Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
I’ll have to get Aleks to do a background check.
A part of me thrills at this thought, though. I’ve never been attracted to normal women. Give me a taste of fire and ice, and I’ll fucking fall to my knees and worship.
I’m not saying it’s a good thing.
We’re not far from my home, a newly purchased house I bought after Viktor’s marriage. I didn’t want to set roots down here right away, not with Ollie overseas and the work Mikhail needed me to do in various cities throughout the world. But after Lydia and Viktor got married, I knew I belonged here. And after Mikhail made it clear I’d be up for marriage sooner than later I knew The Cove was where I’d put down roots. Most of my other brothers live nearby at this point, so when this home hit the market, I snatched it up. I suspect Aleks had something to do with that, but who knows.
We pull up to my house in the dead of night, my estate lit with spotlights. “Wow,” Isabella says beside me. “Not bad for the youngest.”
I clench my jaw and don’t respond. I won’t let her bait me. Being the youngest of a family of pythons doesn’t make you any less a python.
This house is a bit much for a single guy, but I knew when I bought it, the location was the most important. I’m five miles from headquarters and near Viktor and Lydia, with easy access to the highway. I hardly had to make any modifications except for a handful of security details, including wrought iron gates installed at the entrance, flanked by stone pillars.
When the gates open, a long, paved driveway lies before us lined with trimmed hedges. All along this path are discreetly placed security cameras, hidden along with infrared motion detection. With a click of a button, I can access every camera in my house and often do.
“Just you in a place like this?” she asks in a teasing lilt. A part of me wonders if she takes anything at all seriously. “Surely you’ve got a mistress, some concubines tucked away, no? You’d get lost here, wouldn’t you?”
“I’ll fill it with a wife and children someday,” I tell her. “I’m not worried.”
A shadow crosses her features, and her jaw clenches. I wonder why.
The house itself is three stories, built from stone so dark it seems to absorb moonlight. Tall, with arched windows and a heavy front door reinforced with iron bands, it’s simple but sturdy.
Floodlights illuminate our way, casting shadows that dance across intricate stonework. The driveway curves around a blank area where a fountain used to stand. That was a bit much for my tastes.
I’ve got motion sensors hidden in the landscaping, a state-of-the-art alarm system, and the thick walls are reinforced. The one balcony off the master suite is secured with iron railings.
If it were daytime, you’d see the garden and benches carved of stone. I love this home. It’s mine. As the youngest in the family, that matters to me. Growing up, I got everyone’s hand-me-downs. I never went without, not since the Romanovs took me in at an early age, but my parents were pragmatic and made good use of everything they owned.
“It will be hard for someone to escape a place like this, won't it?” she says in a teasing voice, her head tipped to the side. She doesn’t seem intimidated or fearful at all… but excited.
I have my work cut out for me.
Bring it.
“Not difficult. Impossible.”
She laughs lightly, a pretty, musical sound. “Oh, definitely not impossible, mi cariño.”
It’s a challenge, then. She’s a fucking challenge.
I park the car in front of the house. I’ll move it in the morning. “Stay there,” I order. She smirks at me. I lean in close and rest my hand on her upper thigh, pressing it down to hold her still. “You’re mine, Isabella. You’ll do what I say. Do not test me. Do not provoke me. You forfeited your life to my family with your choices, so what happens next is all a mercy.” I squeeze her upper thigh. My dick aches. “Is that clear?”
“Mmm, si, señor,” she says in a thick drawl. “I hear and obey.”
Fuck.
I lick my lips and swallow, bringing my mouth to her ear. “Good girl. I’ll come around and get you.”
I open her door and take her by the arm. Her muscles tense in my palm. I imagine what it would feel like to have her tight, lithe body pinned beneath me.
We’ll get there.
She’s mine now. She broke universal law between the cartel and Bratva. I have the right to kill her for what she’s done. That would trigger an attack from her brother, but even he’d do the same thing if the situation were reversed. If Polina ever attempted anything as dangerous as she did, we’d extradite her to keep her safe… if we even got her back.