Marrying the Mob Prince

INDIE

Unknown: His name was Andrey Kozlov.

I stared at my laptop, which blazed with the text message. The ugly reminder cleaved through my work on another air-headed column. Luckily, Eliot had approved my request to work from home for now. I sat upright on the chaise, narrowed eyes on Knox’s kitchen as though an assassin waited for me in the hallway. My fingers hovered over the keys before I shakily typed a response.

Me: Who is this?Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Unknown: The Devil.

Unknown: Smile, Ms. Starling. You were on camera.

The last sentence burned my eyes. I glared at the hyperlink, heart hammering. I tapped the underlined words.

A gray rectangle popped onto the screen. I pressed Play, and my old living room zoomed into focus. A threadbare sofa barely fit onto the tiles. A coffee table was crammed between an antique nightstand with a TV. Movement over the tile caught my attention.

I stood at the stove, my hair in disarray. I watched myself gather the pink-and-brown strands and tie them in a quick ponytail. My hand slipped into my jeans to grab my phone. My hips swayed to the music, and I mouthed the lyrics as I slid a knife over the vegetables.

A cold ache grew in my throat as smoke billowed from a burning pot. I knew what was coming, but the tension in my gut tightened. The Indie on screen rounded the corner.

A heavyset man in black stepped into view.

Andrey.

My insides seized up as he slowly stalked me. Then he lunged. The violent struggle triggered sensations-smells, tastes, a painful throb where he’d smashed in my head. I put the cell down and rode the wave of flashbacks, mirroring the anguished woman on my phone. I hugged my knees. I inhaled deeply, fighting the instinct to run. Eventually, I got it together enough to text him back.

Me: Who are you? What do you want?

Unknown: Your cooperation.

Unknown: Drop your story or I’ll share this video.

My mind blanked, and then a lightning rod of clarity struck me.

Sanctum.

The report on MC gangs trafficking women. I’d spooked them by interviewing the girls and showing up at their club, so they’d sent a man after me. The Devil had to be involved.

Unknown: Tell Knox nothing. Delete these texts.

Unknown: I’ll know if you disobey me.

Me: Who are you?

He never answered.

The screen went dark as his last message throbbed inside me like a festering wound.

What should I do?

Go to Knox?

That video would destroy his career, and also cost me my job. Would I win a self-defense trial after the Devil edited the footage? What about Knox? I’d dragged him into my mess without him knowing what he was getting into. My breath cut off as I imagined prison visits behind a glass window. I couldn’t afford to antagonize them.

I highlighted the conversation and hit the trash emoji. Then I called St. Luke’s.

“Hi. This is Indie Starling. I’m an investigative reporter at Vanity.”

“Oh, hi! It’s Helen. Hold on, let me go somewhere quiet.” The distant sounds of piano music and laughter dropped away. “There. How have you been?”

“I’m doing well, thank you. The reason I’m calling is because I’m a bit concerned about a woman I interviewed. Her name is Lara. She hasn’t responded to my messages in a week. I thought that maybe you could put me in touch with her.”

“Oh, I’m so, so sorry. Lara passed away.”

The air left my lungs. “What are you talking about?”

“Yes, it’s been horrible.” Helen sighed. “One of the girls found her in her room. She thought Lara was asleep. Poor thing was there for hours before we finally called the ambulance. Overdose.”

The laptop spilled onto the couch as I stood up.

“I don’t understand. She saw a counselor for her drug addiction. Attended meetings. She was on her way to recovery-” A terrible suspicion shot into my head, obliterating my thoughts. “Did you notice any signs of forced entry?”

“No, why?”

“Are you sure there weren’t any strange men hanging around the property?”

“Stranger than usual?” Helen sounded dumbfounded. “No, I don’t believe so.”

“I’m just-I’m shocked that Lara would use when she told me reuniting with her children was her top priority.”

“Sweetheart. She was held in captivity by Satan. He’s a fierce opponent. He lures people like Lara into his clutches.”

I paced Knox’s kitchen, my throat tightening. “I don’t know.”

“The finest trick of the devil is to persuade you he doesn’t exist.”

“Yes,” I lied through numb lips. “You’re right. Thank you for telling me what happened.”

“You’re welcome, dear.”

