Nikolai had always been an accomplished liar, but he never had a reason to use his talents with his associates until tonight. Let Ivan consume his lies, he thought.

  Ivan and the other members of the Bratva needed to see him as their cold and indomitable leader, because they would accept nothing less. Unlike the Italian mafia, where leadership passed from one family member to another, Nikolai had to fight his way from the bottom to the top to get where he was.

  Gilbert arrived with his car. Ivan hesitated, then said, “Let me and some of the men accompany you at least. We know we’re up against Hyde but whoever hired him could have sent more backup.”

  “Very well, I’ll allow that,” Nikolai said, before slipping inside his black sedan.

  ****

  Run! A voice inside her head kept repeating that one word. Veronica ducked just as a second bullet whizzed past her head.

  On the ground now, Veronica stared at the bullet lodged in the walnut paneling for a few seconds. She swallowed and remained frozen in place, unable to move, to process what just occurred. Only seconds ago, she was talking to her father. He’d still been alive. A sob caught in her throat. It was happening all over again. Fate or destiny thought it appropriate to take the last member of her family from her. Was this payment for all the lives her father had taken during his reign as the Don of the Romano family? Why did Veronica have to pay the price for the sins her father committed?

  The sound of her ringtone startled her. With shaking fingers, she pulled it out. An unknown number flashed across her screen. Veronica didn’t know what made her answer it.

  “Hello?” she whispered.

  “Veronica? This is Nikolai. I’ve heard shots fired. Are you injured?”

  She would recognize his deep and gravely voice anywhere. Nikolai didn’t need to introduce himself. Wait a second. He heard shots? Was he nearby? Veronica might have had a crush on this man when she was a teenager, but he was a complete stranger to her.

  “My father’s dead,” she said, then took a deep breath.

  Calm down, she reminded herself. Right now, survival was her number one priority. She gave Nikolai a brief rundown of what had happened. Why Nikolai was on his way to the house and how he knew about the assassin—these questions she’d reserve for later.

  “Keep me on the phone. Can you leave the office? I’ll guide you out of the house,” Nikolai said.

  “Yes, I can reach the door I think,” Veronica said, eyeing the half-opened door.

  “Do it now, but stay on your hands and knees. Avoid making yourself a target as much as possible,” Nikolai instructed.

  It was deathly quiet in her father’s office. The assassin had stopped shooting. Could she really do this? Play hide-and-seek with a killer?

  Arturo hadn’t raised a weak daughter. In fact, her father didn’t really have a hand in her upbringing. He took a hands-off approach especially after her mother and brothers died.

  Now or never, Veronica thought. She scrambled to the door, wincing at the sound of the creaking hinges. When nothing else happened, she made her way out to the corridor. Another body waited for her there. Veronica sucked in a breath, seeing Lorenzo, one of her father’s lieutenants. Like her father, Lorenzo had been killed with a shot to the head.

  “Over here, young miss,” whispered a familiar voice.

  Gibson stood by the staircase. Relief filled her at seeing someone familiar. Remaining low, Veronica made her way to him. The process was painstakingly slow but she finally got to where she wanted. Another thought then occurred to her. What if Gibson couldn’t be trusted? After all, the assassin had somehow known her father would be in his office at this time. Nikolai also somehow knew her father was in danger, didn’t he?

  Why would Nikolai be helping her then? Nikolai and her father had been friends for a long time, so she dismissed the thought of Nikolai being the enemy. At least for now.

  “Veronica, are you outside the office?” Nikolai asked. She’d forgotten he was still on the phone.

  “I am,” she said. She put the phone to her ear so Gibson wouldn’t be able to overhear their conversation.

  “Good girl.”

  Veronica couldn’t understand why those two words sent a shiver of excitement down her spine, especially when she was in a dire situation.

  Nikolai continued, “I need you to make your way to the kitchen. Take the back door there to the yard. I’ll be waiting for you,” Nikolai said.

  “I understand,” she said.

