NaomiA Week LaterI dove under the water, holding my breath and pushing myself in the direction of the wall. Under the water, everything was muted, and it was easy to forget where I was or what I was doing. For someone who had been forced to be extremely busy all her life, I was struggling to find things that made me happy. I had no phone, no computer, nothing to entertain me during the long days except working out and swimming.If nothing else, I was going to be in the best shape of my life.Cresting the surface, I pulled in a deep breath, the air fragrant with the numerous flowers that were blooming in the midafternoon sun. The garden was easily my favorite place in the mansion, that and the study. At my request, books and writing materials had been brought in to keep me entertained, and I had selected a comfortable leather lounger as my own.Other than that, my nights were filled with my husband.A shiver shot through me despite the warmth of the day, and I knew it wasn’t because

Gavril“And the other shipments are on time. I think that by the end of the week, we should be fully stocked and ready for delivery.”I drummed my fingers on my desk as Anatoly droned on in his report, filling me in on every shipment that had come in over the last week.Right now it felt like the last fucking year for as long as he had been talking.“Tell me,” I answered once he stopped to take a breath. “Don’t you ever think about just typing that shit in an email and sending it to me?”Anatoly glowered at me over the paper pad in his hands. “You know that emails can be traced and used against you if they are found in a court of law.”Fair enough. Still, I arched a brow. “Have you been watching CSI again?”“Respectfully, Pakhan.” He sighed, placing the pad in his lap. “Fuck you.”I chuckled, glad to have a moment of just fucking around. The last few days had been extremely tense, so much so I felt like I had spent more time on the phone than sleeping. We’d had a couple of ships stopp

NaomiI fidgeted as I watched the scenery pass by, wondering exactly where we were at this moment and what we could be flying over. I knew I could pull it up on the small screen embedded in the plane’s wall next to me, but honestly, I was too scared to touch anything.When Gavril had told me that we were going to Russia, I thought we would fly commercial.Why I didn’t know. I mean, I was flying with a Pakhan, a very powerful and wealthy man who could fly his own damn helicopter at that.Flying commercial was beneath him.The private jet was honestly amazing. I hadn’t flown like this before, the sleek white and black interior matching Gavril’s hot and cold nature. We weren’t alone for this flight, though. The guard who had taken me the first time was also with us, though he was sitting near the cockpit, minding his own business. Anatoly was his name, and Gavril had told me that I could trust him.I really couldn’t even trust myself right now, especially not the feelings I had swirling

Naomi“Come on! There is so much to show you!”I looked at Gavril’s departing form until I couldn’t see him any longer, having the strange desire to call him back and not have him leave me here alone. It wasn’t because of his sisters. They were definitely different from their brother, but I could still see the family resemblance.Aleksandra was tall and thin, with long dark hair that brushed her lower back in perfect long curls. She was dressed casually in a pair of joggers and a T-shirt but walked around effortlessly in stiletto heels as if she were wearing sneakers.Katarina had dramatic blue eyes to match her dark hair, though hers was fashioned into a chin-length bob that swayed as she walked. She was the livelier of the two, as the younger one usually was. Her hot pink pants and bright yellow pullover clearly showed off her personality.They were both a surprise, and it had been clear to me that Gavril doted on them, his demeanor completely different when they had greeted us.I a

GavrilI walked into the building, Anatoly at my heels, and ignored the men gathered. Word had gotten around that the Pakhan was back in Russia, and my whereabouts were now public knowledge.In a sense, the streets around the car were clogged with people, some wanting to talk to the Kirilenko leader for business or patronage. It always happened whenever I came home that people who wanted money, drugs, women, or a business alliance would find me and try to discuss matters. Sometimes I set up meetings with a few worthy men or women, trying to keep the peace among my own people before heading back to America.Tonight, I wasn’t there to do that. “Pakhan,” one of the men near me said, inclining his head. “Right this way.”Anatoly moved to my side, his hand touching the gun at his hip as we moved to the elevator, piling in a moment later. While we were on our home turf, it didn’t mean that the threats stopped there. There were rivals, even in St. Petersburg, that would love nothing more tha