Mikhail had told me more about how they’d been taken and tortured by their own brother years before, using their contacts to help free them. Arrangements had been made to get both families out of the country, but they’d been forced to leave everything behind. All their riches.

  However, there were still other aspects of the story we’d yet to learn.

  Yuri stood on shaking legs, glaring at them. “What the fuck did you do?” He hadn’t anticipated seeing his brothers. All he’d wanted was to lure the children into the compound and kill us.

  He was cracking and his sons were uncertain exactly what was going on. However, I sensed Gregor was ready to fire his weapon if necessary.

  “What we should have done a long time ago.” My father pointed a gun at his own brother. “We informed the Petrovs that you betrayed them. Again. They were very interested in what we had to say. In fact, they are on their way here to have a long chat with you.”

  “You killed my Katerina,” Yuri said. “You took her from me.”

  “Your Katerina? She didn’t belong to you except out of force. However, you didn’t care, believing your own brothers had betrayed you. When you learned Selena was Katerina’s daughter, you decided that was the appropriate way to get back at your family. You did so out of revenge. You took my little girl’s mother away. How could you be so fucking cruel? Because all you care about is power.” My words boomed in the room.

  “We had nothing to do with Katerina’s death,” Uncle Boris said, addressing Yuri. “You forced an arrangement with her father to marry you. If he refused, you had plans to destroy them. He had no choice. There was already an alliance in place between the Antonovas and the Petrovs and you played everyone involved. All because of greed.”

  “If the Antonova family had aligned with the Petrovs, they would have been the most powerful Bratva in the entire world. Katerina was in love with someone else and killed herself because of what she was being forced to do,” I said quietly, shifting my gaze from Yuri to my father and uncle, remembering what Elena had said, yet I was also putting a few pieces of the puzzle together. “You were trying to help her escape. Weren’t you?”

  My question forced Mikhail to suck in his breath.

  The tension in the room was increasing.

  Uncle Boris nodded. “Katerina was in love with the man she had a child with already. One of Petrov’s sons.”

  “Shit,” Mikhail whispered. “Natasha’s father.”

  The ultimate betrayal and all for true love.

  I stole a glance at Lainey. Our strong connection was being tested, but I would keep my promise. No one would ever hurt her the way Selena and her mother had been hurt. With lies. Hatred. Greed.

  “What happened, Dad? What really happened to Katerina?” I asked.

  “What does it matter? She betrayed my father!” Gregor insisted. When he took a step closer, so did every single one of our soldiers.

  “I would be careful if I were you.”

  “Katerina came to me in hopes that I could convince Yuri to stop the marriage, which I tried. Yuri discovered our plans. We were thrown into prison for our involvement and interference and it’s my belief Katerina believed we’d turned our backs on her. On the day of the wedding, she was found hung inside her dressing room. She’d been left alone for only a few moments.” There was such a heaviness in my father’s voice, a secret kept for so long.

  “The Petrovs blame you as they should and that’s why the war has continued. But you found a way to align yourselves with them again through my daughter. Their blood. Our blood. How very clever of you. A plan that took years in the making.” I took two long strides, pointing my weapon at Yuri’s head. “When you realized I was in love again, you used that love as a weakness to get what you wanted. Let me guess. You were going to sell Lainey off to the Petrovs. A peace offering. Right?”

  Weapons were immediately pointed in my direction, my family in turn ready to fire if necessary.

  “You are of my blood, Sasha. It’s good to see you haven’t been softened by your father or your uncle,” Yuri spit out.

  The tension was palpable. One false move and there would be a massacre.

  “Sasha. Don’t. Please, don’t.” Lainey’s voice was one of reason, yet the anger I felt was too intense. I couldn’t do this in front of Lainey. My world was different. My family’s world was different. We were no longer like the brutal men that had ravaged my uncle and his sons. “Sasha. You’re not that man.” When she repeated her plea, I locked eyes with her. In them I saw love and utter support.

  Dear God, I adored the woman.

  I lowered my weapon, shoring my shoulders. “The beautiful woman who has freed me from the chains of losing my wife is right. I’m not like you at all, Yuri. Not at all. Neither is my brother nor sister nor my cousins.” I backed away, curious as to what he’d do.

  The moment his son Gregor raised a weapon toward me, Mikhail shot him. Weapons were raised on every side, but now Yuri and his men were outnumbered.

  “You will not get away with this,” Yuri insisted, coughing as soon as he spoke.

  I crouched down in front of him, studying his face. “You betrayed your own family, Yuri. You will face penance for your actions.”

  “There will be no more bloodshed today. Take their weapons,” Mikhail ordered.

  As our soldiers proceeded to follow Mikhail’s order, I could feel Selena all around me. For a split second, I was even able to see her face peering at me with a smile. We’d come full circle with pain and rage that had nearly consumed me. Now it was time for healing.

  And for starting my life over.

  With the woman I adored and the feistiest little girl a father could have.

  I glanced at my father and he sensed I was watching, tipping his head and nodding. I wasn’t certain why they’d felt the need to keep Katerina and the circumstances surrounding her death a secret other than they’d wanted to protect our entire family from learning our legacy was stained. By grief. By bloodshed and violence.

