Fredrick_Udele

The hottest man I’ve ever seen is now my new boss—
and I’m stuck in a house with him…
Until one of us cracks.

I’ve got debt—yeah, I know, so does everyone else on Planet Earth.
But the bills I’m paying keep my dad and my grandma alive.
So it’s pretty messed-up for Timofey Viktorov to use them as a threat to keep me under control.

Not that he cares.
As a billionaire CEO, he takes no prisoners in the boardroom.
And as the don of the Viktorov Bratva, he takes no prisoners in real life, either.

Which is why he has no qualms about extorting me into taking his deal.
Live in my mansion…
Care for my baby…
Or suffer the consequences.

But he’s not the only one with an agenda.
Timofey has skeletons in his closet—and I’m determined to dig them out.
He’s just as determined to keep me far away from the secrets of his past.

The longer I’m in his house, the tenser things get.
Every time we brush past each other in the hallway, something sparks.
Every time we cross paths in the night, the ice grows thinner.

Sooner or later, it’s going to crack.

Whiskey Poison

Piper called me the day Benjamin was kidnapped.

I can see it all so clearly: Benjamin in his fifth or sixth outfit of the day. A pile of dirty diapers exploding out of the diaper pail. My shirt is covered in formula and spit-up. My hands were full, and I couldn't answer the phone when it rang.

The question tickles the back of my mind as Ashley marches confidently ahead of me. She walks past the porch where Piper's grandmother is sitting and leads me to a bench in the shaded corner of the courtyard. It's within sight of the porch, but well out of earshot.

She sits down in the center of the bench, arms spread wide, making it clear I'm not welcome to join her. "We need to talk."

"I'm not sure that's true," I tell her. "It's probably better for both of us if we never talk."

CHAPTER 99