Stolen by the Mob Boss : A Russian Mafia Romance (Bratva Hitman) by Nicole Fox (first color ebook reader txt) 📕

it and I can feel it. I’m starting to care for this girl in more ways than just sexual. I’ve gone soft. The old me would’ve kicked my ass for even thinking about spending more than a night with someone like Lucy, but here I am.

I’m a dumbass.

On the ride back, I go over the plan again. Wait outside Konstantin’s office building. Stick him with the needle. Transport him to the car. Get him to the safe house. Finish him off there. It’s simple and easy. Nobody will see more than they should, and I won’t have another situation like Lucy. No witnesses this time. I don’t know what my next assignment after this will be, but I hope it’s something less complicated. Something where I don’t consider giving up my job. Not that Mr. X would even let me do something like that.

Ever since I met him, he made it very clear that he was interested in my talents, and he didn’t have any problem doing whatever it took to make sure I worked for him.

Somehow, he knew about Andrei and Aleksandr. He knew what they’d done. He knew what I’d done. I don’t know how or why he had that information, just that he did, and he used it to make me do whatever he wanted. He let me know of this in a church confessional years ago.

The meeting was set up by a mutual contact. I’d done a few assignments for Lana, the sole heiress of her father’s multimillion-dollar company, and when she was done having me clean up the mess of investors that wanted to pull their funding because she was a woman, she set me up with Mr. X.

I thought it was tacky at first.

Meeting at a church to discuss murder. Seriously? But she insisted this was where he wanted to meet. When I got there, it made sense. He liked his privacy, and in the confessional, I only got a glimpse of his profile. The fewer people that could recognize and ID him, the better. I could respect that.

What I couldn’t respect was his decision to blackmail me. He told me up front that he knew what I’d done to my uncles. He wasn’t judgmental or holier-than-thou. He didn’t have any room for that. He was simply putting his cards on the table. The authorities wouldn’t be in agreement with what I did. They’d have me arrested and put me in prison.

He offered me a way out. At least, that’s what he called it.

Really, he strong-armed me into becoming his personal hit man. He used me whenever he needed someone taken care of. At first, it was petty things. Beating up a few men, making something look like a random mugging, low-level crime shit. But things progressively got worse. Soon I was killing people that pissed him off. People that got in his way.

The money was good at first. After all, I’d developed a persona. Outside of the rules I’d set for myself, there wasn’t much I wouldn’t do. People knew my name and knew my work. Mr. X offered something more than notoriety: limitless cash. Working for him, I was quickly able to line my pockets with more than I could ever spend. The flashy life wasn’t my style, so I put it towards more practical purposes.

The safe house is one of many that I own thanks to the money he’s given me.

For a long time, I got used to it. I liked having dependable, steady work. I liked that he didn’t bother me once he told me who my next target was. He wasn’t a helicopter boss like so many of my other clients. Even Lana bugged me on assignments, trying to make me work faster. Not Mr. X. He knew that I would get the job done.

I had no other choice but to do just that.

But as of late, things have gotten more demanding. He wants his work done faster, cleaned up quicker, and I rarely have a break. Part of me wonders what would happen if I told him that I was done doing his bidding. Would he let me go without a fight? Or would he whip out the blackmail he used so long ago? That’s not a risk I want to run.

Especially not with Lucy in the picture.

I don’t want her to ever meet Mr. X. I trust him more than any of my previous clients, but in this business, trust is a hot commodity. You can’t put your faith in anyone for too long. For the right amount of money, people will betray each other and look the other way as their henchmen beat someone to death. It’s dog-eat-dog. It’s rough, and I know that as tough as she may seem, Lucy isn’t built for this.

Tomorrow, she’ll never have to worry about this world again.

***

When I get home, Lucy has showered and is sitting in bed, flipping through a book. I consider just sliding in with her and going to bed, but I need to get ready for tomorrow. I need to shower now so I’m ready to go before the sun comes up.

I take my time, washing up and letting the scalding water soothe my aching muscles. Training with Lucy has taken a toll on me, but I enjoy it. I like seeing her become more confident in her abilities. I want her to go through life knowing she can handle herself. She doesn’t need me to come to her rescue or make her feel safe. She can do that on her own, by herself.

After the shower, I dry off and stare at my reflection in the mirror. I don’t exactly recognize this old bastard anymore. Last month, my stare was dead, hollow. I could burn holes through anyone. But now, I can practically see the light in there. Lucy. She’s the one shining part of my life.

For just a few more hours.

I turn away from the mirror and turn the lights off. In bed, I