  And by the need for power.

  What I did know was that they’d been trying to do the right thing.

  A lesson to be learned. Secrets weren’t good for any family.

  Especially my little family.

  When I turned toward Lainey, she rushed into my arms, throwing hers around my shoulders. “I knew you’d come. I knew it.”

  “Oh, baby. What did they do to you?” I pulled her back, cupping her face gently and rubbing my thumb across her cheek.

  She nuzzled into my hand, her eyelids half closing. “I’m fine. You look a little rough around the edges.” The light touch of her hand brought a wave of emotion that I would ensure never faded. “Besides, you don’t need to worry about me. You came for me. For us. You didn’t allow anything to stop you.”

  “I made you a promise I intended on keeping.”

  “Mmm…” she purred. “That makes you my hero.”

  “I don’t know about that.”

  “I do. You’re perfect. Just a little hardheaded, but I can work with that.” She clenched my shirt, rising onto her tiptoes and as soon as she pressed her lips against mine, every sensation of guilt and sadness was lifted. Her touch was the reason.

  “Here we go again,” Vissarian teased.

  “We have company,” Alessandro said from where he was standing in the back of the room.

  If I had to guess, I’d say the Petrovs had arrived. That was my cue to take my family to safety.

  “Come on baby,” I said as I grabbed Lainey’s hand. “We’re getting my daughter. And we’re going home.”

  CHAPTER 28

  Lainey

  When the bathroom door opened, I spun around and jerked the towel up to my chest, frowning until I realized who’d invaded my privacy. Yum.

  Him, the man who’d been my protector.

  The man who’d chased the bad guys halfway across the world to hunt me down.

  The man who’d awakened all my senses and had still somehow made me feel weak in the knees.

  And the man who’d broken into the bathroom where I was trying to take a nice long shower with a scandalous look on his face.

  My lover.

  The one and only Sasha Dmitriyev.

  With an evil glint in his eye, he yanked the towel from me, exposing every inch of my naked body. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  He cocked that handsome head of his, even shaking it as he tossed the towel across the room and wagged his finger. “Anything I want. It would seem you forget who’s in charge inside this house. I mean it is mine after all.”

  “Hmmm… So it doesn’t matter that the owner of the house asked me to move in with him.”

  “You mean the master of the house.” He closed the door behind him, swaggering closer.

  “Ha. I don’t see any masters here. Just a horny little boy.”

  I adored the way he often lifted a single eyebrow and the heat rose from his body every time he looked at me, just as he was doing right now.

  “You love to try and wound me. Don’t you?”

  Shrugging, I ran my fingers through my hair, acting like being devoid of clothing in front of him was completely normal. Nothing with him was normal, which was what made being with him so intensely delicious. “I admit a favorite pastime of mine.”

  He narrowed his eyes and the way his nostrils flared was a clear indication he was up to something.

  Since we’d returned three weeks before, he’d done everything in his power to bring the world back onto its axis. For me it was as if the events in Moscow and even before that were a strange movie that we’d lived through. Now that it was over, we were moving on.

  Sweet Nina had experienced a few nightmares, but after getting her back into her routine, she was slowly beginning to smile and giggle more.

  “I understand you have an interview with Nina’s school at the end of the week.” He took a step closer.

  I took one backwards just to be a brat.

  “There are no surprises in this house.”

  “Nope,” he said, popping the p. “Since I make the rules, everyone who lives here must comply. You were trying to keep a little secret from me.” He took another step.

  So did I.

  “Moi? Not a chance. Yes, I do. I thought you’d be happy.”

  “Oh, I am. I originally wasn’t going to allow you out of the house.”

  “Not fair.”

  “All is fair in love and my rules.”

  I burst into laughter. When he took another step closer, I was suddenly pressed against the wall. It was the first time he’d really allowed himself to relax since we’d gotten back. Yes, he’d had a bazillion things to do at the resort, but I’d sensed his worry. While he’d yet to tell me what had occurred with his Moscow-based family after he’s whisked Nina and me to safety, I’d heard enough to anticipate what I’d be told.

  I didn’t need to hear the details.

  Although through Bernie, I’d gathered that the Petrovs had exacted revenge.

  “Not unless I say so,” I whispered in a saucy voice.

  He took a deep breath and suddenly he’d snagged my arm and tossed me, stomach down, over the edge of the counter. “That’s not a nice thing to say to your master.” He pressed the full weight of his body against mine while searching in one of the drawers. I’d be damned if he didn’t wrap his hand around one of my hairbrushes. The wooden one.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Do I really need to repeat myself?” His grin was practically evil.

  “We have a party we need to head to in an hour.”

  “The people can wait.” He twirled the brush and the gleam in his eyes created an intense wave of desire. My nipples were already hard, my pussy extremely wet.

  “That would mean you’re not a good host.”

  “I can live with that. You need to learn some lessons.” With that, he smacked the back of the brush against my right butt cheek, the sound echoing.

  “Ouch.” I rose onto my tiptoes, gripping the edge of the counter with white knuckles.

