by Mason, V. F.
“Why, darling. Look at you going all possessive on me,” he said it loudly, clearly for the benefit of the maid spying on us for his father.
The old fucker must have suspected we weren’t all that in love no matter how much we’d tried to pretend otherwise, so he’d brought a few whores to dinner who flirted with Arden relentlessly as he watched my reaction.
I couldn’t care less, but for the sake of this stupid charade, I kept squeezing my glass or snapping at him or them until I acted like I couldn’t take it anymore and stormed to my room, where Arden followed me.
“Shower now,” Arden growled, and I had to give it to the guy; he could act the role to a T, even creating the exact pitch of an aroused man.
We walked to the bathroom where he turned on the water and he rested on the sink while I sat on the bathtub’s edge. “His distrust is bad,” Arden said, running his fingers through his hair, and I chuckled although it lacked any humor.
“No shit? You really thought a man like him wouldn’t notice small things? I understand you don’t have much respect for him, and me neither, but never underestimate your enemy.”
“The man wouldn’t know love even if it hit him. He just got suspicious after Yuri showed such an interest in you. My men told him.”
My heart banged painfully in my chest, but I ignored it. God knew my life was filled with the memory of him and our son and what ifs, but I couldn’t let it distract me from the task at hand.
Hundreds of mothers could possibly lose their children if I didn’t stop the deal, and besides, if Arden’s father knew what was going on… I wouldn’t be alive for long. I kept my family safe by staying away, and although I hated it and cried at night all the time, it didn’t change the variables in the final equation.
Sometimes life left you no choices.
“Will Kuzmin agree to the deal?” I asked, cracking my knuckles and hoping the answer would be yes. I picked up on conversations as much as I could, but Aidan being the chauvinistic pig always kept most of those talks behind his office doors. So Arden constantly had to fill me in on all the important stuff.
“He is hesitant. He wants gun control.”
My brows furrowed. “Dominic has gun control.”
“Exactly. Aleksei doesn’t know what he wants more, partnership with the Konstantinov Bratva or with us. But I believe he wants nothing do with this whole business either. Not that he is a good guy, but apparently even he has morals. That’s why he would want to use this opportunity to partner with Father to destroy Dom.”
“So you’re saying—”
“Whatever they plan… will allow Father to try to bring business here and into the States, while Aleksei will get control of the borders here. Father knows Dom won’t give him an alliance. So he will partner up with Aleksei.”
Freaking great, the deal became more complicated by the minute. Not to mention that the team back in the States worked on their partners there, trying to locate all the victims and branches involved.
And I wouldn’t rest until I got them behind bars.
I’m sorry, Yuri. But I have to do this before I can be with you and our son.
Chapter Fifteen
Dublin, Ireland
Melissa, 17 years old
I rushed to my room, closed the door behind me, and took out the bag from my closet.
No way would I stay in this house!
I took a few pairs of jeans and sweaters, money, and a passport that thankfully was with me, and finally all the jewelry I was gifted through the years.
Although I hated the idea that Uncle Aiden gave them to me to proclaim my status, they would sell well, and I could live on the money while trying to clean up the mess they all created.
My sister was the good girl of the house who always followed the rules. But me? I had sneaked out of here many times and had friends all over the place. It was a wonder Arden didn’t know anything about it since, according to him, he spied on me.
I grabbed my phone and shot a message to Kira.
She and I went way back so she wouldn’t question me on this.
Kira was the daughter of a multibillionaire who supplied the mob with much-needed investments in gun dealership, a fact she eagerly shared with me. So as much as she could annoy them, even if they found me with her, they wouldn’t do jack shit about it.
Quickly making my hair into a tight bun on the top of my head, and throwing a jacket over my shoulders, I was about to get the hell out, when my Mom entered my room.
Her eyes widened as she scanned my appearance and saw the bag in my hand, and then she shook her head. Before she could say anything, I whispered, “Mom, please.” She exhaled heavily, and I came closer to hug her tightly in my arms, while she did the same.
I inhaled her smell deeply, remembering all the times through the years when her embrace could cure all my worries and problems.
But not this time.
Marrying into the mafia was her choice and not mine. I never wanted that life for myself.
Our parents shouldn’t decide our fate for us, even if they gave us life.
“Edana,” she murmured into my ear, “Arden would be a good husband.”
Deciding not to even answer that, because she was the product of a different upbringing, I was about to say goodbye when Dad’s voice filled the space. “Where is my key to the safe?”
Mom stepped back and wiped away her tears then, with one last nod, went downstairs to help him out.
After all, he called and she was always there, ready and able.
With one last glance at my childhood room, I snatched the family picture from the nightstand and put it in my bag then opened the window. Immediately, the fresh breeze hit my face, providing much-needed coolness.
I got up on the windowsill and stepped out on the roof, walking carefully to the edge of the side of the house where a long tree rope was located, and I swung on it. I wrapped my body tightly around it and then slid slowly down until my feet touched the ground, and with a fist bump in the air, I ran in the direction of where Kira would be waiting for me.
And that was when I stopped in my tracks, as my father’s security stood like one brick wall, blocking the exit from me. I shook my head in disbelief and then heard his voice from behind me. “Did you really think your mother would take your side?”
