Page 27 of Falling for the Enemy

Next to loyalty, the trait is vital in surviving Bratva life. Without it, I’ll perish. The lesson is one Papa ingrained in me as a young child. And as a queen who now rules her dark empire from a king’s throne, I wear it tattooed on my icy heart.

But as I stand on the balcony attached to my bedroom, watching the calm waters of the Ashley River flow by, I realize I’m losing the very thing I need in order to survive the life I was chosen to lead before I ever even took my first breath.

The problem needs rectifying.

Immediately.

“I spoke to Sergei after we returned from Toluca,” Casper says from where he’s been standing next to me for the past half hour, keeping guard while I mentally focus on the issues we face. “As you requested, he’s sending down a dozen of his men. They should be here by tomorrow evening.”

I take a sip of the lunchtime martini I hold, the mixture of gin and vermouth doing little to calm the tension that lines each of my muscles. “Send them to the docks as soon as they arrive.” A second sip. “That way, if La Famiglia or the cartel causes trouble, we’ll have plenty of bodies on hand to protect the shipments that are scheduled to be offloaded over the next few weeks.”

Smuggling stolen goods and trafficking guns, along with a dozen underground east coast casinos, are the Fallen Kings’ primary sources of income. Income that’s now threatened thanks to La Famiglia’s betrayal and the cartel’s unexpected arrival.

Alejandro Santiago.

Each time my mind whispers the kingpin’s name, memories of his intoxicating scent fill my nose, and my skin warms, the heat that rolled off him as we stood face-to-face in the alley behind The Blue Ocean permanently seared into me.

Captivated by incessant thoughts of him, I’ve spent each night since we met lying in bed, trailing the tips of my fingers over my bare flesh in a teasing caress. It doesn’t take long for my eager hand to dip between my spread thighs.

Seeking. Exploring.

With ever-present fantasies of Alejandro’s hard body covering my soft one constantly flashing through my mind, in which my teeth graze the sensitive juncture of his throat as he drives his cock deep, finding the ecstasy my deprived body screams for proves easy.

If only the satiety lasted.

Unfortunately, it never does.

Regardless, despite the toe-curling pleasure that mere thoughts of Alejandro conjure, he’s proving to be a bigger threat than I anticipated. It’s another problem that needs handling.

Sooner rather than later.

“Do we know what the Colombian was doing in Toluca yet?” I drain my glass and set it on the table beside me. “Were we followed?”

“Nyet.” Casper’s reply is quick.

Unease sets in, and I curl my hands around the marble banister before me, my gaze sweeping the expanse of my property. Never lower your guard. “Was he there for her?”

No further elaboration is needed.

Casper knows who I speak of.

Arms crossed, my second-in-command stares at my property’s front gate, along with the armed Kings standing guard. “She once belonged to the cartel.” My fingers tighten at his response, turning my healing knuckles white. “It’s possible they’ve come to reclaim her.”

A slight breeze stirs, but it does little to cool my mounting rage. “Then it’ll be the last thing any of them ever try to do.” I snap my head to the side, stare landing on the side of Casper’s handsome face. “After what she did for Anna, I swore we’d always protect her. No matter the risks or cost.”

The cartel’s first mistake was moving in on territory meant to be mine. But threatening harm to someone under my protection, especially an innocent woman? There will be no warnings or second chances given for such a grievance.

Only a sentence of death.

Casper’s chest balloons on a sharp inhale, the unwelcome reminder of the nightmare his baby sister was once forced to endure summoning the darkness that lives within him.

That lives within us all.

“They won’t touch her.”

“Nyet,” I agree, “they won’t.”

He looks my way, his hard stare locking with mine. “Give me the order.”

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