The Russian Monarch (Lords of The Commission: New York #6)

Chapter 1

ADRIANNE

For the first time since my mother died, life was starting to make sense again.

It had only been a couple of weeks since I moved to New York, accepting my sister’s offer to finally become a part of the family I’d been so quick to despise when I was younger.

As it turned out, they didn’t even know I existed.

Contrary to every thought I’d ever had about them, they’d made an effort and came for me as soon as they found out they had a half-sister somewhere in the world.

If only six-year-old me could see me now, sitting at my sister’s arranged wedding reception-turned-engagement-party after she broke up the marriage contract with a shooting in a freaking church. She’d say I was delusional to think this could be real.

And more than the strange mafia setting I never thought I’d fit into was the laughter, the love, the peace and hope that filled this place and settled in my heart, too. They were a true family, and I yearned to feel like I belonged to it.

After so many years taking care of my mother, I’d lost sight of who I was outside of that daily hustle, and something in me told me I could never truly belong until I found myself first.

But now, for the first time in what seemed like forever, I was free to decide who I wanted to be, what I wanted to become. And I had absolutely no clue.

No one told me how scary freedom could be, though.

“Is that cake as bitter as it looks?” Jimmy asked as he took the seat beside me.

“What?”

“You’re eating cake with a scowl, Addy. That’s not how it’s done,” He teased, and my lips immediately stretched into a smile.

Jimmy had been extra kind to me. Helping me settle into my new apartment just a few days ago, installing all the new electronics my brothers had bought, together with an intimidating amount of security features I never thought I’d need.

Apparently he was a ‘computer expert,’ as Alison had put it; probably code for hacker or something of the sort.

“You just caught me in a moment there,” I shrugged, setting the plate back onto the table.

“I get it. Today was a lot to take in for someone not in the life.” Jimmy reached for a loose strand of my hair and tucked it behind my ear. “You’re holding up surprisingly well for a newbie. I remember puking after my first shooting.”

“I was going to, but didn’t want to ruin the dress or my makeup.”

Jimmy laughed, and I couldn’t help but join, even though there was a tiny piece of truth in that absurdity. The silk white dress seemed too luxurious to ruin, and I was even breathing slower so as not to wrinkle the damn thing.

“You look good in white, though. Maybe one day you’ll be the one walking down the aisle.”

“If it’s anything like today, it’s a hard pass for me. I think I’ve had my fill of mafia weddings.”

Wearing white to a wedding, I know. It was not my idea, and I wasn’t the only one.

In par with the marriage celebrations that were cut short by a little criminal war between the mafia and the cartel, I think my sister had felt the need to be camouflaged.

So every single person was wearing white today.

“That shoots down my shot,” Jimmy replied, faking a sad face that had me laughing at his antics. Not that it was that funny, but it was my nervous reaction to his confession.

“Besides, isn’t it like… forbidden to be involved with the boss’s sister?”

“Some end well,” He said, motioning to my sister dancing with a massive smile on her face, her arms slung around her fiancée’s neck. He was her bodyguard at one point. “Some end in a ditch. I’d take my chances.”

I couldn’t help the blush that tinted my cheeks, “I don’t think–”

“Coffee first. Maybe dinner next?” He interrupted me, seeing how I fumbled with my napkin, not knowing how to respond.

“That I can do.”

“Jimmy.” Another one of my brother’s men called from the dancefloor, waving him over.

“Duty calls, but I’ll hold you to it then.”

“Deal.”

Jimmy stood up, but not before placing a lingering kiss on the back of my hand and flashing me a content smirk.

I sat there processing what had just happened.

A date. An actual date with someone kind and funny and.

.. interested in me. The thought made my stomach flutter for a second.

The prospect that I could actually have a full and happy life here brought me a peace that somewhat settled the nerves I’d been eager to control since the shooting earlier.

I picked up my fork again, stabbing a piece of cake, “With a smile now,” I said to myself before leaning in to eat it.

Before I could bury the whole thing in my mouth, a huge chunk of the frosting fell onto my lap, staining the pristine silk in berry red, making my eyes almost pop out of their sockets.

“Oh, c’mon!” This was going to stain, and I was terrified of the fact that I’d just damaged such a beautiful, not to mention expensive, dress.

In the blink of an eye, I shot to my feet and ran towards the bathrooms to try and scrub the spot away before it settled.

Or maybe I just used that as an excuse to go powder my nose and make sure Jimmy’s offer still stood after the champagne wore off.

The ladies’ room was down a service corridor, past the kitchen, where caterers had been busy at work the two other times I’d walked here tonight, but now it was a lot quieter since dinner was over and the dessert buffet was open.

A strange noise caught my attention just ahead, sending a little suspicious shiver down my spine. After having to hide behind a marble saint to save my life earlier today, I was jumpy, to say the least. Not even the two glasses of champagne had eased that tension.

I laughed my paranoia off with a shrug and kept going.

Suddenly, a hand clamped over my mouth from behind, cutting off my scream before it came out in full force.

“Quiet now, moya kukla.” my doll. A deep voice rasped into my ear, the foreign accent clear, even in his English, “Not a single sound, or you die.”

For added effect, the man pressed a gun against my ribs, the click that followed flooding my veins with panic. What did he want from me?

“Walk.” He hissed, and as we neared the side exit, another man appeared, tall and intimidating. If I leave this place with them, there’s no coming back.

With a courage coming from God knew where, I sank my teeth into his hand, hoping the pain would be enough for him to set me free. The grip didn’t loosen, earning me nothing but a tighter grip as he moved me forward, cursing in what seemed like Russian as he buried that gun further into me.

Oh my God!

I’m going to die.

“Dmitri,” The man holding the door hissed. “Hurry.”

He pulled a cloth from his pocket, spilling the contents of a small bottle onto it. The chemical smell hit my nose immediately, making my head spin and my vision blur a little at the edges. He hadn’t even put the damn thing over my nose yet, and I was already giving in.

I thrashed as hard as I could against the man’s hold, trying to use my weight in a feeble attempt to break free.

But there were two of them, both easily twice my size, moving with the efficiency of trained professionals.

In the struggle, my phone fell to the floor with a crunch, and with it, the only hope I had of calling for help.

They dragged me through a service exit I didn’t even know existed, past dumpsters and loading docks where a black SUV waited with the engine running. That gun went from pressing into my ribs to pointing at my temple, cold and unforgiving.

“Get in.”

I shook my head while tears slipped down my cheeks. Was I denying my fate? Because it was more than clear that if I didn't do exactly as I was told, they’d easily force me to do it.

Suddenly, they pressed that cloth against my mouth and nose with such force that I had no choice but to breathe in the chloroform, or I wouldn’t breathe at all.

Before I passed out completely, the brute shoved me into the back seat of the SUV, my head resting on a leg.

Immediately, my eyes shot open to look at the man sitting there as my last conscious action.

Ice-blue eyes peeked from under a black balaclava. Eyes as cold as winter.

I fought the effects of the chemical that burned its way through my throat and lungs, but I was losing massively. Too quickly, darkness crept in from the edges of my vision, taking me out completely.

Those eyes were the last thing I saw before the world went black, and I passed out lying on a stranger’s lap.

Cold as a Russian winter.

Cold as the grave I’m going to end up in.