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  I pointed my toes downward, tilted my head up, locked my knees, and braced my muscles as I fell one hundred feet through the air, over the cliff I had just leapt from, down into the deep-sea water below. Even though I braced myself, the shock of meeting the water still sent a pulse through me, and I let the water close around me and stayed still for a moment to gather my muscle power.

  Smiling, a little sore from the fall, I kicked my legs, forcing myself back up to the surface. I broke through, and took a deep gulp of air into my lungs. Floating, I laughed heartily, the sound echoing against the cliffs.

  "YOU CRAZY BITCH, QUIT DOING THAT!"

  I heard Cin's yell at the top of the hill, and lifted my middle finger in his general direction. I swam toward shore, making swift time, even though my dress slowed me down considerably. Waking ashore, I panted hard, taking in great gulps of air. My lungs stung from the run and the fall, but even so I couldn't suppress the laugh of pure joy that escaped.

  "You took your sweet time, Kapitan."

  At the sound of the deep, Russian-accented voice, I looked to the shadows, and saw a large, breathtaking man leaning against the rocks. Wearing a black cotton shirt with jeans, the tall, well-muscled man emerged into the light and I smiled.

  "I thought I made excellent time, D'yavol."

  Viktor shook his head, rolling his eyes, and I laughed again, still panting.

  "You really do know me." I said, smiling at my bodyguard and right-hand man, Viktor Orlov.

  "Well, it is your French lesson day. I knew it was only a matter of time before the great escape." Viktor inclined his head, extending a large towel to me.

  I laughed, not bothering to deny it, and rubbed the towel on my head, drying out my shoulder length hair. As I did this, I noticed my dress clinging to my body, the white garment completely transparent. I tried to suppress the blush that arose, cursing myself for wearing pink undergarments with a white dress.

  Looking up, I caught Viktor gazing at my toned body, and I felt a stab of desire. Our cat-and-mouse game was becoming too much for me to bear. Neither one of us had admitted anything to the other yet, but we both knew what was brewing just beneath the surface. We had wanted each other from the moment I had laid eyes on him in Korol’s basement, chained to a wall and covered in prison filth. After three years of abstaining from sex, my female parts screamed at me to mate this man, mate him now, and mate him hard.

  I parted my lips, tilting my head up at him as he stepped closer to me. Our gazes collided, and that intense obsidian gaze engulfed me. I felt my nipples harden and wet my lips as I felt his body heat permeating through my soaked garment.

  Yes, yes, yes. Throw me to the ground. Pound me. Fuck me so hard-

  Suddenly, the towel engulfed my face, Viktor rubbing my head with it. I sputtered, cursing him as he dried me hurriedly.

  "Miss Smith is scheduled to call in an hour. Let us return and prepare for the status report." Viktor said, walking ahead of me. I looked after him, narrowing my eyes in irritation.

  Fuck, the man has nerves of steel.

  I cursed myself, forcing the intense sexual desire down for the millionth time since we had come to the island. I trotted after him obediently, cursing my libido and cursing Viktor's rigid personality.

  God, I'm so stupid. I just wish he would be fucking stupid with me.

  We chatted lightly as we made our way up the hill, discussing training regiments and household matters. All the while I mentally tottered between reprimanding myself for my desire, and cursing Viktor for not acting on his.

  God, when did I get so thirsty?

  But I knew the answer. It was the moment I saw what Viktor was trying so hard to hide.

  The fact that he was in love with me.

  And fuck if I didn’t return the feeling a thousand times over.

  Now what the fuck do I do about it?

  • • •

  Viktor

  As we made our way to the manor, Silas reprimanding Emilia loudly in French, I finally unclenched my jaw. Emilia clutched the towel around her, yelling back at Silas half in French and half in English.

  That was too close.

  I had been so close to leaning into the enticing woman before me. Emilia had blossomed even more under my strict training regiment, the Mediterranean weather, and her role as our commander and chief. Upon arriving to the island three years prior, Emilia had thrown herself into building her empire.

