Love Stolen (Crime Kings Book 9) Read online

  Love Stolen

  Crime Kings Book 9

  May Gordon

  Copyright © 2020 by May Gordon

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Editor: Beth Neal

  Photo: Big Stock

  Cover: May Gordon

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue One

  Epilogue Two

  About the Author

  Love Stolen

  After battling a usurper, Luka Petrov is finally settled in as the Bratva leader. He's determined to continue the work his Father started before his death and maintain his new alliances with the crime kings. Yet he can’t deny the loneliness that’s beginning to take over as those in his circle find love and he wonders if he ever will. Then his future takes center stage at the ballet.

  Used as collateral to cover her father’s debts, Maya Russo is an unwilling kept woman, forced to dance and adhere to every rule her jailer issues. She’s lost all hope of ever being free again, but that’s only because she hadn’t met him yet.

  Who knew being kidnapped would solve her problems? However, Luka is a man with enemies, and he’s just added another to the list.

  Warning: Sweet, sexy and safe read! Happily ever after guaranteed! This author writes what she likes to read. That means there will be instalove, OTT Heroes, and, brace yourselves, virgin characters at times. If none of those float your boat, you might want to find another book. If they do, you're in the right place

  Chapter 1

  Luka

  I take a deep pull from my cigar as I look around the warehouse, my gaze skimming over the guns, drugs, vodka, stolen goods, and so much more. It's only been a year since I reclaimed what Boris stole from my father, Viktor.

  Mostly, I had to weed out those who didn’t want to obey me, It was a lot of bloodshed, and I still wonder if I got them all. Thankfully, loyalty runs deep here and the majority are loyal to my dad. Therefore, as his son, to me as well.

  The road to get here has been hard, starting when I was abandoned and forced to find a way to survive the streets of Russia. I’ve finally managed to find some peace, yet my life as a whole feels a little empty, even with Harlow and her family. I want something for myself.

  "Boss," Zeke, my top lieutenant, hollers. Turning to him, he adds a reminder, and not for the first time, that I’m going to be late. He may be young to have reached such a high rank, but he’s loyal and damn good at his job. His older brother was the same way, until Boris killed him because he wouldn’t falter in his support of my Father.

  I’d hoped once I’d dealt with Boris my problems would fade. I was an idiot because that was just the start of them. My current headache is Roberto Ricci, an Italian mob boss that took out his own brother, the true heir, to rule instead. His actions resulted in a massive rift in their organization, not to mention the impact to mine. With the change of leadership, the ties to my dad were cut. Now he's in town and we’re meeting tomorrow to see if we can come to an arrangement that works for both of us. The last thing I need is another war on my hands.

  Once more, Zeke gains my attention and I sigh, knowing he’s right. Hugh imports and exports a lot of things from here to the US such as vehicles, which contain hidden merchandise on its way to the other crime kings. Hugh doesn’t need the money, but he enjoys the extra cash it provides. The rich are never satisfied, they always want more.

  "Talk to the bookies?" I ask as we head toward my car.

  "Collecting will start in the morning. Knees may be broken, but that’s not unexpected." I grunt, my hate for cheaters and those who don’t repay their debts rising to the surface. Changing the subject, Zeke wants to know where Hugh and I are conducting our business.

  "The ballet," I groan in resignation, making Zeke laugh.

  He tries to cover it up as I glare at him, but it doesn’t work. "Can you blame me? The thought of you having to sit there and watch it is hilarious." When he suggested getting together to finalize our deal, I imagined he meant dinner. If it hadn’t taken us forever to get this far, I wouldn’t endure this torture.

  "Call me when the shipment from Harlow arrives," I tell him before getting in my ride and driving to one of the old theaters in Moscow. Opting to forego the valet, I park and use the back entrance, then make my way to the balcony where Hugh and his wife have a box. No sooner have I taken my seat than I want it to be over. This will be tedious, but it’s how strong ties are made in my country. I feel my phone vibrate and I pull it out, seeing it's my sister, Harlow.

  I have the urge to answer, but I feel Hugh's wife, Anita, staring at me, so I ignore it. She nods, letting me know I made the right decision as the curtains open and the show begins.

  I honestly don’t know how I survive the first part, but the second more than makes up for it as those dancers leave the stage and the spotlight is trained on a solo performer. She’s tall with brown hair encased in a bun and wearing a white tutu. She looks like an angel. I lean forward and just stare, unable to take my eyes off her. What was dull and boring is now mesmerizing. Her grace and elegance captivate me and the rest of the evening passes too quickly. I'm shocked when the curtain closes, announcing it’s over, and annoyed when it blocks my view.