  “Veronica, we must leave this instant,” Gibson said. “Who is calling you at this time?”

  “Don’t trust anyone, you understand? I have just received a report from a reliable source that a member of your father’s household might have betrayed him,” Nikolai said.

  “I’ll have to call you back, Nikolai,” she said, noting the way Gibson’s entire body stiffened when she mentioned Nikolai’s name.

  “Don’t you dare end this call—” Nikolai began but Veronica did so anyway.

  Her mind raced. Terror seized her but she couldn’t allow it to paralyze her. If her suspicions proved true, then Gibson must be working with the assassin. He had no intentions of letting Veronica leave this house alive. For now, Veronica decided she would need to pretend she didn’t know anything.

  “Nikolai is going to help us,” she said, grabbing Gibson’s gloved hand. “Come on, let’s head to the kitchen. He’ll meet us at the back of the house.”

  “Very well,” Gibson said. The discomfort she spied on his face earlier had disappeared.

  She released his hand. “Can you lead the way? Right now, I’m still feeling a little shaken from everything that happened.”

  “Of course,” he said smoothly.

  Gibson started down the steps and Veronica quickly typed Nikolai a message while the head butler wasn’t watching her.

  Veronica: Gibson’s the traitor. I’m with him right now. I’ll find a way to shake him off.

  Nikolai didn’t reply but she saw her message had been read. Was trusting Nikolai truly the right move? Veronica realized she couldn’t afford to be picky right now.

  Gibson and she finally arrived on the first level. Veronica immediately noticed it was far too quiet in the house.

  “Where’s the rest of the staff?” she asked.

  “The moment I heard the gunshots, I sent them home,” Gibson said.

  “Smart,” she said.

  Veronica’s throat had become unbearably dry. Did the entire staff know what was about to happen tonight? No, she refused to believe that. She stared at Gibson’s back and wondered how long they would continue playing this game.

  Sweat beaded her back and she wondered if Nikolai would arrive in time or would she also end up like her father and Lorenzo?

  Chapter Three

  Nikolai reread Veronica’s text. Rage kindled in his belly. His driver stopped the car. They’d finally arrived at their destination—the backstreet behind Arturo’s house.

  Knowing the traitor who betrayed his long-time friend was with his future wife didn’t sit well with him. Nikolai reviewed what little he knew of the butler in his head. Gibson had been working for Arturo for a long time. Two decades almost. What would persuade Gibson to betray his boss now? Nikolai felt outraged by the man’s betrayal but he wasn’t too surprised. When offered enough money, most men would even sell their own souls. He opened the car door.

  “Sir, that’s not a good idea,” his driver interrupted but Nikolai ignored him.

  After checking his favorite guns were in their holsters, Nikolai exited the car. He would finish this sordid task on his own. Nikolai often relied on his trusted men to conduct his dirty business these days, but now and then it was fine getting his hands dirty.

  He walked to the black iron garden gate. Nikolai spotted the chain and lock and sighed. Of course it would be locked. Fate wasn’t making his task easy. Nikolai pulled out his large gun and stepped back.

  “Nikolai!” a familiar voice called out before Nikolai could take the shot.

  For a moment, Nikolai didn’t recognize the beautiful young woman waving at him. Veronica looked relieved when she spotted him. He tore his gaze from her and finally spotted Gibson by her shoulder. The old butler looked panicked at the sight of Nikolai. With no time to spare, Nikolai fired at the chain a few times. Finally the links fell apart. Nikolai kicked the door open just in time to see Gibson fumbling inside his jacket.

  “Veronica, duck!” he yelled.

  Veronica might have strayed from the path her father intended her to walk, but she still remembered how to be cautious and follow instructions during tense moments. The moment she dropped to the ground, Nikolai aimed his gun at Gibson. They both fired at the same time. Gibson’s aim was as good as Nikolai’s. His bullet went wild, finally burying itself in the trunk of a nearby tree.