Moscow, Russia
September 2018
Yuri
“I think we are too old for this shit,” Gleb muttered, breathing heavily and resting his hands on his knees while Vitya laughed quietly, no better himself.
We were too old for this teenage shit indeed.
We ended up running a fucking mile to this place, jumping through a few fences while being as quiet as possible, so no cameras or people would catch us. We knew the place as well as ours; after all, you have to know everything about your enemies, and we were prepared for different shortcuts.
We finally stood behind the building, deep in the gardens behind the oak tree, while I scanned all the windows and wondered which room Melissa slept in. I’d memorized the inside as fast as possible before getting ready to come here.
Most of the lights were turned on downstairs, in the dining room and office. Aiden and Aleksei weren’t asleep, which meant security would be on higher alert.
Fucking fantastic.
“So, Romeo, where is your Juliet?” Gleb quipped, and I punched him in the arm, but since he swerved to the side, it barely grazed him. “Nope, missed it.” Vitya slapped him from behind and I smirked.
Leave it to him to have my back.
Before I could reply though, a light on the second floor turned on, closer to the right side of the building, in a room with a small balcony, which opened up directly onto the garden. The silhouette behind the white lacy curtain was a wom
an’s. I grabbed the binoculars from Dom and focused them on her, and my heart stilled as I saw Melissa.
She removed the pin from her hair and ran her fingers through it, and by her open mouth and slight shudder, I suspected it brought her great pleasure.
She picked up something from the bed and disappeared from view, probably going to the bathroom. I stepped in her direction and almost got caught in the floodlight before Gleb pulled me back in time.
Fuck. That was why I needed them here. I couldn’t think straight when it came to Melissa, let alone focus on security.
“She is there.” I pointed at the balcony, and they nodded, and then Dom spoke for the first time.
“Two bodyguards near the fountain, two more under the main room, and one more going here and there. While I don’t care about the first two, we need to take care of the rest; otherwise, they will know we’re here.”
Vitya took out his guns, removed the safety quietly, and extended one to Dom, who nodded at Gleb and me then pointed out before running with Vitya in the direction of the bodyguards. “Gleb, you keep an eye on him and help him get up there. Two hours, Yuri. You have two hours and then get the fuck back down.” Orders laced his voice and I knew the conversation was closed.
As much as we were friends, I wouldn’t go abusing his trust when the safety of the entire brotherhood was at stake.
They sneaked up on the men from behind, hit them with the butt of their guns, and then wrapped their arms around their necks and waited for a few seconds until the bodies sagged. Then they placed them back down and dragged them back so they wouldn’t be visible to the cameras.
Dom picked up the radio and turned it off; that was what we always did when we ambushed houses like this in the past.
Vitya motioned with his palm for us to proceed, and we bent our heads and rushed through the field toward the balcony. We stopped right under it while Gleb whistled quietly. “Will be a bit hard to get upstairs, Romeo.”
“Gleb, you call me Romeo one more fucking time, and I will hit you with my gun.” He chuckled and I just shook my head.
He found humor even in this situation!
The building was old, so it had several cracks and openings, with garden vines spreading up the entire side, which were strong enough to hold me as I pulled myself up.
One vine was really low but still a bit too high for me, so Gleb hunched and patted his shoulders. I stepped up, and he rose some with a little curse, but it was enough for me to catch the trailing plant and place my foot into a small crack.
God bless old buildings!
I went up and up and then grabbed the banister of the balcony and climbed over, breathing heavily. I turned the doorknob and it opened.
My brows furrowed as annoyance washed through me. The beautiful woman couldn’t even keep it locked! Anyone could have been here.
With my emotions running high, I stepped inside and looked around, not finding Melissa, but I heard the water running behind the bathroom door.
Well, no need in prolonging it, considering I was on borrowed time here.
Melissa
The hot water poured down on me while I rested my head on the cold tile and breathed heavily. My back was killing me with constant cramps.
Although the doctors said everything was fine with me, I’d noticed that I got tired way faster than usual, and then my body would ache for hours. They recommended intensive therapy, but who had time for it when a child trafficking business needed to be shut down?
So the only things left were hot showers, which brought some slight relief and allowed me to sleep at least for a few hours, even as my heart cried for my son and man.
Shutting off the water, I grabbed the towel hanging over the stall and wrapped it around my body, before stepping onto the rug and curling my toes in the soft material. I leaned on the sink, wiping away the fog from the mirror.
That was when it dawned on me; I wasn’t alone in the spacious bathroom.
A figure loomed behind me, and I spun around swiftly, ready to strike, when his hand covered my mouth and another blocked my leg movements.
The smell of tobacco and expensive French cologne along with whiskey penetrated my nostrils and I stilled.
Yuri.
When he removed the black mask from his head, the blond locks I loved so much came into view and I gasped as he pressed me harder against the sink.
Okay, this was insane and any minute someone could walk in on us. He needed to leave and I needed to act. “What are you doing here?” I swallowed loudly as he tugged on his shirt and took it off, throwing it on the floor, displaying his perfectly sculpted body. “Excuse me, but you have to leave before my husband comes back.” The words tasted like acid in my throat, and I knew it would hurt him, me pretending and all, but it was a necessary lie.
