Novels by Fiona Murphy

CeliaThe day of our wedding starts too early for how late Milos wakes me up. I’m ordered to have a long hot soak and to wash my hair but don’t dry. I don’t dare do anything other than what I’m told.A hairdresser and a makeup artist arrive and the next two hours are a whirlwind of hairspray and chatter of the upcoming day.Once I’m finished I stand in front of the mirror. Wow, the women were magical. I look like a princess, so beautiful it shocks me.When I go downstairs I find Carlo pacing back and forth. “I didn’t think you’d show.”Glaring at me, he shakes his head. “This is business. Your man told me I wasn’t here to walk you down the aisle and he’d find a new associate. Thinks me not being here would be a smack to you, especially with all of la familia here. Don’t worry, I won’t stay long.”“Good.”I hate the way his hand is tight around my arm as if he were forcing me down the aisle. Then I catch sight of Milos standing proudly in front of the judge. All the air is trapped insi

CeliaAt the bank the next day, the personal banker is stumbling over himself to help me. I thought I was going to just withdraw all the cash they would allow me. However, he talks me into moving the money into an account with a secured debit card that didn’t have a name on it. It was some kind of thing parents did with their kids in college, they could move money as needed without the kid having to show identification in case they didn’t have it and they didn’t have their own checking account. They didn’t recommend it often in case the card was lost because anyone could use it. It’s perfect.I should feel guilty, the money in the account is Milo’s. The money I was given every month as a stipend was more than I could need. What I didn’t spend over the four years is now almost twenty thousand dollars.When I get to the dressmaker the place is empty of everyone but the dressmaker and her assistant. Her words confirm what I hoped, Carlo asked her to close for Carina’s appointment in an h

CeliaThe restaurant is an exclusive steak and seafood one I’ve always wanted to try. When we walk through the door, we’re fawned over and I’m finding it hard to act like it’s not a big deal.Once we’ve selected our dinner, Milos sets a new phone on the table. “How did you know?”A tug of his lips. “You don’t really want to know how.”“Because you’re still watching me.” I exhale as I think of it.An eyebrow goes up. “Bingo.”“Where are the cameras?”That exhale of air that’s almost a laugh. “Everywhere. If you want to change anything in the condo, wall color, put in carpeting or something, it’s your home to do so.”I blink at the change of subject. Obsession…me. If he’s obsessed with me maybe it will keep him from fucking another woman—I’ll take it, for now. “Thank you, but it’s beautiful. There isn’t a thing I would change. It’s so different than your last condo, light and airy while still being cozy.”“It’s up to you, if you change your mind let me know. I thought it might keep you

CeliaWhen I wake up I’m alone again. This time, though, Milos’s side of the bed is cold. I’m worried until I see there is an indention in his pillow. I guess I slept late again. Only the clock on the bedside table says it’s a little six after in the morning.Throwing the covers off, I find I’m naked again. I go hunting in the closet for clothes. The cupboard thing is open, on the inside of the door is a full-length mirror, but it’s covered…in pictures of me. I back away from it as I take them all in. Me on the day of my high school graduation, me in my dorm room chatting with Sergei, me in a lecture hall bent over my laptop taking notes, me in the coffeehouse. So many pictures, and there among them, me on the day I graduated college.It slams into me, Maxim called me Milos’s obsession. Closing my eyes, I’m struggling to make sense of this. Only I don’t get time.“Good morning, kotyonok, how are you feeling?” Milos is leaning against the door jamb, unconcerned in the slightest over me

CeliaWhen I wake up I’m alone. I roll over, the sheets are still warm from Milos. Pushing myself up, I run my hands through my damp hair. I lean against the soft velvet-tufted headboard surveying the room.It had been dark in the room Milos was in. I hadn’t been able to see much besides him, but this feels very different. While the comforter and sheets are silky black, the headboard is white, as are thick fluffy rugs that cover dark hardwood floors. I’m almost positive it isn’t regular wallpaper on the walls—it’s silk in a silverish gray. The room is huge, there is a seating area with a lone leather chair, a side table with a lamp that looks out of the wall of thick glass with an amazing view of Lake Michigan.A sound grabs my attention. Milos is leaning against the doorway. “Hungry?”I’m not sure why I’m shy. I nod.“I made you something. Do you want me to bring it in to you or do you want to eat in the dining room?” he asks gently.“I want to get out of bed,” I mutter as I lift the

MilosI look down at the hellion who is now my sister-in-law. “The only reason you aren't dead is because Aleksander forbids it. I was the one who told him he couldn't kill you when he wanted to weeks ago. At this moment, as my brother is being sewn up for tearing his stitches from the gunshot wound you gave him, I regret that denial, deeply. For his sake, so that he can heal peacefully, I'm taking your ass somewhere far away from him. I do not have time for this shit, and at this rate he doesn’t have the blood level.”For the first time she appears contrite. Her eyes fill with tears as she looks toward the bedroom Aleksander and the doctor are in.“You aren't taking her anywhere,” Aleksander calls to me.Christ. I told the doctor to put him under. Entering his room, I shake my head. “You need to heal.”“The stitches tore because she's an animal during sex. She didn't mean to hurt me. This is as much my fault as hers. In the dark we didn’t see the blood until I got dizzy—which I thoug