  She had met with countless mafia leaders from Italy, Ireland, France, Britain, and the United States. She had successfully gained the hearts and trust of many people, building a castle for herself on top of this hill that we all lived. Kiernan had brought his closest brothers from Ireland, and Jazz had offered her ragtag group of Albanian mercenaries as allies. Masamune had sent for his two trusted soldiers, the Usami sisters. The sisters alone were formidable, but Masamune was so in tune with them, they represented one of the most terrifying assassin teams I had ever had the privilege of working with.

  We had taken in numerous refugees and employed them as household servants, some as bodyguards and soldiers and provided them housing further down the hill. Emilia had built a small empire in three years, a feat none of us had seen coming, even with Emilia's effective leadership skills and determination. She had stressed the importance of learning from fellow comrades, and had employed Roy, who had retired from the CIA after his imprisonment, to be a scholastic tutor to the young Ludo and Kamili. He was also serving as their sniper instructor, at the children's insistence, since Emilia forbade them from close combat.

  The entire group had grown closer and had been tirelessly training together. We had also amassed a large fortune from all the contracted assassinations and bounties we had carried out. Emilia had forbidden political hits, at the request of Jane Smith, but we had, had more than our fair share of revenue provided simply from taking the bounties from other mafia groups.

  Mark and Iosef, the two guards that had helped us escape from Korol's grasp, had even been found and offered a position with us. They were currently living down the hill, participating in training regiments with us daily. Mark was now my right-hand man when it came to security, and Iosef ran the technology portion of our operation, heading the maintenance on all our security equipment.

  The respect and devotion that Emilia had garnered from her actions was nothing short of extraordinary.

  "Emilia, you fuck, you were the one who said we needed to learn as many languages as possible. Why do you hold this grudge against French, eh?" Silas berated Emilia in English, throwing up his hands as we made our way through the front entrance of the mansion.

  Maids nodded at us as we walked, and I noticed Camila, a Spanish maid with shoulder-length dark hair, smiling at me. She looked me up and down and wet her lips, and I nodded politely to her. She smiled excitedly before turning and accompanying her fellow maids to the kitchen.

  We emerged into the front foyer, where Kiernan, Meiling, Fritz, and Jazz were sitting, chatting. There was no sign of Masamune. They all turned as we entered, shaking their heads at the soaked Emilia. She flipped them off, earning a hearty laugh from Kiernan. Cin silently emerged from our group and sank into a chair, rubbing his grass-stained forehead.

  "I deeply regret teaching you how to jump into water correctly." Cin mumbled, sneering at Emilia.

  She stuck her tongue out at him, earning a smack on the back of the head from Silas.

  "Do not think you are getting out of our other practice, Emilia Fox." Silas said, crossing his arms. The lithe man looked to barely have aged a day in three years, only becoming more agile and competent over time. He was a very pretty man, and he received attention from both men and women wherever he went.

  "Yes, sir." Emilia grumbled, pouting.

  "Oooh. Emilia got in trouble." Kamili, Ludo, and Roy appeared at the door. Kamili was dressed in shorts with long socks on, and a belly top. The young girl had grown into a young woman right before our eyes, and she damn well knew it. She sauntered w
herever she went. Her halo of curls only accentuated her stunning features and wide, almond eyes.

  "Poor, princesa." Ludo drawled, leaning against the back of the chair that Kamili had dropped into. The boy had grown a foot, and had managed to completely skip over the awkward, gangly stage. He was merely a tall, thin young man that moved nearly as swiftly and silently as Cin. The kids still argued like cats and dogs, proving they were still teenagers, though they would argue to the contrary.

  "You need to take care, Emilia. You could be seriously hurt." Roy came up, and patted Emilia's head, looking at her in concern, checking for injuries.

  "I will be oh-so careful, Dad." Emilia drawled, pursing her lips at the older, black man.

  "Come on, femme, we still have fifteen minutes before the English woman's call. Let's go get you changed." Silas rolled his eyes, escorting Emilia from the room.

