Page 71 of Ruthless Bonds

“Business calls. But please, enjoy your new sanctuary. And try out the cameras. We should be filling the walls of our home with your work.” He pressed his lips to mine, then, a moment later, he left.

My head was spinning at all of this. I couldn’t understand how a mafia boss and ruthless killer could be so sweet. Was it all a trick? It wasn’t that many weeks ago that he was telling me he owned my life. Was that what this was all about? Was he just being nice so that I would stay compliant?

It would be in my best interest to keep to my plan. Use him like he was trying to use me. Get the money, get the trackers out, then run. There was nothing wrong with having a few orgasms in between it all. Just so long as I remembered not to involve my heart.

I loaded film into the Leica M Series and headed down the corridor. Might as well test out this beauty while I had access to it. Since Kreos had covered my eyes on the way down here, nothing looked familiar, and soon I was completely turned around. It was like a maze down there.

Movement through a window caught my eye, and I peeked through it, then jerked away. Kreos’ soldiers were out there, maybe thirty of them. They were loading large crates into unmarked black vans. A crate slipped. One of the soldiers smacked the other on the back of the head and yelled in Russian.

Even from where I was hiding, I could see the glint of the weapons. Guns, and lots of them. Before I could second-guess myself, I raised the camera and snapped several photos. Photos of the crates and numbers on the side, some of the men’s faces, and the license plates of the vans.

The voice inside my head screamed at me to stop. That I was being a traitor, that Kreos would kill me if he found out what I had just done. But the other voice, the survivor in me who had dug through dumpsters in alleyways to feed her family, who had fought back when men had tried to take from her, that voice screamed,Hell yes, get your leverage. This is your insurance policy so that you can be free.

Either way, I hoped I never had to use it.

I lowered the camera just as one of the soldiers glanced at the window. My heart stopped for a moment and I pressed myself into the wall, hiding more in the shadows. When he looked away, I slowly walked backwards, then ran down the hall.

I found my darkroom and slammed the door. As long as I kept this hidden, then I would have nothing to worry about. And as long as Kreos eventually let me go, then he had nothing to worry about.

An hour later, I was in a bikini lounging by the pool, contemplating all the decisions the last two months that had led me here. Guilt coursed through my veins at what I had just done, but that was ridiculous.

Right?

I wished I could talk to Dove about what I was feeling, but she and Gavriil were in the workout center. He had gotten it in his head that she needed self-defense lessons and was insistent on teaching her. When I’d asked Kreos if I could join in, he’d pinned me against the wall with my hands over my head and said he’d be the only one teaching me. Apparently, we were doing that right after the wedding, which was in three days.

Anya came out with a tray of champagne, Nadya following behind her with two large trays of fruit, meats, and cheeses. I cocked an eyebrow as Nadya set the trays down on the table.

“This is unexpected.” I chuckled and sat up. “Are you ladies joining me for a snack?”

Anya laughed as she set the tray down. “No, dear, the Pakhan said your friends would be stopping by.”

My heart stopped for a moment as I registered what she’d said. “My friends?”

Just then Mira, Margot, and Solene camebarreling down the back steps, yelling my name.

My heart swelled with happiness at their beaming faces. I ran to meet them, my arms open as they grabbed onto me, squeezing me into a tight hug. My entire body was humming with pure joy as I held on to my best friends. Damn, I’d missed them so much.

“You guys, how did you get here?” I pulled back, taking in every detail about them.

“Well, your new fiancé said we could finally see you after we threatened extreme violence.” Mira chuckled as she set her oversized bag down.

The thought of Kreos buckling under the pressure was laughable. There was no way he’d allowed this because they threatened him.

“Yeah, you have a lot of explaining to do,” Solene added. I recalled how Agent Greene had said that Solene had called her, worried out of her mind. More guilt settled deep in my stomach for not trying harder to talk to them. If I’d explained to Kreos how important they were to me, I was sure he would have been reasonable. On the other hand, he wasn’t really that reasonable of a guy, so maybe not.

We lounged by the pool, sipping champagne and snacking on the delicious treats Nadya had brought us. Margot and Mira spent the first hour gushing over the estate, their eyes wide at all the luxury. They nearly lost their minds when I told them about the underground tunnel system on the estate. Kreos had shown me the secret passageways in the house, and then tried to take me down to the tunnels, but it was dark and creepy and I wanted no part of it.

Mira tapped my leg playfully with her foot, giving me a pointed look. “Remember when I told youthat if you see anyone with that wolf and Z tattoo, that you should run the other way? I didn’t mean to run directly into the arms of the actual mafia boss.” She giggled.

Solene swirled her drink. “You still haven’t really explained how you two met. One minute you’re bartending, the next you’re engaged to a billionaire?” There was an edge in her tone, and rightfully so. In their eyes, I had abandoned them, but they didn’t know it wasn’t my choice.

“Actually, I met him a long time ago. We just happened to reconnect recently. It’s complicated.” I shrugged, trying to keep my answer casual without making them want to ask more questions.

“Everything about this is complicated.” Solene leaned forward. “Look at all this security, the armed guards, all the hoops we had to jump through just to see you. Alora, he’s a criminal. Like a really bad one. You know that, right?”

“He’s not a really bad criminal, Solene.” I rolled my eyes, but every muscle in my body tensed. This conversation was about to go south really quickly if she persisted.

“That’s not what Agent Greene told me.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “She said he’s a killer and that you could be in serious danger.”

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