Mila could feel Kole’s eyes on her as she spoke to her brother. Pasha was beyond pissed. She could tell by each growl and curse that came through the phone.

“Were you injured?” he demanded to know in their mother language.

“No,” she replied in the same language. When speaking to each other, they were both comfortable falling back into their native language. English sometimes made it difficult to express their true feelings, so they tended to revert back to Russian.

“What the hell happened? All I hear is that there was an attack, and depending on where the message was coming from, you were either killed or made it out. What took you so long to call?”

“Calm down, big brother. I’m safe. Kole has protected me, as he promised Father.”

“That’s all he better be doing,” her brother muttered.

“It’s really none of your business what goes on between me and Kole,” she announced. She heard a quick intake of breath from Kole’s direction. She refused to turn to him. This was her discussion with her brother and she might as well be truthful.

“What the fuck is going on?” Pasha demanded.

“I’m in love with him,” she admitted. The phone line went quiet as she waited for her brother’s response. “Hello?”

“I’m sorry, I think we have a bad line. Did I just hear you say that you’re in love with him? My rival? The leader of the gang I want to take over?”

“He’s no longer our rival. The moment Father asked him to move me, he became our ally, so you need to get used to it. I owe him my life—”

“You, who have always said that love would never be for you, have fallen in love?” Pasha asked, cutting her off.

“Da,” she whispered into the phone. “Running for your life seems to make one open their eyes and really see what truly matters.” She turned and glanced at Kole. His dark gaze met hers and she couldn’t read him. “And I don’t want to lose it.”

Pasha sighed. “What you ask of me is a lot, Mila.”

“You are the pakhan, you can do what you want. Bury the hatchet with the Belotov’s. You know you could use an ally like Kole. We have bigger issues right now.”

The line went silent as she waited for her brother to make his decision. She knew she was right, but she stepped over a line that she usually didn’t cross. Never would she try to tell her brother what to do, but this time, there was something at stake for her. She didn’t want to have to choose between her family and Kole. Her eyes met Kole’s and knew that it would kill her if she had to make that decision.

“When did you become so smart? You know I can never deny a request from you. Even if you are in love with him, it makes sense. When this is over, Kole and I will have a long discussion, little sister. Just make sure you come back to me in once piece.”

Relief flooded her at her brother’s words. Kole relaxed a little, but concern still filled his eyes as he patiently waited for her to continue her conversation. Pasha went on to tell her of the war that was going on in New York. Their cousin Nikolai had dived in to help as the war was spreading down the entire Eastern seaboard. By the sounds of it, this was the largest war between mafias in history.

All over a lie.

She knew that Vladen had been looking for a way to rid the Tokhan’s from the picture, but they were too strong, and Vladen would soon regret it. He wanted to use her as a scapegoat. That would be fine, but she made a promise that she would be the last thing he saw when he took his last breath.

She asked about her men, and he informed her that Oleg and Davor were doing a damn good job in her absence. Pride filled her, seeing that she had recruited them to the brotherhood. She missed the two of them, but knew they would fight for her honor and the honor of the bratva.

Kole tapped his watch, notifying her that she needed to go. She nodded, acknowledging him.

“I’ve got to go. Give my love to Papa and Nikolai. Stay safe, brother.”

“Love you, little sister.”

“You too.” The line went dead, and she stared at the phone for a few seconds.

“Asserting your position in the family?” Kole’s voice broke through her thoughts.

She turned to find him looking at her with his eyebrow raised.

“No, stating the obvious. Sometimes, Pasha needs to hear certain things spoken aloud.”

“I would never ask you to choose between me and your family,” he said. Grabbing her hand in his, he pulled her to him. “I’m not worthy of your love as it is, and I’ll be damned if I cause a split between you and your family.”

She nodded her head, too choked up with emotion to speak. She didn’t know if she would have been able to choose between them, but was glad that it would never be a decision she would need to make.

“Can I ask you something?” she murmured, running her fingers through his hair. He pulled them down onto his lounge chair, leaving her sprawled on top of him in just her bikini. She could already feel her body responding to his. His large hands began to explore her body, disappearing into her bottoms, gripping her ass tight in his hands.

“Anything,” he murmured, nipping her bottom lip.

“When the hell can I know where we’re going?”

He barked out a laugh. She loved the sound, and felt her pussy clench. Her hands began doing a little exploration of their own and opened his shorts, causing his smile to disappear. She needed him, and knew that he would never deny her anything. His eyes darkened as she gripped his hardened cock and brought it out of his shorts.

