Page 1 of Savage Desires

CHAPTER ONE

KISTEN

It's been almost three years since Damon Savada disappeared. He's popped up a time or two over the years but always manages to evade me. Everyone has told me to let it go, that I'm wasting my time and allowing life to pass me by while I spend my days chasing ghosts. Maybe I am, but I can't stop now. Something keeps driving me forward beyond my need for vengeance.

I look through the scope of my rifle, scanning the area around the Savada estate. Dominic Savada is well-known and feared as one of the most ruthless Italian mob bosses ever born. He's made many enemies, though none dare challenge him. When his son Damon joined forces with Nelson Grant and his house of horrors, Dominic disowned him. He might be ruthless, but he does not condone hurting women and children.

The moment we showed him proof of Damon's dealings in human trafficking, he disowned him. Stripping him of his status within the organization and stealing away his inheritance, leaving him both broke and a pariah among his peers. I thought it would be easy to seek revenge for what he did to Rose, but he disappeared like dust in the wind.

The word in the underground is that Dominic is sick, and the vultures are circling. One of those vultures is the prodigal son, ready to return and ascend to the throne. Unfortunately for him, Dominic has already named his successor. Romeo Cassella has been Dominic's loyal right-hand man for over twenty years and is just as ruthless as his boss. Maybe more so because he's the one who carries out Dominic's orders.

Dominic doesn't mind getting his hands dirty, but Romeo relishes it. Damon would have to be a fucking idiot to go against him, but he's never been the smartest when it comes to making decisions. He probably expects the organization to crumble while his father is on his deathbed so he can swoop in and take the reins. What he doesn't know is that Romeo has been silently in charge for the last year while Dominic has been secretly being treated for cancer. He's terminal, and the doctors have only been able to delay the inevitable.

Damon will be in for a shock when he realizes that the organization that's been loyal to his family for four generations will be under entirely new leadership. The Savada name will live on as a tribute to the founders, but Romeo Cassella will be at the helm.

I scan the area again before breaking down my rifle and returning it to its case. I make my way to my car and head back to the city. I've been awake for thirty-six hours, and it's time for me to crash. I'm nearly home when my phone rings through my car's speakers.

"What?" I bark.

"What's got you so grumpy, handsome?" a feminine voice purrs.

My hands tighten on the steering wheel. "Hera," I warn.

Her breathy laugh fills the car. "You're no fun anymore, Kisten."

"I'm assuming you're calling for a reason other than giving me shit."

"You would be correct, but it'll cost you."

Hera is a mercenary. She goes where the money goes. She has no moral compass and would rather slit your throat and spit on your corpse than smile at you. She's an assassin and a spy and everything in between. So when she says it will cost me, I'm not surprised. We may be friendly, but we are far from friends. Hera doesn't do friends. She does enemies and those that will become enemies.

"The usual?"

"Yes."

"Consider it done. What do you have for me?"

"Yuri Ivanov."

"What do the Russians have to do with anything?"

"Your little friend Damon has made some new friends. Big friends. Big friends who want to take over dear old Daddy Savada's throne."

"How do you know this?"

She tsks. "I don't kiss and tell. You know that."

"So Damon has weaseled his way into the good graces of Yuri. What does he think he will gain by doing so?"

Hera laughs. "Not what he wants. Yuri is the king of the double-cross. He'll use Damon up and spit him out. Until then, you'll want to spend some time at Mecca. I think there is something there that will interest you."

Mecca is a BDSM club. Unlike Black Rose, it isn't exclusive. There are no memberships or rules. The only security is a bouncer at the door, and his only job is picking the prettiest women out of the dozens that try to get in every night. Most don't even realize what they are getting into when they go there.

I've heard stories of how submissives are treated, and it disgusts me. Spending time there is the last thing I want to do. Hera wouldn't tell me to unless there's a good reason. Even without her telling me more, I can already guess why. Someone is dealing in women. Whether it's trafficking or forced prostitution, I don't know, but I'll fucking find out, and heads will roll.

"Is that all?"

"Do I even get a thank you for all my generosity?"

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