  I watched as she laced her arm with Silas's, my eyes narrowing slightly. The pair had grown ever closer over the past three years, and were nearly inseparable now. I glanced at Cin, who pretended not to look at the parting beauties. I saw his gaze grudgingly slide to the pair, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at the interlinked arms.

  "Those girls are going to take forever. Smith will be pissed if Emilia is late." Kiernan said after a few minutes, giving me a pointed stare.

  I nodded, excusing myself from the room.

  Walking briskly to the stairs, I ascended them swiftly. Walking down the second-floor hall, I nodded at a maid dusting. I turned the corner to enter the far wing of the house where Emilia's rooms were, and nearly ran into the maid cleaning by the corner.

  "Ah, I apolo-"

  "No need, hermoso."

  Looking down at the maid I had nearly run over, I stopped when I saw it was Camila. I lifted a brow, dropping my hands from her shoulders where I had placed them to steady her. She looked up at me coyly, her large, bedroom eyes inviting me in.

  "Camila. Do you not have duties in the kitchen?" I asked frostily, frowning down at her in disapproval.

  The sultry maid laughed, sidling close and rubbing her ample chest against me.

  "I know, but I saw you earlier. You are building up again, no? Do you not want me to help you? It has been so long since you last wanted me. My bed grows cold." Camila's hand was suddenly at my crotch, rubbing my bulge through my pants. I exhaled in irritation, making a move to remove her hand impatiently.

  "Did seeing la princesa all wet and vulnerable make you like this, hermoso?" Camila's voice was so low and carnal, I barely caught the words. As the memory of Emilia's toned, curvy body so easily visible through the wet fabric of her dress arose in my mind, I felt an instant reaction below my waist.

  "Oh-ho. So that was it. I thought so." Camila laughed, rubbing my now half-hard cock. I grit my teeth, but could not deny the flood of sensation that assaulted me. My traitorous mind recalled the sun-kissed skin, the plump, cupid's bow lips, and the wide, sultry grey eyes that haunted me, awake or asleep. I let Camila rub me for a few moments longer, shutting my eyes in a moment of weakness and imagining Emilia standing before me.

  "You can continue calling her name in my bed, Viktor. I do not mind." Camila's voice tempted me, and I caught her hair in my hand and yanked her lips against my own. I kissed her deeply, imagining Emilia's lips underneath mine, and gave a low, tortured groan. The woman melted against me, her lush body curling against my muscles. I continued the assault on her lips for a moment more, and then broke the kiss quickly.

  "Come to my room tonight." I ordered stoically. Camila gave a breathless nod, her lips swollen from my kiss. She winked at me before sauntering away back down the hall. I stood for a moment, clearing my mind, ordering my body to calm.

  With a pang of guilt, I cleared my throat, and continued down to Emilia's room.

  • • •

  Emilia

  I leaned against the closed door of my room, motionless, my gaze focused straight ahead. Silas stood before me, his eyes reflecting sympathy, his lips twisting down into an unhappy grimace. At the knock to my room, and Viktor's voice calling my name, I felt a muscle in my cheek leap, my lips wanting to curl into a snarl.

  The scene I had almost interrupted burned itself into my brain. The heated kiss that Camila and Viktor had shared made my blood boil, and I felt bloodlust rise to the surface.

  That little fucking slut. I’m going to rip her hair out-

  Crushing my thoughts ruthlessly, I straightened my t-shirt and forced my features into a blank slate. Holding a finger to my lips, I silently commanded Silas not to say a word about what we had seen. He nodded, the look of sympathy melting from his face.

  "Emilia, it's time. We will be late if we wait any longer." Viktor's voice came through the door once again, followed by a quiet knock.

  "Coming!" I opened the door with a flourish, smiling mechanically up at the object of my sexual obsession. I swiftly walked past him, ignoring the arm that he had extended. I saw his slight frown at the obvious snub, but continued down the hall and to the stairs, Silas and Viktor following silently behind me.

  Moments later, we emerged into the parlor once again, where the other members of our little gang were still gathered. They all welcomed us back, and Roy spoke into the phone that was on the center table.

  "She's here, Miss Smith."