Once he knew the truth, he wouldn’t let me do my job and would hide me behind the headquarters’ walls, trying to handle it Bratva style.
But this wouldn’t help the case; it wasn’t enough to kill them all. We needed to expose them all.
“Please leave before I make a scene,” I repeated the request, but instead of listening to me—because Yuri was always a jealous jerk—he locked his hand around my throat and brought us impossibly close. He ran his nose over my cheek and ear, enveloping my earlobe in his mouth, and I pushed back the moan threatening to slip out.
Before I could even blink, he placed his hands back on my hips and propped me up, and I had no choice but to sit down on the bathroom vanity, hissing at the cold tile touching my damp skin.
“I’m so angry, so fucking angry, Melissa.” He finally spoke up, stepping between my legs and not letting me close them as his fingers brushed my skin, and he opened my towel, even though I held it tightly. “For all the months I lay fucking broken because of you, and you were alive. For all the lost time. For every time the fucker called you his wife.” He bit my chin, and it was impossible to avoid it when my entire being longed to be his, without reservation. “I ought to punish you with torture for days so you’ll remember not to do that again. But you know what?” he asked, sliding his tongue over my lips and pressing his thumb on my chin until I had no choice but to open it. “Right now, I need to fuck you senseless to remind myself that it’s true and not a dream of mine. So you’ll get your punishment later.”
With that, he slammed his mouth over mine, thrusting his tongue deep, seeking mine as they locked in a thundering duet, learning each other anew, yet bringing so much pleasure.
I moaned into him while he pressed in tighter, pulling at my hair for a better angle as he devoured my mouth like a man who’d finally found water in the dessert.
I had no illusions it was a claiming, because everything about the kiss was demanding, possessive, harsh, and would probably hurt for hours after he was done.
No one in the world kissed like Yuri, and that was a fact set in stone. “Later, I will give this pussy”—he slid his hand between us, pushing his fingers inside me and coating the walls of my core with my wetness as he spread them—“all the attention it deserves. You’ll come for hours on my tongue and teeth.” My breath hitched, and I squeezed his fingers, just imagining his mouth there. “But not now. I’m too impatient to wait.” He unzipped his pants, lowering them just enough to take out his raging hard-on, and I couldn’t help but moan at his thick cock, wanting, no, needing to feel it inside me.
Instead of a hard thrust, he drew my pointed nipples into his hot mouth, leaving me breathless and needy with each suck and nip of his teeth, spreading fire through my veins. He feasted on my flesh as if forever branding my skin with his touch, so I would have no doubt who was with me.
Who I belonged to. As if it was ever in question.
He continued laving my breasts, moving from one to the other as his hands slid from my ribs to my hips, squeezing me harder and harder each time before he reached my clit, pressing his finger over it. Lightning instantly shot through my system; it was impossible to stop my loud moan, but he
quickly covered my mouth with his hand, murmuring softly, “Quiet, upryamaya. We don’t want anyone coming here, do we?” I shook my head as he left me for a second to turn on the shower and then the sink as the sound of running water filled the space, and then he stepped away from his pants, standing in front of me, gloriously naked.
I licked my lips as my gaze swept from his muscled legs, to his six-pack, then his glorious eyes that burned with desire for me. During our lovemaking, he always became wild with need, demanding and bossy, willing me to submit to his every desire.
But even with his lack of inhibitions, he’d always had a reserved look in his eyes that wouldn’t let me forget we had an expiration date.
This time however was different, because with passion came tenderness as he exhaled heavily and cut the distance between us, settling between my thighs once again. He palmed my face and raised me closer to his mouth while he breathed in my scent.
“I can’t believe you are real,” he whispered, cupping my chin. Then he gave me a light peck, barely grazing his lips with mine as he placed his other hand on my heart, which beat wildly against it. “It’s beating,” he murmured, and my breath hitched as my eyes watered at the wonder in his voice. “All this time… I thought if I had the chance, I would listen to your heart again so it would beat against my ear. Because I didn’t savor the time when you were alive. I didn’t savor you,” he said, and this time I circled his neck, bringing him closer as we locked in yet another kiss, but this time, it had nothing to do with lust and everything to do with love. “I didn’t make you feel special. Wanted. Needed. I cannot breathe without you, woman.” He rested his forehead against mine, as tears streamed down my cheeks just listening to his pain. “If it wasn’t for Artur, I would just—” He didn’t finish but instead leaned back and grabbed my chin again so our gazes clashed. “I cannot live in a world where you don’t exist.”
“Yuri.” Was his goal for me to cry here? How did our reunion sex escalate into confessions?
“You exist in our son. And here.” He pointed at his heart and pressed my hands there. “It’s yours. It’s the good-for-nothing heart of a man who hurt you so much because he didn’t cherish you when he had the chance. But it beats for you, only you. There is no one else there but you.” He wiped away a tear from the bridge of my nose. “I’m yours. I was yours from the first glance. Please forgive me for the pain I brought you. I love you, Melissa.”