I slid the phone off my face, staring at it as though it were contaminated. My thumb hit the off button, ending the conversation. It could’ve been an overdose-but three sources vanishing after giving me damning information on Sanctum?

A woman was dead.

Was I responsible?

My mouth went dry. I felt heavy, too stunned to process this terrible news. Abandoning the laptop, I drifted to the floor-to-ceiling glass. My brain scrambled to find an explanation for Lara’s death that didn’t involve me.

The fridge opened.

Knox stood at the kitchen island in sweats and a T-shirt. The ingredients for an omelet covered the metal countertop, but the way he looked at me told me he intended to fuck me. He approached me, his arm curling around my waist. He dragged me into his bracing warmth, his hands anchoring just above my ass.

“What’s the matter?”

I wanted to tell him. So badly.

But I couldn’t.

Two women missing. After Lara’s death, I couldn’t risk any more lives. I had to keep my head down.

“I-I feel so lost, Knox.”

He caressed a sensitive patch of skin above my hip. A frantic pulse beat at the base of my throat. He shifted his pelvis forward, nudging me with his erection.

“You need a break.”

The tempting offer flared a response in my body. My nipples tingled in anticipation of his mouth. I smelled his cologne on my hair. I imagined his head angled to kiss me. My desire for him grew every day, starting from the moment I woke up tangled in his sheets, smelling of him. We’d only been around each other for a week. He hadn’t touched me since the shower, except in small ways to assert his dominance. Every time he did, my thighs clenched. Sex with Knox would be…powerful.

I was close to giving in.

I palmed his chest. “Knox.”

He pushed me into the island, his hands already gliding under my sweats. He kneaded my ass and pulled my thigh over his. Then he opened my collar to expose my cleavage. His strong hands circled my waist and lifted me on the countertop. Nimble fingers unbuttoned my shirt. Then he rubbed his thumbs over the lacy cups of my bra.

A fluttering rose up my neck.

Oh God.

He didn’t have to touch me to raise my nipples into aching points. My lips parted against my will as he eased the bra off my breasts. He cupped the creamy globes, his nearness flooding my pussy with heat. My hands clenched and released.

More.

I had to yield to the burning held captive inside me.

My phone rang.

Great, a distraction.

I grabbed it, heart hammering.

“Ignore it, Indie.” His raking gaze centering on my mouth. “We’re in the middle of something.”

“I can’t. It’s my sister.” My cheeks burned as I pressed the green button, accepting the call. “Hello?”

“Finally. You can’t ignore me forever.” My sister’s boisterous tone blasted through the phone’s speaker. “I even stopped by your apartment, but you weren’t home.”

I pictured Claire on the doorstep of where I’d been attacked, and my insides seized up. “Jesus, Claire. Never go there again.”

“Your neighborhood isn’t that bad.”

“Trust me. It is.” I exchanged an exasperated glance with Knox. I fixed my shirt and jumped off the island. “Anyway, I don’t live there anymore.”

Static crackled on the other end.

“What?” she blurted. “You moved out?”

“Yeah, um, it was a spontaneous decision. I’ve been busy. That’s why I haven’t returned your calls.” I chewed my lip as Knox tapped his chest. “The perfect opportunity landed in my lap.”

“Are you okay?” she asked. “You sound upset.”

“No. I mean, yes. I’m fine.” I raked a hand through my hair as Knox shook his head. “I just finished working out, so I’m short of breath.”

“You don’t work out. I can barely get you to walk with me.”

I bit back a frustrated groan. “Well, I’ve-I’ve been dating Bryan Knox, and he works out a lot. So I guess it rubbed off on me.”

“You little liar. You told me you weren’t interested!”

“Of course I was,” I muttered, Knox’s stare boring into my face. “He’s an attractive guy. It’s like you said: A man like Knox only comes into your life once.”

“You’re freaking kidding me.”

“No, I’m not. It’s been a few months.”

“Months? Whoa. Back up. Why didn’t you tell me? What about the damage to your career?”

I scratched my neck. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, come on, Indie! I know you like to see the best in people, but he threatened you after you called him out!” A thread of suspicion darkened her voice. “Did he do something to you?”

“No.”

Claire fell silent.

“I’m not lying. If anything, I underplayed our chemistry. I’ve never met anyone like him.” Patches of heat burned high on my cheeks as I pictured Claire’s unabashed shock. “You know when you meet someone, and you’ have this overwhelming feeling like-‘that’s my guy’? That’s how I feel about Knox.”

