Prologue
Declan
Twenty-Five
I’m not supposed to be here. Actually, scratch that. I’m notjustnot supposed to be here. If Rowan knew I was here right now, he’d hang me from the butcher’s hook. Hell, her Da would kill me if he knew I was in his home right now, and I don’t mean that figuratively. I’d love to say that gives me pause, but as Natasha’s lips crash onto mine and I get what I showed up for, I know that I’d still sidestep landmines to get here.
Natasha’s Da is the Pakhan, or leader, of the Bratva, while my older brother is the leader, or ‘Captain,’ of the Irish mob, or BOCG. Her Da has a hard on for my brother and our organization. It really is unwise for me to be in such a compromising position with the Pakhan’s daughter, especially when you take into consideration that I’m the under boss, or ‘Clan Chief,’ of that same organization, and we’re kind of at odds with each other.
This is the last time we’ll get to do this, and it’s the last time I want to. After tonight she’ll be snuck out by my younger brother and sent away to safety. An attack is coming, and I’ll be damned if I let her get caught in the cross hairs.
Let’s not get this twisted; I’m not in love with Natasha. Not even close. At the same time she’s innocent in all of this, and the daughter should not die because of the sins of her father. This was just sex. That’s all it ever was. We both hook up with other people and we don’t really give a fuck. We’re friends, don’t get me wrong, but this isn’t some friends to lovers bullshit. It’s a you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours, and goddamn does this woman know how to scratch my back. Or she did, until a couple of weeks ago, but let’s not talk about that.
We have only one rule with this little arrangement: best friends are off the table. Natasha has a best friend, Anya, and she would flip her shit if I fucked her, and just to be clear, you couldn’t pay me enough money to even hug Anya. They’ve been best friends since birth because their moms were also best friends. I can’t say much though, because my best friend Jakob is off the table as well. A shiver skates down my spine as I think about the white hot rage that would overcome me if she even looked twice at him. I’d kill her. I don’t kill women unless they’re actively trying to kill me or someone I love. That’s just something that’s ingrained in me, but I’d make an exception if she ever touched Jake.
Jake and I met on the first day of sixth grade. We realized we liked all the same sports teams and we’ve been best friends ever since. I’m pretty sure I’ve spent just as much time with him as I have my siblings. I used to go over to his house all the time when we were growing up, then when we were about eighteen, he got really weird about it. When we turned twenty- four, he opened his bar in German territory and moved into a house in Corey Heights, just outside the city.
He’s never really talked about what was going on then, but I’m assuming he was butting heads with his Da. His Da, Lukas Fischer, works for the Germans. He isn’t a top dog by any means, but he is well respected in his organization. He keeps his kids as far away from this life as he can. The life that I have no way to get out of even if I wanted to. Jakob’s siblings, as far as I know, have nothing to do with mafia business either. His brother, Dieter, is a mechanic, and he opened his own shop recently in neutral territory. He’s the only man who I’ll let touch my cars or bikes. They adopted a little girl when we were in our late teens, but I’ve never met her. She’s apparently a computer nerd like my little brother, Mac. And the baby of their family, Annie, is still in high school. She’s the same age and in the same grade as my youngest brothers.
I’m so lost in my head that I don’t even realize Natasha’s still here until I feel her lips kissing down my neck. Focusing back on the present, I watch her nip and lick across my chest and begin to lower my boxers. I grab a fistful of her hair to stop her when the door to her room opens, causing us both to fly back in opposite directions like repelling magnets. I quickly grab my gun and aim it at the intruder just a half second before realizing none other than Jakob stands in the door frame. He looks about as shocked as I feel.
“What the fuck is going on?” Jakob roars with pure malice in his voice.
“I should be asking you that. What the fuck are you doing here? Is something wrong?” I’m teetering between panic and anger. Is something wrong with one of my brothers, or is Natasha a fucking liar? If she touched him, I’ll kill her right here right now.
I hear Natasha whisper, “Fuck, this can’t be happening.”
“It’s happening. You’re in this fucking room half naked with the person I’ve been in love with for months.”
“What?” My eyes whirl to Natasha. “You better start fucking talking. We had an agreement.”
“You had an agreement?Wehad an agreement! Wake the fuck up, Dec.” The anguish in his voice pulls me up short. Before I can try to explain, he practically spits venom as he continues. “You know what, fuck you both. You deserve each other. Für mich seid ihr beide tot.” He turns and leaves in a flurry of rage. She’s fucked up way more than our little arrangement by breaking our rules. I throw my shirt on before following suit and getting the fuck out of there. By the time I make it out the door Jakob is long gone. Mac can help her get to safety, but after that she’s on her own, and if I ever see her again, I’ll rip her head off her body.
I fucked up by not telling my best friend about her, by not telling him what I was doing here as soon as he opened the door. I also have been avoiding him for the past week, which makes this even worse. On the way home I replay those words over and over in my head.To me, you’re both dead.Each time cuts me just a little bit deeper. I know I’ve just made an enemy out of Jakob Fischer, and there’s no way we’re going to be able to repair this, and that makes me feel like someone is twisting my heart inside of my chest.
1
Chapter One
Declan
Thirty years old
The way the wind whips around me sends a fresh trail of goosebumps down my spine. It’s late spring, but the wind still has a slight chill at this time of night. Walking away from the high rise apartment that houses the now sleeping Natasha, I keep my head down as I make my way to my brand new Chevrolet Silverado.
I can feel someone following me, but I don’t quicken my pace. I’m not a pussy, and I know exactly who it is. I can feel his ice blue eyes burning into the back of my head. I’m maybe twenty feet from my truck when I’m grabbed from behind and dragged into a dark alley. One minute I’mrecoiling and tensing on instinct, and the next moment I’ve relaxed my body just as my former best friend pins me to the brick wall by his forearm to my throat. The invisible hands that have been pulling at me since she texted me, demanding I come over, begin to fade with the familiarity of what was a fourteen year friendship. The silver of the blade in his hand that glimmers in the dim light floating in from the street causes me to tense again just slightly.
Jakob stands with maybe a foot between our faces. He looks dark and menacing, like the fucker may actually try to slit my throat. I know I’m pushing my luck, but I can’t help it when one corner of my lips lifts in what I know is an infuriating smirk. I haven’t seen him in months. He looks good. His inch long brown hair looks freshly cut, his ever present stubble covers his sharp jawline, and his eyes are just as piercing as always. I’m about the same height as him and a lot broader, but that doesn’t make the threat of the blade at my throat any less real.
“Fancy seeing you here, Fischer. What brings you out this way so late at night?”
I can practically see the smoke coming out of his ears. “I’ll kill you right here, Byrne. You’d be grossly underestimating me to think otherwise.” He brings the knife to the side of my throat and pushes just enough to make me bleed.
Holy shit, the crazy fucker just may do it.
My hands twitch to grab the blade from him, but I stop myself. He’s not going to actually hurt me. I mean, I hope he’s not going to actually hurt me. If he flexes his hand again, I’ll be forced to pry that stupid thing out of his hand.
“You won’t kill me, Jake. Stop this shit.” I growl out, losing my playful demeanor.
