Mila could feel eyes on her. She knew that her dress was perfect. It made her feel not only sexy as hell, but like a million dollars. It had been specially made for her and fit perfectly. Her four-inch heels gave her a little more height than she was born with and allowed her to walk with ease with the floor-length dress.

Her father was speaking with Yin Huang, the boss of one of the most powerful Chinese Triads. Huang ran the Black Orchids, who were one of the leading triads in Hong Kong and all of China. It was one of the triads whose membership spanned worldwide, and had a hand in every criminal activity one could think of.

“How’s business going?” Salagin began making light conversation with the triad boss.

“It’s going well. I see that your children are continuing the legacy,” Yin replied, nodding to Mila. She gave him a brief smile. She knew that he and his son, Wen, were at odds. Wen Huang had been making a name for himself in their organization, and it was rumored that Wen was going after his father’s position.

“Yes, I couldn’t be prouder of my kids and nephew,” Salagin said.

Mila let the two chat as she glanced around the room in search of her cousin. She knew he was here, but she had yet to see him at the party. There had been an altercation down in Atlanta that put him behind on arriving to New York. But Pasha assured her that Nikolai had made it for the event.

Her eyes met a pair of familiar piercing green ones that captivated her. She couldn’t look away.

Kole Bozovic.

It wasn’t until he broke through the crowd that she saw the woman with him. Of course, he would have brought a date to the charity event, and she would be a drop-dead gorgeous blonde. Mila’s eyes narrowed on how close they were and how the blonde had her arm wrapped through Kole’s.

She tried to beat down the ugly green jealous monster as they made their way closer. She could see that Kole was intent on coming over to them.

“Should we head over to our table?” her father asked as Yin Huang walked away.

“Sure—”

“Salagin Petrovna,” Kole said as he arrived at her father’s side. He held out his hand and her father grasped it. Mila was slightly shocked that Kole would be so bold as to come over to her father. He knew that they were going after his gang and business, and here he was, meeting them head-on. Kole was just as cocky as they said he was. She had to admit, she loved it. A man who was not easily intimidated was just what she was looking for, but by the looks of it, he was taken.

“Kole Bozovic,” her father murmured, shaking the gang leader’s hand. Tension was in the air as her father stared Kole down, but her father, being a member of the Black Society, knew this was the one night where issues had to be left at the door. “And who is this with you?” her father asked.

“Meghan Bennet,” the woman greeted, offering her hand with a bright smile. Salagin, being the gentleman that he was, grasped her hand and placed a small kiss on the back of it.

Mila had to hold back her vomit. Meghan was perfect and elegant, everything Mila wasn’t. She could tell the woman was not in any organization. Mila racked her brain and couldn’t remember hearing that Kole was married. Kole’s girlfriend, wife, or whatever the hell she was, didn’t belong at the party. Mila had to try to keep the daggers from spewing from her eyes, but one look at Kole and she knew she had failed miserably.

“This is my daughter, Mila Petrovna,” her father introduced.

Mila put on the best smile she could drum up and shook the woman’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too, and can I say that I love your dress,” Meghan exclaimed as her eyes took it in.

“Thank you. It’s a Sabrina Caspari design,” she murmured. Sabrina Caspari was one of the most sought-after dress designers, and Mila had been lucky enough to get her to make the dress for tonight.

“We’ve already had the pleasure of meeting,” Kole announced as he grasped Mila’s hand. He in turn mimicked her father and brought her hand to his lips, laying a small kiss on the back. Her eyes followed the motion and her core clenched.

Down girl, she thought. No need to get all excited, he had a woman.

“So, Kole, since you’re here, I might as well bring this up. I hear you met with my son and turned down a very generous offer,” Salagin said, his voice hardening slightly. No one turned down an offer from the Tokhan Bratva. Salagin would not let it rest, as Pasha was not.

“Father—” He cut her off with a raised hand as he waited for Kole’s response. Rules on this night didn’t say business couldn’t be discussed, and it looked like her father would press Kole in the absence of Pasha. She ground her teeth and forced a smile back on her face as other party patrons passed them with curiosity etched on their faces.

“As I told both your son and daughter, it is not an offer I would ever consider.” Kole’s sharp gaze didn’t waiver from the elder boss.

“We can make your life a living hell, Mr. Bozovic. I highly recommend that you consider the deal.”

An event photographer stopped by with a camera, requesting a quick picture, breaking the tense standoff. Her father wrapped an arm around her and brought her close, while Kole and Meghan stood on her other side. Mila smiled as the photographer snapped a few photos.

Kole’s cologne drifted over to her and she breathed deep, loving the masculine smell of him. She had to push him out of her mind. She may be many things, but a homewrecker was not one of them. She didn’t need to steal a man from another woman, as there were plenty of fish in the sea. She would have to think of him as the enemy from now on unless he gave in to her brother’s demands.

“Excuse me,” a man’s voice echoed through the air. They all turned to find a handsome older man standing at the microphone near the front of the ballroom. “If you could start making it to your tables, we would appreciate it. The auction is set to begin soon.”

“Excuse us, Mr. Bozovic, but we must be going,” her father announced. “We must find time to finish our conversation at a later time.”

“Oh, I think we’re done with that conversation.” Kole nodded, looking cool as could be as he offered his arm to his date.

Kole stared at her as she turned toward her father. She took his arm, and she could almost see the steam coming out of her father’s ears. His lips were pressed in a firm line as he stared Kole down.

