arm and tugs me against him. Wrapping his arms around me, my brother whispers in my ear.
“If you ever need anything from me, you let me know. Okay?”
Narrowi
ng my eyes, I pull away from Alejandro’s embrace. “What?” Something isn’t right. My stomach turns as a gut feeling hits me from out of nowhere.
Alejandro gives me a half-smile, “It’s nothing to worry about, but you remember what I have said to you always. Okay?”
His words are bullshit. If he’s assuring me he’s always here for me of course something should be worrying me. It’s as if everything starts slowly coming together. “What did he tell you?” I question, demanding an answer from my older brother.
Alejandro sucks in a deep breath and somehow the burning rays of the sun seem to heat me up. It’s either that, or my anxiety is besting me at the moment. “I’m not at liberty to discuss any business moves the family is making.”
Oh my God.
The day has finally come. My family has arranged a marriage for me with some sort of prominent man. It feels like I’ve been waiting for this day for an eternity. I turn on my heel and immediately head up the stairs, thinking about the type of love which can blossom from such a union. In all honesty sometimes I feel like there isn’t a place for me here. I’m a woman which means I’m not useful, at least, not in this business. The only use I have is in my marriage and extending our lineage. It’s sad, but ultimately true.
I rush up the sand-colored stairs, broken up by bits of blue and white tile until I reach our veranda and walk in through our back door. Glancing over to my right I see my stepmother, Teresa, giving me a smug smile. She only smiles when she’s been up to no good. Suddenly all the butterflies that were floating around in my stomach dissipate and I only feel one thing— fear.
I go around the corner and walk into the foyer, walk up the stairs and make a sharp right down the narrow hallway which leads to my father’s office. Putting my hand up against the door I take a moment to gather myself before I knock lightly, waiting to be allowed in.
“Come in, mija,” he calls from the other side of the door. I place my hand on it and push it open, walk inside and shut the door behind me. Once when I was a little girl, I made the grave mistake of not shutting the door to his office when he called me in. My ass was blood red for about a week.
“Hola, papá.”
He leans back in his chunky black office chair, places his arms in his lap and gives me a stern look. “The day we have been waiting for has finally come, darling. An offer was made for your hand in marriage. One that I simply cannot refuse.”
I raise a brow. My father has denied three past marriage proposals. For such a long time I thought I’d be trapped here for the rest of my life. Hell, I thought about becoming a nun just to give my life purpose. “May I ask who it is.”
“Of course. Your fiancé is Valentin Volkolv, heir to the Russian Bratva.” I’ve heard of this man and his family. They’re some of the most feared men on the planet. Rumor has it their hearts are just as cold as Russian winters, or lack of hearts I should say.
My father is sending me off to marry the ice king. This isn’t exactly what I was expecting.
Chapter One
Your willingness to look at your darkness is what forces you to change
~ Unknown
Sofia
Present Day
Today is the day where life as I know it will change. Whether it’ll be for the better or worse I don’t have any idea. Valentin and his father Fredrik are traveling from Moscow to Cancun. I’m supposed to be meeting them both with my father at a restaurant on the water. For a first meeting it’s typical for families like ours to see one another in a public setting. Throughout my life I’ve always been taught to never trust anyone else until they’re family. The same will go for my betrothed and his father. Until we are in a church with rings on our fingers and have made an oath to not only ourselves, but God I won’t put faith in him. He could turn his back on me within a moment's notice.
I make my way out of my bedroom in my magenta pink sundress. It comes together like a wrap and ties at my hip. The bottom of the dress falls just below my knees in a layered style while my bosom shows off a bit, although not in a way that would suggest I’m a puta. I’ve made sure I look exceptionally well today, styling my hair with a slight curl and brushing it out to give me a natural, voluminous wave. I’ve also kept my makeup plain and simple but add a bit of eyeliner to the top of my lid and keep my lips in a soft pink color that looks natural.
Heading down the stairwell I start to turn to the left but see Alejandro motion for me to follow him. He isn’t saying a word, but I know my brother well enough to do what he’s asking of me. “What’s the matter?” I ask in a hushed whisper as we turn the corner and head into a small hallway on the other side of the kitchen. Luckily, there are no openings in this hallway so it allows us to speak privately. There’s only one doorway back here and it leads to an additional bedroom suite that we use for important guests.