Now it was her turn to not care who saw them. She shifted her body as his fingers drew the bottoms of her bikini to the side, allowing her to impale herself on his cock. They both groaned in unison as she paused on him. She glanced down at him as she waited for a reply.

“You want me to answer now?” he growled, with a feral look in his eyes. She tightened her muscles around him, teasing him, not ashamed to use her feminine wiles to get what she wanted.

“Yes,” she gloated, knowing she wasn’t being fair. She pulled the sides of her top to reveal her plump mounds that ached to feel his hands on them. His eyes instantly went to her bared breasts as she began to move her hips, unable to hold still any longer. The feel of him deep within her, caused moisture to seep out around him, coating both of their legs, allowing him to slide easily inside of her.

“You don’t fight fair,” he groaned, reaching up to touch her, but she grabbed his hands and pushed them down to the handle of the chair, holding them in place. She knew that he was stronger than her, and could break her grip at any time, but she was having too much fun teasing him.

“Tell me,” she demanded as she arched her back so that her breasts were high in the air as she rode him.

She had him.

“Fuck! I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

* * *

Kole chuckled as he watched Mila and Denis play their game of cards. They had decided to relax in the lounge tonight. He took a sip of his drink as he watched the two.

Both Mila and Denis were fierce competitors, and their card game was getting a little intense for two hardened gangsters playing a simple game of War. Which was fitting considering what was going on in New York and the entire Eastern seaboard. To kill the time, Denis had offered to teach the game to Mila, who was a quick learner.

“Son of—” Mila exclaimed, slamming her hand down on the table.

“Okay, you two,” Kole chuckled as he stood from his chair to take a seat at the card table. It was time for him to let them know of his plan. He’d spoken with Corneal, his captain, earlier, who was in full support of the plan he had and was quickly making plans on the mainland. He could trust his captain, and due to the events in Bermuda, they would have to be extra careful. Eyes had been on the Belotov gang ever since the discovery they were helping Mila Petrovna.

“Just admit defeat,” Denis teased Mila as he cleared the cards from the table.

“Never,” she growled, her eyes locked on his guard.

“You’ll have plenty of time later to finish your competition. We need to plan the trip on land,” he announced. His words caused both of them to immediately calm down. This was important. They would be reaching land by nightfall, and they would have to be extremely careful.

Denis had yet to discover who may have leaked that they were in Bermuda, but this time, only those that really needed to know the location were privy to the information. They would be arriving in Portland, Maine. He owned a small home on Great Diamond Island, part of the city of Portland. What he loved about Great Diamond Island was that it was unreachable by way of car. Most people who wanted to reach the island had to travel by ferry. The yacht could dock on the island, and when they were ready to go to the mainland, they would have to take the ferry. His yacht was too large and would draw too much attention.

“What do you have in mind? You only told me where we were going the other night.” Mila raised an eyebrow at him.

He narrowed his gaze on her as he recalled how she’d gotten the information out of him. He would have to give it to her. She was brutal when it came to her torture tactics. Using her body to get him to spill the location was brilliant.

“We’re going to go to the one place they won’t expect. Docking in Great Diamond will allow us to sneak onto the mainland unnoticed. Now that word is out that I’m with you, we’re going to have to get rid of the yacht for now.”

Both Mila and Denis turned their eyes to him and gave him their full attention, the card game forgotten.

“What will be the plan once we’re on shore?” Denis asked.

Once they had arrived back on the boat, he’d had his men sweep the boat to ensure that there were no listening devices hidden anywhere. Luckily, none were found.

“Mila, you’re going to get your wish. We’re going after Vladen.”

A cynical grin spread across her face as she took in what he’d said. He could see the wheels in that beautiful brain of hers turning.

“Are you shitting me?” Denis threw his hands in the air. “We’re supposed to be keeping her out of the way of danger, and you’re saying we’re just going to waltz up to the person who put out a hit on her?”

“What better way to stop it? We’re going to make him cancel the hit, and if he doesn’t, then he’ll get what he lied about..”

“Kole, I thought I loved you before, but now I’m certain of it.” She got up and threw herself at him. He had to fight to keep the chair from tipping over. Once back on all four legs, he shifted her body on his lap to a more comfortable position for him, which was hard to do since her body on his lap was causing a stirring in his loins.

“I knew this would make you happy. I know where the son of a bitch is hiding. He started this war and we’re going to finish it,” Kole growled.

“Baby, I promise you we’re going to end this shit,” Mila said, gripping his head in her hands. He could see the dangerous glint in her eyes and knew that she meant it.

They would end this fucking war.

Together.

Or die trying.