Valentin’s eyes flared; then his eyebrows pulled down in confusion. His lips pulled tight, and when he looked at me again he said, “I think I know this name, Volkov. They are Russian? The crime family?”

I nodded and sat up further, excitement taking hold. “My brother, my sykhaara, he could help us. With the collar no longer causing you to black out if we left this place, he could help us. They could help us rescue your Inessa.”

Valentin’s expression didn’t change, until he exhaled a breath and asked dubiously, “You think he would help us?”

Taking hold of Valentin’s hand, I said, “I know he will. He is a good man, and he is living among the most powerful family on the East Coast.”

I paused and asked, “Is your Mistress here in New York? Is Inessa here, too?”

Valentin nodded. “Mistress brings her everywhere with us but keeps her separate from me. The only time Inessa was away was this past year when Mistress gave her to the man that she was a slave to for years. They had a strange relationship. Mistress would fuck me and he wouldn’t care. He would fuck my sister; she wouldn’t care. Mistress would tie me to a chair and make me watch. That is why we are here in New York. He was recently killed. Mistress ordered a hit on Zaal Kostava in revenge for her losing her true love.”

I frowned. “Why would she want revenge on my brother?”

“I don’t know. I just get ordered to kill.”

Squeezing Valentin’s hand, I said, “We must go.”

Valentin didn’t move, and I worried that he would refuse. But he sat up from the mattress and pulled me from the bed. “We must cleanse; then I have your clothes. We can be at the house I took you from in less than an hour.”

My heart raced in excitement as we showered. When we were both clean, Valentin led me to a back room and handed me my clothes. We dressed quickly, Valentin all in black. His hood pulled over his head made him look every inch the thief I knew him to be.

Reaching down, Valentin took my hand and paused to say, “You believe this can work?” His voice cracked when he added, “I cannot have Inessa suffer for my weakness.”

Stepping closer, I rose to my tiptoes and gave him a kiss on his cheek. “It will work, Valentin. My brother was an honorable boy, I have no doubt he is an honorable man.”

Valentin nodded his head. He guided us to a large steel door. I nervously rocked on my feet as I waited for the damn thing to open. When the last lock unlatched, Valentin swung open the door and pulled us forward, only to be halted in his tracks when someone stood in his path.

Jarred by the sudden stop, I felt Valentin stiffen, all his muscles tense. I peeked around his shoulder, and all the blood ran from my body when I noticed an older woman dressed all in black, her face stern and cold. Behind her were several large men, all dressed in black. In an instant I knew it was the Wraiths, Valentin’s Georgian captors. They were as frightening as their name suggested.

My eyes fell to the woman once more. She was glaring at me. My skin chilled, and pushing me behind him Valentin gritted his teeth and hissed out …

“Mistress.”

15

LUKA

“You look so handsome, lyubov moya.”

I smiled at my wife as she stood before me tying my tie, then straightening out my suit. She had gone to move from the view of the mirror when I stopped her with my hand. Kisa dropped her head, and my head tipped to the side. “You are worried?” I asked. No question was really needed; I knew my solnyshko more than I knew myself.

Kisa gazed off across the room. “They hate us.” Her light blue eyes met mine. “They will especially hate you. You’re a Tolstoi. Your name alone brings instant disrespect and possibly violence to tonight.”

Cupping Kisa’s face, I said, “I understand why you’re worried, solnyshko, but I won’t be hurt tonight. Besides, if one of the fuckers tried, I’d kill them where they stood.”

Kisa sighed and gripped my wrists. “I know; it’s just…,” she trailed off.

Moving her head forward, I made her meet my eyes. “It’s just what?”

Kisa’s hand dropped to her growing stomach, and she said, “I understand you’re the knyaz. Believe me, as daughter of the Pakhan, I know this. And I know you’re Raze also. This is our life, and I have been bred for it. But when I got you back, I did not expect all of this.” Kisa sighed, then continued, “I love Zaal. I would even if it was for no other reason than to make Talia happy. But now Zaal’s sister has been taken. It’s just that I have this awful feeling there is more still to come. Nothing about this entire situation feels right. And, well—” Kisa’s face paled, but she said, “I feel like I’ve just gotten you back, and now we’re having a baby.” She took a deep breath. “I cannot imagine my life without you, lyubov moya. I have lived through losing you once; there is no way I could survive it twice.”

Feeling my heart fucking swell, I took Kisa in my arms and pulled her to my chest. Kisa tried to pull away. “Luka, your suit.”

I kept her close. “I couldn’t give a fuck about my suit. I do give a shit about my wife, my pregnant wife, being upset.” Kisa melted into my chest, and her arms wrapped around my waist.

I kissed her on her head and said, “I can tell you right now, solnyshko. Nothing, not even hell itself, will take me from you.” I kissed her again and added, “All of this, I’m doing it so our life can be good. And I’m doing this for Zaal, so he can find his sister and get someone from his family back in his life.” Bringing Kisa back so I could see her face, I said, “And I’m doing this so that when I inherit the role of Pakhan we are strong, and we have the right people around us. My life is you. My entire life is you and our baby. And I’m going to do everything I can to make this Bratva, this family, the best thing I’ve ever done.” Kisa nodded. “Solnyshko, no one will touch me tonight. Our byki will be there in force, and even if they weren’t, I can handle myself.”

Kisa inhaled, then looked up at me through her fucking doe eyes, her mouth spreading into a huge smile. The air was knocked out of my lungs at how fucking beautiful she was. Edging closer, she re-straightened the lapels on my suit and moved aside to stand behind me. My reflection stared back at me. I was dressed head to toe in a black suit, my white shirt and red tie perfectly in place thanks to my wife.

Kisa disappeared. When she reappeared, she was holding out my cashmere long coat. She held it out and slipped it on my shoulders, and when it was on she slipped something heavy in each pocket.

I kept her eyes trapped in the reflection of the mirror and reached into my pocket. I smirked and pulled out my bladed knuckle-dusters. I raised my eyebrows at my wife and she shrugged. “Take them for me, baby. I’ve seen what you can do with those things. It would make me feel better if I knew you had them at the ready.”

Laughing, I turned to my wife and crashed my lips to hers. Pulling back, fighting my cock hardening in my pants, I said, “When I’m back, you’re mine.”

Kisa brushed my hair back from my forehead and whispered into my ear, “I’m always yours.”

My lips found hers again. Groaning, I carefully pushed Kisa back against the wall, capturing her moan in my mouth. My hands reached down and lifted up her dress, just as a voice called from downstairs, “Mr. Tolstoi, Mr. Kostava is here.”

As I sagged against Kisa’s shoulder, she pushed me back. My jaw had clenched at being interrupted when my wife laughed and kissed me on the cheek. She had moved toward the bedroom when I ordered roughly, “Be ready for me when I get back!”

Kisa’s face flushed red, and she said, “Always, lyubov moya.”

I raced down the stairs and out into the cold night air. The driver held open the back door of the limo, and when I slipped in Zaal was already sitting opposite me, dressed in a monkey suit like me, his long hair tied back in a bun. The brother had been a nuclear bomb since we heard his sister had been taken.

As the car began to roll away, I asked, “You ready for this?”

Zaal exhaled and replied, “It is who I am. I am the Kostava Lideri. It is time my people had their dignity restored.”