  Nikolai didn’t miss. He never did. A small red hole appeared right between Gibson’s eyes. The old butler opened his mouth, but no words came out. Shock reflected in Gibson’s eyes momentarily, before he fell face-first to the ground. Veronica looked behind her shoulder and a tiny scream came out of her mouth.

  Nikolai eliminated the distance between them. Hunkering down, he swept Veronica in his arms. He still hadn’t let go of his gun. Veronica buried her head into his shoulder. Feeling wetness on his shirt, Nikolai gritted his teeth. He didn’t like seeing Veronica like this, so vulnerable and raw.

  One look at Gibson’s corpse reassured him the traitor was dead. Nikolai kept expecting reinforcements to arrive. If Reid Hyde himself made an appearance, Nikolai wasn’t completely confident he could take the professional hitman on his own.

  Fortune seemed to be smiling down at Nikolai today, because no one arrived. Yuri and his men probably managed to chase Hyde off. There would be hell to pay for this, of course. Nikolai would eventually get to the root of the matter.

  Hunting down Hyde would not solve anything. He was merely an instrument used by his employers. Those who ordered Arturo’s death were the real culprits. Surely, they weren’t arrogant enough to think they could get away with this travesty. Perhaps they saw the Romano Familia as weak prey and didn’t consider the fact Arturo had a powerful ally on his side.

  “We can’t linger here,” he told Veronica in his most gentle voice.

  “You’re right, of course.” Veronica wiped away the tears that had gathered in her eyes.

  Nikolai offered her his hand but she managed to stand up on her own. The strength she’d shown so far had been remarkable. Veronica had just witnessed her father being assassinated, and her own life had almost been taken. What a remarkable woman. She was truly fit to become his wife.

  He led her out of the garden and into the backstreet. This time, she gripped his arm for support. He approved. Veronica seemed to know to accept help when she needed it. Nikolai held the car door open for her. She slipped in. Veronica seemed composed earlier in the garden but the moment he joined her in his car, she started to shake. The shock must finally be getting to her. Nikolai took off his jacket and placed it around her shivering shoulders.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, clutching at the lapels.

  “Drive,” he told his driver.

  Nikolai was pleased when Veronica rested her head against his shoulder. For now, she seemed to trust him, but Nikolai also had been in this game long enough to know that trust could be fragile. Veronica had been called home by her father only to see him dead at an assassin’s hands. Right now, she probably didn’t know what to think.

  His driver seemed to know him well enough to take them back to Nikolai’s apartment and not his apartment. Once the driver found a spot at the multilevel parking space, Nikolai gently ushered Veronica out of the car. Two of his men were waiting for them outside the private elevator which led to his penthouse suite. It seemed his driver had informed them ahead. Nikolai’s phone kept going off during the drive back to his home but he ignored the messages. His priority was to tend to the needs of his future bride.

  In the elevator, she huddled next to him like a frightened animal. Feeling bold, Nikolai stroked her back. To his pleasure, she leaned closer to him. He would not take advantage of her now, although some men in his profession might. Others might call Nikolai a monster but he still had certain morals.

  “We’re here,” Nikolai said as the elevator doors opened.

  He led Veronica to his front door.

  Nikolai nodded to the guard stationed outside his apartment, before entering the key code, followed by a retinal scan of his face.

  Once inside, he settled Veronica in the living room. She wore a blank look on her face the entire time.

  “Do you want something to drink?” he asked her.

  No answer. Nikolai started for his kitchen but Veronica suddenly gripped the hem of her untucked shirt. Life returned to her eyes and he was struck by the sudden flare of passion there.

  “How did you know?” she asked in a fierce whisper.

  “Know what?” Nikolai asked.

  “You called me right after my father was shot,” she said. “The timing seems suspicious.”

  “Did Arturo mention he wanted to discuss something important with you tonight?” Nikolai asked. He handed her the glass of water, which she accepted. Veronica finished her water before answering him.

  “He did,” she admitted. “We were about to have dinner when—” Veronica didn’t need to say the rest. She looked at him again. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Arturo knew he was surrounded by enemies. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the Romano Familia’s position in this city has been severely weakened over the years. Arturo made a few bad business decisions and lost some allies.” Nikolai chose his next words with care. “That’s why he made an arrangement with me.”

