PROLOGUE

TATIANA

   Death smashed into the back of Adrian’s slick Maserati, demanding our lives. My body jerked forward and the seat belt cut into my chest. My heart jumped, racing as fast as my husband’s driving.

“What’s going on?” I whimpered frantically as I glanced over my shoulder. The headlights of a black SUV filled the rear window. Smash.

My body jerked forward again. “Adrian!” I screamed. “Gun, get a gun.”

He acted as if he hadn’t heard me, just kept speeding down the dark road. My eyes darted to my husband as my ears buzzed with fear. Adrian looked scared. Terrified even. This wasn’t good.

Not. At. All.

“Head back to New Orleans,” I yelled. We were way outside the city limits, headed for Adrian’s place. Dark roads highlighted only by the light of the moon. We hadn’t seen a house or another car for miles.

“Head down,” he barked. I obeyed at once, as I struggled against the seat belt.

If Adrian was worried, there was something terribly wrong.

“Adrian,” I screeched, fear seeping into my bones. “Turn around and get us into the city. We’ll be safer around others. My brothers have men everywhere.”

He didn’t react, just kept driving forward.

It was the only time I wished we had my brother’s bodyguards with us. I hated them lingering behind me, always tailing me and reporting to my brother. Vasili had men following me before I was married, and he had bodyguards after Isabella and their kids at all times. Alexei did the same with his wife, Aurora.

They didn’t mind it, but they didn’t grow up suffocated by bodyguards that reported everything to your brothers. Even how many times I fucking went to the bathroom. It was annoying as fuck. Except now, I really wished they were here.

The bullets began flying, shots echoing around the car as they whizzed past us. A loud pop shattered the back windshield and shards of glass rained down on us.

A scream tore through the air. Mine. But I could barely hear it over the buzzing in my ears and adrenaline pumping through my veins. I clutched the seat, glass shimmering like diamonds over my red Valentino dress.

The tires screeched as more gunshots whistled through the air.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Adrian was shooting, but from the sounds of it, he wasn’t hitting anything because more bullets rained on us. More windows exploded. Pain erupted in my forearm and warm liquid trickled down my skin.

And amongst all that violence, the oddest thought crossed my mind. I shouldn’t have worn a sleeveless dress. I could have protected my skin.

The throbbing pain pulsed through my body. Fear gripped my throat.

A sharp turn and my body slammed against the door.

“Fuck,” Adrian snarled.

There was a moment of calm before the car began spinning wildly out of control. I wrapped my arms around myself as if to offer some sort of protection. My body jerked forward, then back. The air rushed out of me with each loud thud, pain slicing through me. I couldn’t breathe. My heartbeat slowed. The echoing sound of metal screeching, folding in on itself as the car rolled. Once. Twice. Three times.

Our eyes connected for a fraction of a moment. The terror reflected on his beautiful face that usually had women swooning. The look in his eyes held secrets. Regret.

He’d started to mouth, “Tatiana, I’m—”

His lips moved. He said something else. I couldn’t hear it.

Smash.

My head slammed into something hard and the world turned black.