“Let’s go, Papa,” she murmured, pulling her father in the direction of their table. She caught the sight of Nikolai and waved a hand. Tonight, they would relax and enjoy the party, and tomorrow, they could continue their pursuit of the Belotov gang. She glanced behind her and found Kole’s eyes locked on her. She sent him a wink and put a little more effort in the sway of her hips. Let him look all he wants, she thought as she flung her hair over her shoulder. She wouldn’t mind being a star in one of his fantasies because that would be closest he could get to her as long as he had blondie on his arm.

* * *

“Up next we have a silver chalice and communion plate that belonged to Queen Anne in the early 1700’s. We are starting the bid at twenty-five thousand dollars. Do we have any bids?” the auctioneer announced as the crowd reacted in awe. Kole sipped on his drink as he sat back in his chair. His eyes wandered around the room as the bidding began, and a particular bidder caught his attention.

Mila.

She raised her numbered bidding card to place a bid of thirty thousand dollars on the set. He was actually shocked that she would bid on an old silver plate and cup. It must have some meaning to her because aside from it being old as shit, he didn’t see the reasoning for it to be priced so high. His table wasn’t far from hers, and it gave him a chance to study her. She was a woman he wanted to get to know. He scowled and took another sip of his drink as he noticed other men eyeing her. He caught the eye of some of them and sent them a deadly glare, staking his claim without even having to say a word.

Meg was engrossed in the auction, having bid and won a few of the lower-priced items. His cell phone beeped from inside his coat jacket. He pulled it out and found a text from Denis.

Keep your eyes open. Something’s off.

Kole looked around for his bodyguard but didn’t see him.

What’s going on? he texted back.

Not sure. Going to find out. Hotel security is scrambling.

Stay close, Kole replied.

He didn’t trust anyone else but Denis right now. He quickly screen shot the conversation and forwarded it to Corneal’s phone. They would need to keep their eyes out in order to keep the girls safe. He watched as Corneal reached for his phone. His captain looked up at him and nodded his head to confirm he got the message. He turned his attention back to the auction, finding the bidding reaching sixty thousand dollars. He shook his head at the amount. He could think of plenty of things he could buy for that amount of money.

The sound of glass crashing filled the air, followed by screams. Masked men dashed into the room with guns in the air. The lights in the room went out, leaving them in darkness. People in the crowd began coughing as white smoke raised from the steel cans that were thrown onto the floor. The men’s faces were covered with gas masks to protect them from the smoke filling the room.

Tear gas.

“Get on the floor!” Kole shouted to Meg and grabbed her by her arm, throwing her down to the floor. He reached up on the table and grabbed the cloth napkins and held one to Meg’s face as she coughed. She took it from him and held it on her own as her body was racked with coughing. He did the same to his face as he tried to look over their table. His lungs burned from the smoke and chemicals, leaving him to cough like everyone else.

The sounds of gunshots and screams filled the air. He couldn’t see who or what they were going after. Corneal and Cassidy crawled over next to him with napkins over their faces, and Corneal pointed to the broken windows near them. They were on the first floor of the hotel and they could easily get the women out the windows to safety.

He pulled his phone out of his jacket and sent a quick text to Denis.

Windows. Cause a distraction.

He didn’t wait for a response, knowing that Denis would take care of the request. Meg gripped his jacket as she stayed close and waited for instructions. In the dark, he could see that she was scared, and he had promised his longtime friend that she would be safe. He wouldn’t renege on his promise.

He heard shouting from the masked men as they stalked the room. They were yelling in Russian, and he picked up a few words, but the one name that he was sure he heard made a chill go down his spine.

Kollektor.

They were after Mila. Whoever organized this ambush would pay dearly. The Black Society was strict when it came to their rules. Not that they had many since it was a council for the crime organizations of the world. But this was a direct insult to the council, and Kole knew that once it was found out who the organizers were, they would be dealt with in the most painful way possible.

A loud explosion rocked the building, which must have been their distraction. Only Denis would know how to create a perfect diversion that would send everyone scrambling. The room erupted in confusion and more gunfire as the security teams took action and fought back.

“Let’s go,” Corneal shouted. Grabbing Cassidy, he stood from their crouched position.

“Take Meg with you,” Kole yelled over the noise.

“What?” Meg turned to him and shook her head frantically. “No, you’re coming too.”

“Don’t argue with me. Corneal will see you to safety. I’ll be fine,” he promised, pushing her with Corneal and Cassidy. She finally relented and nodded before turning to head toward the windows.

Kole crouched down near his table and glanced over at Mila’s table, and found her as he could only imagine, with a gun in her hand, calmly taking aim and firing. One by one, each of her targets hit the ground. He remained low and rushed over to their table. She glanced in his direction and didn’t even budge. Thankfully, the large ballroom gave them time to escape before anyone took notice of where she was.

“Now is not the time, Kole,” she growled as he arrived by her side. Mascara stained tears flowed down her face from the tear gas but that didn’t stop the mafia soldier.

“You need to go!” he shouted. “They’re after you.”

“What?” Both Mila and Salagin shouted simultaneously.

Salagin looked to Mila and turned back to Kole. “Take her. I know you can move any and everything.”

“Hell no, I’m not running. They want me, they can come—”

“Mila!” her father snapped, cutting her off. She turned to him in disbelief. “Go with Kole. Let us figure this out. That is an order.”

“I’m not leaving you,” Mila stated, shaking her head.

“Go! Your brother and cousin will protect me. Now go!” her father commanded.

Mila nodded her head before turning back to Kole. It was true. In his line of work, he could move any and everything, and no one would be the wiser. She would be safe with him. He held out his hand for her and waited. Would the mafia mistress trust him and let him get her to safety?

Her smaller hand settled in his.

“Let’s get you out of here.”