  "Well, it's about bloody time!" The cheery, irritating voice echoed around the room through the speaker phone, and my lips curled into a sneer automatically.

  "Your voice is so annoying, Jane, I swear." I said childishly, earning chuckles from around the room.

  "Good as always to hear you, Fox." Jane shot back, even more cheerfully.

  "Let's make this quick, Jane. I have a session with Silas that I need to attend." I said grumpily, waving my hand, as if she could see my impatient movement. Silas raised a sardonic brow at me, and I winked quickly back at him.

  Viktor and Cin both wore identical frowns.

  "Well, maybe you would like to hear the good news before you get sassy with me, Fox." Jane said, a little bit of exasperation in her voice, which made me grin.

  "Now, I have some very interesting news from Moscow. It seems that Korol is going to host an open invitation to mafia bosses from all over the world, to attend a party at his mansion. He is enacting a cease-fire rule, as he is hosting the party to discuss possible business alliances. The guest list includes those who have not yet acknowledged him as the supreme ruler of the Pakhans. So, there will be his allies and his enemies in attendance."

  I raised a brow at this, my attention now focused solely on the conversation at hand. Pursing my lips, I raised a hand to my chin, my brain already manifesting possible plans of action.

  "Hm. And how effective is this cease-fire?" I inquired.

  "Very effective, my dear. He has issued the order of cease-fire under pain of death. Any who violate the parlay will have to offer their own lives as recompense. You know mafia law. In these types of situations, it is absolute. A man who does not uphold his word in the organized crime world is a man who does not hold his life. At least not for very long."

  Pondering this for a moment, I finally gave a nod.

  "When is this party being held?"

  "A month from tomorrow. He has paused in his search for you, my sources tell me, to specifically focus on this gathering. It is a very important deal for him."

  I nodded, my face breaking out into a chilling smile.

  "Well, it would be rude to reject an invitation like this, would it not?" I asked, my silky tone emitting my deadly intent.

  Jane chuckled throatily. "I am so glad you think so. There is a safe house outside of Moscow that has been acquired for you and your party. Give me a ring when you’re settled, and I will provide you with any additional information then. Safe journey, Fox."

  The phone disconnected, and I sat back slowly.

  "So, we're finally going to get some Russian action, eh?" Kiernan sat forward, rubbing his hands together, looking like a kid in a candy store at th
e promise of certain violence.

  Looking around the room, I noticed similar expressions from the group, and I smiled slowly back, crossing my arms over my chest.

  "Well, it is a party, after all. And we do love parties."

  The group all smiled back at me in anticipation, everyone looking ready for the fight ahead. I nodded, glad for the change of pace. I had worked so hard on building a small empire to finish Korol, and it was finally time to put our carefully laid plans into action.

  I looked to Viktor, who nodded back at me in that stoic yet encouraging way of his, and suddenly the image of his heated kiss with Camila rose in my mind. My smile almost slipped, but I held onto it stubbornly. My body was starting to respond, and I could feel the slow, burning heat of jealousy and sexual frustration slide through my veins.

  Rising swiftly, I clapped my hands.

  "Everyone, please get a good night's rest this evening. Tomorrow, we will be strategizing and training the entire day for the fight ahead. Masamune, please have the Usami sisters handle the travel arrangements."

  "You don't want to celebrate a wee bit, Foxy?" Kiernan shook a bottle of whiskey in his hand like he was tempting a dog with a bone.

  Oh, I’m about to celebrate, all right.

  "I have a previous engagement." My merriment was slipping steadily, and I turned sharply to Silas. My eyes must have been starting to show my inner turmoil, as Silas rose swiftly and linked his arm with mine before I could do more than blink.

  "Oh, so the love birds go off to play, leaving us here all alone? You so mean, boss lady." Meiling crooned, her small, gorgeous figure draped enticingly across the lounge. She was watching me with narrowed eyes, though her lips turned up in a mocking smile.

  I flipped her off, leaving scattered laughter behind as alcohol flowed freely, and everyone's anticipation melted into camaraderie. I held on tightly to Silas' hand as I rushed him to the stairs.