The Pakhan: A Dark Russian Mafia Romance (Brutal Empire Book 1) by Piper Stone

Author:Piper Stone [Stone, Piper]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stormy Night Publications
Published: 2024-08-30T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

Caroline

“The man will destroy you. He doesn’t deserve you.”

“You’re wrong. I know him,” I huffed, barely finding my voice.

“Yeah? Why don’t you ask him what he did to his wife?” He laughed and dragged me down the stairs, the sound of his horrible voice echoing.

One I would never forget.

I jerked up, terror racing through me. Darkness. Oh, God, there was total darkness all around me. I felt suffocated, clawing my neck. The bastard who’d kidnapped me had laughed as he’d whispered that into my ear. What was happening? Where was I?

Close to hyperventilating, it took me several seconds for my eyes to become accustomed to the darkness. I’d been saved. I’d been rescued by Vadim. I was…

Safe.

As my breathing started to calm, I folded my arms over my naked chest, slowly turning my head. He was still here. My hero. My… lover.

The man who’d told me he owned me.

That was almost as shocking as what had occurred earlier. He appeared to be sleeping, the limited light from the moon allowing me to see the rise and fall of his chest. I longed to reach out, to stroke his skin but I dared not wake him. He was hurt and yet so damn stubborn.

But the time we’d shared had been unexpected, the beauty of our passion something I would never have believed I’d want. But now? I wasn’t certain I could see living without him. It was a crazy thought really. I’d never wanted this life. Sofiya had told me enough that I’d promised myself I would never be trapped in something so horrible.

Vadim was a brutal man, powerful in every way. There was no way of sugarcoating his horrible deeds or his lust for blood. He was a murderer. But violence encompassed his world. Did that mean he shouldn’t have a normal life aside from the business he’d been born into? He’d done everything to make his two daughters’ lives richer, wanting for nothing while giving them a sense of purpose.

Maybe I was one of the few who’d been allowed to see his soft underbelly.

Maybe I was dreaming that what we were sharing was more than what it really was.

As my kidnapper’s ugly words filtered back into my mind, I shifted into trying to remember what Sofiya had told me about her mother’s death.

Very little.

At first, I’d believed her mother had died in childbirth but that wasn’t the case. There was a gorgeous photograph of her mom holding her when she was a baby.

The woman had seemed so happy.

Later, Sofiya had said something that I found difficult to remember. Something about… An enemy. Was it possible one of Vadim’s enemies had taken the woman’s life? The thought made me shudder, but it was the assailant’s accusation that left me cold inside.

I glanced in Vadim’s direction again, daring to brush a strand of hair from his face. He muttered softly and his lips were far too inviting. Plus, I did adore teasing him. Maybe a bit too much. I pulled

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