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PROLOGUE
ROSE
Bells- The Unlikely Candidates
Eight Months ago…
A knock on my door startles me awake. My head is pounding from yesterday’s over-consumption of vodka and cocaine. The Bratva throws wild parties, and I can’t always keep up.
“Come in,” I rasp from under the covers.
“Rosalind, are you still in bed?” Viktor asks as he pushes the door open.
“No?” I lie.
He comes to stand by me, and I hide a little further under the covers. That makes him chuckle low.
“How much did you have to drink last night?” he asks gravely. I feel like a scolded teen and our age difference comes to the surface. Seventeen years.
“A lot. You said you didn’t need me today.”
“That’s true, I don’t.”
I pull the duvet down slightly, peeking out. It makes him smile and even laugh a little. Today, he’s wearing a dark blue suit the exact color of my eyes and a light blue shirt the same color as his. The first few buttons of his shirt are popped open so I can see the golden cross he always wears.
“Why don’t you join me, then?” I ask. “I’m a bit cold.” I exaggerate shaking under the covers, and this time his crystal laugh fills the room, making my heartbeat double.
He runs his fingers against my cheek, my neck, and my collarbone and then grabs the necklace he gave me a few months ago, playing with the pendant.
“You never give up, do you?” His eyes come to meet mine.
I shake my head ‘no’. No, not with him. Because I know that when I insist long enough, he does join me. He lets his guard down, puts away the mask of the respectedPakhan,and lets himself lose.
“Not today,” he says more seriously. I offer him a big pout, and he runs his thumb against my lips. “Don’t, you’ll tempt me.”
He takes a step closer before gathering himself. Now I recognize him—the intelligent, collected man who’s been keeping an eye on me all day, every single day.
“I have something to tell you.” He sits down on my bed and caresses my hair. “I haven’t mentioned it before, but I think it’s time you know. Mateo Bianco is going to be released from prison.”
A wave of nausea engulfs me, and I force myself to sit up so I don’t vomit.
“How do you know?”
“I know.”
“What if he comes for me?” Subconsciously, I grip Viktor’s thigh, digging my nails into him.
His gaze goes to my hand and back to me. “He won’t. I can promise you he’ll never find you. But for that, we have to move.”
“What? Did he already find this place? How…where are we?”
“Bianco hasn’t found us, yet. But Samuel Thomas did, and he’s the one helping him out of prison.”
My heart drops in my stomach. My headache doubles, and my mouth becomes dry. Something doesn’t add up, making my defenses go up.
“How?” I ask coldly.
“Bianco’s lawyers appealed his sentence. Samuel testified in his favor.”