  “What arrangement?” Veronica asked.

  Nikolai sensed she knew where this was going. Veronica was an inquisitive woman. She was the daughter of a dead Don. Whether or not she wanted to escape this life, she could no longer do so. The assassin had orders to kill Arturo’s entire bloodline. Nikolai was betting those who hired Hyde had deep pockets. They would see this task done. They merely didn’t anticipate another player in the game.

  “Nikolai, answer me. Please.”

  The please did the trick. Nikolai realized it wasn’t necessary to play games with Veronica. After everything she had been through tonight, the least he could do was offer her the truth.

  “Your hand in marriage in exchange for an alliance,” he said.

  He noted the flush in her cheeks and neck. Veronica didn’t seem disturbed or appalled by the idea at all.

  “I guess that’s off the table after tonight,” Veronica finally said after composing herself.

  She didn’t jerk away when Nikolai touched her smooth cheek with the back of his tattooed hand. Her breathing turned rapid. Nikolai watched the rise and fall of her chest, the generous swell of her breasts pushing up against the fabric of her top. So tempting, he thought again, but tonight, he had decided to play the gentleman. Nikolai would ravish her another time. “Why do you think that?” Nikolai asked.

  “Because my father’s dead and the Familia is in disarray. It would probably disband, the family assets stripped by my father’s enemies,” Veronica said bitterly. “You’d end up marrying a nobody. Just a woman with a target on her back.”

  “You presume too much,” Nikolai said. “Your father might be gone but you’re still here. Arturo and I made this arrangement months prior to your arrival. He was aware of his imminent death, and had made the necessary preparations.”

  “What?” she whispered, looking stunned by his revelation.

  “Arturo cared about you, in his own way. Your legacy remains intact, Veronica,” he told her gently.

  Nikolai gave her a few moments to fully process his words.

  “There’s one thing I still don’t understand,” she said.

  “What’s that?” he asked. Nikolai wanted to keep touching her but refrained from doing so. Right now, Veronica needed space and he could allow her that.

  “Why would you agree to such a thing? You’re single, have influence and enough wealth to marry someone important, maybe the daughter of a more prominent mafia boss,” she pointed out. “Are you doing this as a favor to my father, because he was an old friend?”

  Nikolai chuckled. She looked both irritated and wary at the same time. “Friendship could only go so far,” Nikolai admitted. “Is it so hard to believe I genuinely want you to be my wife, to stand by my side for the rest of my life?”

  “You’re just saying that to appease me,” she said.

  Nikolai didn’t like the fact she easily dismissed his words. He lifted her chin using two fingers, forcing her to look at him. A flash of fear appeared in her eyes. Fear was good. Nikolai would give Veronica the world but he needed to establish firm ground rules with his future bride.

  “If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s this. I am a selfish man, Veronica. Appeasing others is not part of my personality. I see what I want and I go for it without question,” Nikolai said.

  “And you want me.” Veronica didn’t phrase those words as a question.

  Nikolai rather liked the glint that appeared in her eyes. Arturo had been a fool for thinking his daughter was merely a naive pawn he could move on his chessboard. Veronica possessed hidden depths Arturo never knew. Nikolai could spend the rest of his life being challenged by his wife and getting to know every bit of her. The thought amused him.

  “For now, it’s time for you to rest,” Nikolai said. “We’ll go over the details tomorrow if you’d like.”

  “It’s been a horrid night,” Veronica agreed. She hesitated, then asked, “What’s the arrangement like, between me and you? Are we … going to share a bedroom right away?”

  Nikolai chuckled. Some part of Veronica remained innocent still but not for long. He would eventually have the pleasure of corrupting her and she would like every bit of it.

  “I will have my housekeeper prepare a room for you,” he reassured her. “We will sleep in separate bedrooms until our wedding day if you prefer.”

 

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