  “Spankings do require pain.” The hard snap of his hand as he brought the implement down several more times was strangely enthralling.

  “That’s not always true.” He’d been playful with the one the night before, the erotic spanking making me as aroused as I’d ever been. Granted, just being around him created a need.

  Thinking about him when being locked inside that room had kept me going. Seeing his face had driven such tender emotions through me that I’d been almost hypnotized. He’d come for me.

  Who rushed into extreme danger, risking their life without hesitation?

  He’d moved heaven and earth to come find me.

  When he cracked the brush down several more times, a moan slipped from my lips. “You’re so bad.”

  “You’re right,” he muttered and raked his fingers down my spine, his chest heaving as he did. “And you’re beautiful. Are you going to miss being on the road?”

  “Not even a little bit.” Which was true.

  “What about your music?” Another four smacks of the brush and juice was trickling down the insides of my thighs.

  I was breathless and tingling all over. “I never said I was giving up music. I just don’t need to be the center of everyone’s world any longer.”

  “Just the center of mine.” Leaning over, he pressed kisses against my shoulder, his hot breath searing my skin.

  “Mmm… Something like that.” Seeing our reflection together was something I prayed I’d never get tired of. We fit together in a way that made my heart sing.

  “Maybe we’ll skip the party,” he whispered and bit my shoulder.

  My legs were quivering, my heart thudding erratically. He had that kind of effect on me. “Not happening, big boy. It’s a celebration of your birthday and all the holidays we haven’t celebrated together. Yet.”

  “That’s a tall order.” He smacked my bottom twice more and suddenly he tossed the brush onto the counter. Why did he have a slight twinkle in his eyes? The man was up to something. I could feel it in my bones. This was the first night Nina was enjoying time with Emily, something she’d been looking forward to.

  “But you can do anything. Now, why don’t you prove that and fuck me.”

  His grin was wide and I adored the way his eyes could light up a room. “I thought you’d never ask.” He wasted no time unfastening his trousers. As always, we had a desperate need for each other. That had only increased since we’d returned.

  Even now, steam was already covering the surface of the mirror. He gripped my hips, yanking me further away from the counter. I shuddered from the way he was digging his fingers into my skin.

  “So fucking beautiful.”

  I dragged my tongue across my bottom lip just to drive him crazy. He teased me with the tip of his cock, sliding up and while nipping my earlobe.

  “Stop teasing me,” I muttered.

  “You mean just like you do with me. Two can play at that game, little butterfly.” He slipped his cockhead inside and I shifted backward, forcing another couple of inches past my swollen folds.

  “Yes, we can.” As soon as I wiggled back and forth, he plunged the remainder deep inside.

  Every time we made love, my reaction was electrified. If we became an old married couple and our sex life stayed this incredible, I’d die a happy woman. The thought brought a sly little smile to my face. Who knew. Maybe we would grow old together.

  He pulled out, driving into me again and I pressed my hands against the mirror. The force he used was spectacular, pushing me close to an orgasm after only two minutes. I slapped the mirror, wiping away the fog because I wanted to see his expression. The man was so possessive, more so after I’d been kidnapped.

  The rush of excitement of pure adrenaline was incredible, my core exploding with the kind of fire that only came when you cared about someone deeply.

  And I did.

  Not only was he a welcome surprise, but he’d also managed to become my everything. My whole world. All the accolades, the Grammys won, and the miles traveled to various countries didn’t mean nearly the same as the time spent with him.

  And his amazing daughter.

  Little did he know the surprises we had in store. They hadn’t been purchased from an exclusive jeweler or an expensive art gallery. They’d been what my mother had called home-grown gifts from the heart.

  Every inch of me tingled as he fucked me and I pushed back, meeting every brutal thrust. We were both sweaty and crazed with need, his growls echoing much like my moans.

  In the next few seconds, I simply let go, my body responding in a way that kept me feeling alive.

  A climax rolled through me hot and heavy, and I was blinded by a beautiful section of stars so vibrant in color I gasped. He didn’t stop, taking me to new heights of pleasure.

  For that moment, we were as one.

  “Oh. Oh. Oh…” Panting, I hung my head, so exhilarated I couldn’t think clearly. When he wrapped his hand around my hair, jerking back my head, I laughed. “You’re so bad.”

  “You have no idea.”

  The strokes became slower, his body tenser and within a few seconds, I felt his eruption deep inside, filling me with his seed.

  His body jerked and I squeezed my muscles, the smile remaining. How had we somehow found each other in the sea of darkness we’d both experienced? I didn’t care how any longer. I was simply basking in the joys of being with him.

  He collapsed over me, holding me tightly against him. The closeness was exactly what I needed, the man becoming the air I breathed.

  A few minutes later, I lifted my head. “We’re going to be late.”

  Every guttural sound he made thrilled me. “I didn’t know you were a slave driver.”

  “You don’t know everything about me. Yet. Maybe you never will.”

  He pulled away, chuckling as he did. “You might be surprised, my butterfly. One thing you do know for certain. I will never allow you to fly away.”

  I not only believed him, I prayed that was the truth.