“Huh.”

“Yeah. A-and it was hard to deal with because he’s so…intense. Dating him complicates things at work, but the more I learn about him, the more I want to be with him. So I caved. Ever since, we’ve been inseparable. And my lease was ending, so I moved in with him.”

Another long pause, and then-

“Okay.”

I winced at her drawn-out response. “He groveled on our first date. Big time.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

“After I told him I’d never go out with him, he showed up to my apartment and begged me.” I cringed at the sneer curling Knox’s lip. “Then I made him promise to stop the St. Luke’s demolition.”

“Really?”

His eyes narrowed. Knox raised his chin and outstretched his hand, mouthing a demand for the phone.

I ignored him. “Yep.”

My sister laughed. “You must’ve given him the best sex of his life. How he is in bed?”

“Good,” I drawled, meeting his glare head on. “But his cuddling game needs improvement.”

Claire snorted. “I’m not surprised.”

Knox wrestled the phone from me and spoke into the receiver. “This is Knox. You must be Claire, Indie’s little sister. It’s wonderful to finally put a voice to the person I keep hearing about. We should get together sometime. I’ll call you with the details,” he said coldly. “Have a pleasant day.”

Knox ended the call, tucking my phone in his jeans. He stood there, daring me to protest.

“What the hell are you doing?” I demanded, glaring at the pink casing peeking through his pocket.

“You’ve lost your phone privileges.”

My heart throbbed. I can’t lose access to my phone. I’d thrown out that story partly to appease my sister, but mostly to gain a win against Knox, which he clearly saw right through.

I licked my lips. “Claire isn’t stupid. She knows something’s up.”

“So? Let her be suspicious.”

“She’s my family.”

“You made that story up without my consent.”

“I know, but the St. Luke’s thing makes sense. It’s the perfect grand gesture to win me over. She’ll get it, and it’s not like you need more money.”

“I have no intention of altering my plans.”

“Why?”

His eyes flashed. “Because this isn’t about saving a church. You’re having a tantrum.”

Blood pounded in my temples. “It’s a resource for your old community!”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Resource?”

“Yes! St Luke’s feeds two hundred homeless every day.”

“You mean, the drug addicts.” He waved me off and crossed his arms.

I couldn’t believe this man.

“A large percentage of those visiting St. Luke’s are at-risk youth. Some only eat one meal a day. What are they going to do when the church no longer exists?” His glare warned me to shut up, but I couldn’t help myself. His lack of empathy infuriated me. “You could do so much good in the world. You could open up another feeding program. You could make low-income housing safer!”

“The junkies can choke on their Narcan.”

Heat flushed my cheeks. The poison from his words engulfed me like noxious fumes. If Knox had grown up wealthy, I would’ve framed his attitude as the heartless disregard of the rich. But he’d lived in a rat-infested apartment for most of his youth. He ate through the courtesy of food stamps. His teacher had to buy him school supplies.

“This is personal for you. Isn’t it?”

Knox stepped into my space, his glower forcing me backward. “Disobey me again, and I can’t be held responsible for what I’ll do. I react poorly and tend to go overboard when I correct that behavior.”

“You’re so callous!” I hurled the word at him, but he didn’t flinch. “You never take no for an answer. You ruin people’s lives on a whim!”

“And you’re an anxious, indecisive mess who needs someone to tell her what shoes to wear to get out the door. You begged me to take control. So I will.”

Was that how he saw me? As a weak little girl?

A shiver rippled through me. “I did not beg you to wake me up at the crack of dawn!”

“And yet, part of you recognizes this is good for you because you haven’t misbehaved until now.”

A stone dropped in my stomach.

It’d been such a mistake to go along with his insanity.

“Knox, you can’t do this.”

His mouth widened in a predatory smile, making my thighs clench on nothing. Then warmth spread down my leg as he groped my ass.

“I’ll do whatever the hell I want to you.”

He squeezed.

I sucked in a gasp.

He fondled me through my sweats, his finger sliding between the cheeks to stroke the damp spot seeping through my panties. His touch exploded everything within me. Anger. Frustration. Desire.

Heat burrowed deep into my body.

He slapped my cheek.

“We’re going out for dinner. Six-thirty. Wear the red dress.”