Once they had boarded the yacht a few days ago, the destination had been kept secret. He wanted to get a little distance away from New York and the heat on Mila. Only he and the captain knew their destination. His crew had been with him long enough and were paid very well to not ask any questions.

Bermuda.

It should take about five to six days to get there from New York as long as they didn’t meet any storms. So far, it had been smooth sailing. He and Mila had reconciled and everything between them was great. But Kole knew that this was a false sense of security. They were away from the real world, but for right now, he would enjoy the trip. He sat back in the plush leather chair in his office on the yacht. His master stateroom included an office that he could work in while away from New York. No matter where he was in the world, he could still run his shipping business and the Belotov gang.

He had promised Salagin that once they were safely away from New York, they would check in. Mila sat on the windowsill as she dialed her brother on the satellite phone that he had on the ship. It was a military grade phone that would scramble their location. Even if someone tried to tap their call, it would be days before they locked on the location they were currently.

“Privyet,” Mila said into the phone when Pasha answered. She switched the phone to speaker so that they could both hear.

“Kak dyela?” Pasha asked. How are you? Kole knew it was a loaded question. Her brother was not making small talk. He really wanted to know how she was, since he, their rival, was the one protecting her.

“I’m good,” she said, switching back to English as she jumped down from her seat and came to sit in the chair next to his.

“Your sister is safe with me,” he snapped, a little irritated by the accusatory tone in the mafia boss’s voice.

“Let’s just make sure that she stays that way,” Pasha replied.

“What’s going on?” Mila asked, changing the subject. He leaned back into the chair. He would only take so much from her brother. Pasha would soon learn that he was a formidable opponent.

“They must have gone to your place looking for you. They ransacked it and torched—”

“What?” she hollered. A veil of anger came across her face. Kole closed his eyes briefly before opening them. It had to tear her apart knowing that the fight was going on in her absence.

“Turn us around,” she growled, her eyes locked on his.

“No,” Pasha said through the phone. “Your things can be replaced—”

“But it’s the principle of the matter,” she growled.

“But you can’t!” Pasha bellowed. “This is one time that I will order you to sit out. We can’t afford to lose you, Mila. I refuse to take that chance. So sit your stubborn ass down and let us handle this.”

Silence filled the room. Kole glanced at Mila and saw her eyes frozen on the cell phone. He had never seen her like this and it was downright scary.

Vulnerable.

“Pasha, I don’t know what to say—”

“Don’t say anything. Let me be your big brother and protect you for once. You’re always right there, saving the day for me. Vladen may have started this war, but I will fucking finish it,” Pasha snapped.

“The Slokavich’s don’t know what they’ve started,” Mila growled, recovering. This was the Mila he knew—soldier for the Tokhan Bratva, plotting her revenge. “Tear them to the ground and save Vladen for me, brother. He wanted to accuse me of trying to kill him. When I return, I will do him the favor. I’ll put a slug in the middle of his fucking forehead.”

“Do not worry, little sister. I’ll have him wrapped in a bow and wait on your return.”

Kole signaled that they should disconnect the call.

“I need to go,” she announced.

“Kole, keep my sister safe. Bring her back to me in one piece and we’ll have a different conversation.”

“Will do,” Kole said. They would have a conversation, and it would be a different one than Pasha expected.

Mila disconnected the call and turned to him.

“Remind me never to make an enemy of you,” he murmured. His cock was rock-hard at her display of aggression.

“See that you don’t.” She winked, tossed the phone to him and stood. She wore a thin, floor-length navy dress where only her toes peaked out of the bottom.

He glanced out the windows and noticed the sun was setting. It would be dinnertime, and the crew had prepared a special meal. Tomorrow, they would arrive in Bermuda and would spend some time off the yacht. He had a standing suite at one of the local resorts from the many times he was there for business.

“Come, it’s time for dinner,” he announced as he stood from his chair and adjusted himself. He walked the satellite phone over to his desk and locked it back in the hidden drawer.

“Already? It seems as if we just ate. I seem to lose time while on the ocean,” she murmured, taking his hand.

“Tomorrow, we’ll dock and walk on dry land again,” he said, leading her out into the hallway.

