Page 2 of Niko's Printsessa

Leo eventually married and had a daughter, Becca, but her mother died when she was young, leaving Leo to raise her himself. Years later, after his brother’s death, he moved back to the States.

Becca was eight years old, Sergei was twelve, and Andrei, who had just murdered his father, was sixteen. Boris was a tyrant and he expected the same from his sons, especially his oldest, demanding obedience and ruthlessness. How ironic, Boris molded Andrei into a cold-hearted killer, and at his first opportunity, he took his father’s life, ending the abuse Zoya and her sons had endured for years.

When Leo moved back, he and Zoya rekindled their romance, built a home and set on raising Serg and Becca, while Leo provided young Andrei with the guidance he needed to be the youngest Pakhan in Sokolov history. Leo stepped in as Andrei’s Councilor,Sovietnik, and when Sergei was ready, he took Leo’s place. Now, twenty years later, we are the most feared Brotherhood in Las Vegas.

Andrei and Sergei have a bond even their father couldn’t sever, and when Sergei was old enough, he joined Andrei at the top to run the Bratva together. They rule their kingdom like they’ve protected their long lost cousin- fiercely. Many men have gone missing for merely admiring her beauty.

“Leo’s involvement with the Bratva was little, and it ceased nearly twenty years ago. Why is he a target, and why his daughter?”

Sergei agrees, “All good questions. Either way, we’ve tightened Leo’s and Mom’s security, but we need Becca under lock and key until Oni can track down the culprit.”

“She won’t stay here willingly.”

Serg and Andrei look at each other, having an unspoken conversation. They trust me with their lives and I them. Our beginning is an unusual one, but our lives were intertwined long before we knew each other.

My mother, Nadia, foolishly fell in love with Boris Sokolov, charmed by his good looks and fortune. When she became pregnant, he demanded she have an abortion, but she refused, so he beat her within a breath of her life, before ordering hisSovietnik, and Zoya’s brother, Ivan Petrova, to finish the job. But, Ivan had been in love with Nadia for years, forced to stand along the sidelines, watching his brother-in-law cheat on his sister with the love of his life.

Ivan betrayed Boris, saving Nadia and providing her with a new identity and money to start over. He was able to save her life that day, but Boris’s beating resulted in a miscarriage.

Ivan knew contact with Nadia would put her in danger, but his heart won the battle. It started with quick checkups under the guise of making sure she was safe, but the visits became more frequent and they quickly fell in love.

When Boris discovered Ivan’s betrayal, and that Nadia was alive and now pregnant with his second-in-command’s child, he ordered his murder. My mourning mother was forced to flee again, in fear of losing yet another child.

My mother kept her heavy secrets until the day she died. Using her last breathes she unloaded the burden of her affair with Boris Sokolov, his attempt on her life, and the loss of my half-brother. That day I learned who my father was, but within the same breath she told me of his murder.

Boris Sokolov ruined her life, not once, but twice. He took my father and brother from me, and I made it my mission to hunt him down and kill him. But I was too late. He was already dead, murdered by his eldest. That should’ve brought me comfort, but I was blinded by grief and rage. If I couldn’t kill him, then I’d slaughter his family. Andrei was untouchable so I set my sights on Sergei, enrolling in the same college. My plan was to befriend him, gain his trust, and kill him. But, I never intended to like him, and when he brought me home on Christmas break I discovered his mother was actually my aunt. I broke down and told them everything.

They sat in shock while Andrei contemplated putting a bullet in my head. The only reason I’m still alive is because of Aunt Zoya. She knew Boris ordered the death of her brother, but she had no idea there was a child involved. Andrei let me live long enough to provide my DNA and the results came back confirming the truth. I was her nephew and Andrei’s and Sergei’s cousin.

Zoya insisted I move to Las Vegas. I changed my last name in honor of my father and my non-existent family grew overnight, which included Becca, who was fifteen to my twenty. We aren’t directly related but equally intwined in the strong cloth of the Sokolov family.

She used to follow me around like a love-sick puppy, but I didn’t give her the time of day, treating her like an annoyance. I was busy earning my cousins’ respect, and she was just a kid that got in the way. I’ve proven myself worthy and am now Andrei’s and Sergei’s Councilor. It’s a title I don’t take lightly.

As I rose to the top Becca grew into a beautiful woman.

The once awkward teenager is a gorgeous spitfire with a sailor’s mouth, a wicked right hook, and poker skills bar none. She’s a brilliant temptress, a crude businesswoman, but also an entitled princess.

She was raised around overbearing, testosterone filled cousins, and she’s scratched and clawed against it every breathing moment. The Sokolov men spoil her while aggravating her in the same breath. They are overprotective assholes, but she’s been given a very long rope of independence. She’s attended college, partying and fucking her way into adulthood. She may live on her own, playing boss lady during the day and fucking and drinking at night, but she’s never really alone, unaware of the security lurking in the shadows.

Seven years ago, at her twenty-first birthday bash, I made the biggest mistake of my life. The drunken angel followed me onto the veranda, standing in the moonlight, her flowy white dress blowing in the breeze, her cheeks flushed from alcohol. It was a rare moment, just us and the stars. She stumbled and I caught her waist saving her from the fall, but when she leaned in to steal a kiss, my world crashed around me. I didn’t even realize it until I had pushed her away, denying her. A reflex, the correct one, although one I’ve regretted.

Andrei and Sergei had just invited me into their inner circle, and I would never betray their trust. I reacted, and she stumbled off hurt and angry.

The Universe is a cruel beast, because now she doesn’t spare me a second glance, and I’m desperate for her.

She cynically jokes her last name is a curse and she’s right. Smart men run for the hills when they find out she’s the cousin of Andrei and Sergei. Still, she loves to test her invisible shackles, going out, drinking too much and fucking random guys, and until now, she’s gotten away with it.

Andrei says, “That’s why you’re going to tell her and she’s staying with you.”

I laugh, but quickly realize he’s not joking.

“She’s going to fight you tooth and nail, threat or not. She has the distillery to manage and the new tasting room opening.”

“She can work remotely.”

“And what about her full social calendar?”

“We aren’t giving her a choice.”

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