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PROLOGUE
Caden
All it had taken was one phone call to fuck everything up.
I hadn’t even told my brother what I was thinking yet. I don’t know why. I’d kept my interest in Anastasia Kozlov to myself. Maybe because it was nice to have something of my own for once. Growing up as a twin, we’d shared everything, and just this once, I wanted her to be mine.
She was a fucking vision, all blonde hair, green eyes, and curvy hips, but it was the glaring independence in her eyes that had drawn me in. I knew she didn’t need anyone to take care of her, which made me want to be the one who did all the more.
In the world of the Boston underground, there had been whispers of her growing power. The Kozlovs were a Russian bratva family that had begun moving into the city not long ago, but they had made waves while doing it. Anastasia was the one that had smoothed everything out, and that was fucking sexy as hell.
Her father, Roman, nominally ran the Kozlovs, but I knew the truth. His days were numbered. Eventually, she was going to take his place and do it better.
Fuck if I didn’t want to be at her side as she did it.
I hadn’t made a move yet, but I was planning on it. Life had gotten in the way. The Colombian cartel had been pissing people off, treading into our territory as well as that of some of the other families in the city. There just hadn’t been time.
Business was business.
I’d kept telling myself that tomorrow I’d call her. Tomorrow, I’d ask her out.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow.Tomorrow…
Until it was too late.
CHAPTER 1
Connor
Fuck.Nothing beat a good pint of Guinness.
With all the rumblings of coming trouble, it was nice to lose myself in a drink, to not worry about what could come for us tomorrow and focus on the good ole times of tonight instead.
Caden leaned casually against the polished wood bar, his Guinness in hand, while I sat next to him on a nearby stool, nursing my own pint. It was Friday night, and Murphy’s Pub was just starting to get busy.
Swirling the rich, ebony beer in my glass, my mind drifted back to an unforgettable memory from years ago, when Caden and I had been a little bold, perhaps a touch reckless, but I wouldn’t ever admit that out loud. I chuckled softly to myself, and his blue eyes flicked to mine, curious.
“What?” he asked.
“You remember that time we decided to break into that bank on Main Street?” I asked, my voice tinged with nostalgia.
Caden’s lips curled into a smirk, a hint of mischief in his piercing blue eyes. “How could I forget? That night had glorious disaster written all over it from the moment it began.”
“Yeah, and remember what a disaster it turned out to be? We thought we had that combination all figured out, but we ended up locked inside the bank’s vault instead.” I chuckled, my gaze fixed on the frothy head of my Guinness.
Caden laughed, his deep voice resonating throughout the pub. “I remember. It took us hours to pick that lock, and as soon as we got it open, the fail-safe mechanism triggered and locked us inside.”
We both burst into laughter, the warmth of the memory filling the air between us.
“And then the cops showed up,” I continued, laughing to myself. “I still remember how pissed off Kieran was at how much it cost us to pay them off.”
Caden’s shoulders shook with mirth. “We were lucky they didn’t throw us in jail that night.”
“More like, we were lucky Kieran didn’t throw us in prison himself and lock away the key,” I laughed.
“Damn right,” Caden smirked.
I took another long draw of my beer, enjoying the pleasant buzz that was finally settling into my limbs. As I glanced around the cozy confines of Murphy’s Pub, I couldn’t help but soak in the lively atmosphere. The party was just getting started.