Once on dry land again, security would be heightened. Even though he was pretty sure he had covered their tracks, he could never be too sure. One to two million dollars was a lot to have over someone’s head, and that price would bring out the most experienced assassins. Mila had enemies. She couldn’t be in the business she was in and not have them. He was sure that there were some people who would love to take her out. But, they would have to go through him first.

* * *

It was hard being a tourist when she had to constantly look over her shoulder. There was no way that Mila could totally relax now that they were on solid ground. The entire time she had been there, she could feel eyes on her. She knew that Kole’s men had backed off but were just far enough away to keep their eyes on them. Yet she just couldn’t shake that there was something else. Maybe she was just paranoid, but she had good reason. First of all, she was in an unfamiliar territory, and there were many ways the enemy could attack. Her eyes were constantly on the move. With the price on her head, the hitman, or woman, could come from anywhere.

They had arrived in Bermuda earlier that day, around mid-morning. It was a beautiful island, rich in British and American culture. Kole had taken her sight seeing, trying to keep her distracted and occupied.

“How did you enjoy dinner?” Kole’s voice broke through her thoughts. They had docked the yacht in the capital city of Hamilton, and now they walked down Front Street as if they didn’t have a care in the world. Front Street was a main attraction for the city. The buildings were all decorated in pastel colors. Mila held onto Kole’s arm as she took in the beautiful colors of the different buildings.

“Everything was delicious,” she remarked as they walked through the throng of people on the sidewalk. She didn’t like the amount of people surrounding them. Any of them could be someone trying to make a name for themselves to take her out.

“You can stop digging your nails into my arm,” Kole murmured, patting her hand. She released her death grip on his arm, understanding that they had to act as normal as possible. Kole had constantly reminded her of this whenever he noticed her acting nervous.

Easy for him to say, she thought, blowing out a deep breath.

“I’m sorry,” she groaned. He glanced down at her and winked.

“Nothing will happen. Not only are my men surrounding us, but there are also local men who are loyal to me,” he murmured in her ear as he brought her close to him. They waited on the curb for cars to pass. “You see that man over there, with the flower cart on the corner?”

Her eyes moved to where he directed her. She saw a young black man selling flowers to a giddy couple. The woman squealed as her husband, or lover, handed them to her.

“I see him.”

“He’s on the Belotov payroll.” He paused as they began to move with the crowd across the street. Once on the sidewalk, he pulled her close and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “The man over there sweeping the cathedral steps?”

She saw a young man whistling as he cleaned the stairs of the church.

“Okay, that’s just two men,” she stated. The longer it took the hitmen to find her, the more money that would be offered. She knew how the game worked. She’d participated in a few hunts over the years and collected on a few of the bounties.

“I have enough here. So much so, that any newcomers who look suspicious, I will be notified.”

“I’m not worried about the ones who look suspicious. I’m worried about the ones that blend in. Those are the ones that we need to keep our eyes open for,” she said.

The hitmen who were truly the best would blend in with the tourists. It would be someone who would look like they’d never held a gun in their hand before who would be the ones that would try to kill her. A great killer could blend in with any crowd.

“A few more days here and we’ll be moving on. Peter is refueling and ensuring that the yacht is restocked. We can leave here in a few days, and we can head anywhere in the world you want to go.”

“Thanks.”

She knew that she would have to trust in Kole. He was the best at what he did, but there were hunters out there that would be better. She’d made plenty of enemies in her line of work, and she was sure there were certain ones gunning for her. Hell, they would probably do it for free. The money would be a bonus for them.

Any of the goons loyal to the Slokavich Bratva would come for her. But right now, with the war starting between them and her family, they may not have anyone to spare to look for her. Kole and his gang were currently helping her so she shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Or did she?

“Are you sure that you can trust everyone that works for you?” she asked as they continued to head in the direction of the resort that they were staying in.

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. “My organization knows the consequences of betraying me. They would personally answer to me.”

“And you’re sure that every man that’s a part of your gang will honor the protection that you have promised me and my family?” He narrowed his eyes on her as they continued to walk. She knew she was starting to piss him off with her line of questioning, but hell, her life was on the line. She needed to know that not only could she trust Kole Bozovic, but she could trust the Belotov gang as well.

“Betray me and the organization, and my men know what would be coming for them. A bullet to the foot, a bullet to the dick, and then a bullet to the brain.”