Alejandro’s usual jovial expression turns into one which tells me what we’re about to discuss is serious. “Sof,” he starts, calling me by the nickname he gave me as a small child, “I refuse to be dishonest with you. I’m worried about this arrangement with the Volkolvs. I know details . . . about their alarming reputation.”
Narrowing my eyebrows, “Papá accepted their proposal. Surely, he wouldn’t put me in a dangerous situation. I know the rumors. Well, some of them. Always pertaining to their cold nature and cruelty in business. Although, papá has always told me ‘to be successful in this world you have to know when to use the hand to reward individuals, while with others punish them for their actions.’”
Alejandro rolls his eyes in front of me and turns to look out the floor to ceiling windows before he speaks, “Please don’t make the mistake of believing the Volkolvs are decent people. They punish people far more than they reward them, dear sister.”
If what Alejandro says is true, they’re far more dangerous than I could’ve ever anticipated. Our father wouldn’t have put me in a situation unless he knew I’d be safe. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
He sucks in a sharp breath and turns to me, places his hands on my shoulders and stares at me fiercely in the eyes. “You need to be careful with them, Sofia. I think they’re worse than Rafael.” Rafael is our oldest brother. He’s . . . sinister at best. We’ve never caught him doing nefarious things, however something in his eyes tells everyone around him to be careful.
If Alejandro believes they’re worse than Rafael, I’ll choose to believe him. I only need proof of their actions. However, I don’t want there to be proof. I’ve been so excited about getting engaged, being married, knowing a love story would eventually come my way. While I was terrified when my father told me who I was marrying, over the last several months I’ve come to peace with it. I’d much rather choose to be hopeful versus negative. “Would you care to elaborate?” I ask Alejandro, giving him a pleading look.
He opens his mouth for a moment and slams it shut, cursing under his breath. “Fuck, you know I can’t go into details with you.” It’s the same excuse he always gives me when he wants to warn me of something.
“You only say that because I’m a woman.” I state, knowing it’s true. If I was a man, he would’ve already told me so.
“That sassiness of yours won’t fare well over at the Volkolv home. You should get it in check before you leave, Sofia.” Alejandro’s tone has a sense of warning, but I also hear the worry in his voice as well.
“You’re not giving me an answer. Instead you’re doing what you always do. I know you mean well but shielding me from the cruel truth won’t help me if I don’t know what I’m up against.” I’ve tried being the dutiful daughter and sister my entire life. Hell, I’m still in that role and always will be. But if my brother has the audacity to approach me with a warning, he’d sure as hell better be telling me what I should be cautious about.
A few moments of silence pass between my brother and I before he speaks again, “I hate it when you’re right. Rumors are floating around that Valentin had his last wife killed. She wasn’t useful to him any
more since they had an heir and she was shot down on her way to the park with their son.”
I gasp, covering my hand over my mouth from pure shock. “Oh my word. That’s horrific.” I mutter after returning my hand back to my side.
“I don’t trust that family, Sofia. I think it’s wrong for our father too.” I can’t disagree with my brother. “I only ask one thing of you, to be careful with these people. They shouldn’t be trusted. You’re a smart woman and it’s my job to protect you, little sister. Obviously, I can’t be in Moscow with you, so watch your back.”
I wrap my arms around my brother’s waist and nuzzle my face into his chest just like I did when I was a little girl. Alejandro has always been here to protect me, and I don’t think this will ever change. We have an undeniable bond that will never break.
Chapter Two
A wise man learns more from his enemies than a fool from his friends
~ Tailored Motives
Valentin
This is my first time ever traveling to Mexico. While I’ve been to many places around the world there’s never been a reason for me to come this way. My father has always traveled here to speak with Miguel whenever the situation arises. This time things are much different. I sent through a formal proposal to Miguel a little over six months ago asking for his daughter's hand in marriage. My father and I are here to finally meet the woman, Sofia, and to take her back to Moscow with us.
Deceptive Love: A Dark Mafia Duet (Mackenzie & Volkolv Book 1) Page 1