  “Who was that?” I ask whichever one of them will answer me.

  Anita does, explaining, "That’s Maya Russo. She's quite famous here, but has started traveling all over the country, hoping to gain fame elsewhere as well."

  "Like what you see?" Hugh asks with a big smile. I ignore him, then stand and hurry to the backstage area. I need to meet her. See her up close. Smell her. The guard stationed there takes one look at me and allows me to pass by without a word. There are tutus everywhere, yet she stands out in numerous ways. Some of the others have surrounded her, praising her for great performance. She was so much more than that. It was a masterpiece.

  "Ladies," I say, unable to wait until they’re done. They turn and fear crosses their faces. It’s not an unusual reaction to my height, size, and the tattoos on my hands. As a whole, they don’t necessarily exude safe and cozy. The group disperses and only Maya and I remain. Her eyes widen as she takes me in while mine realize she’s even more beautiful than I imagined.

  "Congratulations,” I tell her, adding, “you’re very talented." I sound awkward to my own ears, but it’s not as if I've ever talked to a woman like this before. She doesn't smile, though her eyes narrow, backbone radiating from her, then she brushes past me as if I’m nothing. I'm not used to being ignored, and the fact it’s coming from her bothers me. I follow her, asking, "You don't enjoy compliments?" She stops and turns to me; her dramatic makeup is only making her glare look heated.

  She stops and pivots, her dramatic makeup for the stage making her glare fierce. When she speaks, it’s obvious she was born here. "Not from Roberto’s goons. Does he think because my guard is Russian I’ll be easier to handle?” She snaps, once more walking away.

  It takes longer than it should for the name to click. The man I'm trying to repair a partnership with. I couldn’t stand him already, but now I want to kill him for simply because he knows her and the idea she might be his enrages me. When she m
oves to what I assume is a dressing room, I notice the men nearby. She’s thrown me off my game if I didn’t catch them until now.

  "Nobody enters," one declares with a thick Italian accent as I reach for the door.

  "Do you know who I am?"

  His buddy says, "We don’t mean any disrespect, Mr. Petrov. We’re just following the boss’ orders that she doesn’t see anyone." When I want to know why, he states that I’ll have to take that up with him.

  I want to grab the gun tucked in the back of my pants and kill them both, but this is not the time nor the place. But this isn’t over either. "I will," I snarl.

  I'm not allowing some fucking Italian mobster to dictate the woman that’s meant to be mine. Roberto and I will be discussing more than business, and if he doesn't give me my ballerina, then I’ll take her.

  Chapter 2

  Maya

  I lean against the inside of my door, trying to calm my racing heart. It’s pointless, though. That man leaves me more breathless than my whole solo piece did. There’s no way one of the lowlifes helping Roberto keep me prisoner can evoke an emotion out of me other than loathing.

  Stepping away, I quickly change in to a pair of yoga pants and a sweater before sitting at my vanity and washing my makeup off. As much as I try to ignore him, my thoughts return to my surprise visitor. His size, blond hair, blue eyes, and tattoos on his hand, as well as more peeking out of his suit collar should scare me, but they don’t. What does is how I reacted to him. I need to avoid him because I don’t need any more complications in my life. If you can even call what I have that. It’s certainly not my own, whatever it is.

  Tears gather in my eyes as remember how I ended up here, knowing the blame lies with my father. When I wasn’t taking dance lessons at the local studio, I’d help my dad at our bakery in a small town outside of Saint Petersburg. Everything changed when he started gambling and found himself owing a lot of money to a man in his fifties named Roberto.

  That was three years ago, and when my dad couldn’t pay his debt, I became collateral. I assumed my dad would save me, but he took off and hasn’t been heard from since, leaving me to my fate. I’d just secured a spot with the Russian ballet, of which Roberto is a huge fan, and the thought of having a famous ballerina as a prize pleased him.

  All in all, I know it could be worse. I haven’t been abused nor assaulted, but every facet of my days is controlled by him. He monitors everything I do, including what I eat, which is next to nothing. I'm starving, tired, and long to be free. Reality intrudes when one of my guards bursts inside, snapping that it’s time to go.

  "Can't you knock?" I mumble as I gather my things. He merely smirks, silently telling me no, then grabs my bag when I go to pass him, dumping the contents out. Adding lonely to my earlier lists of complaints in the face of his enjoyment at tormenting me because he can, I ask why he did that.

  He shrugs and explains, "Checking for weapons." Returning to the hall, he yells at me to hurry.

  I let the tears fall as I bend down to retrieve my possessions. I'm not sure how much longer I can continue. They’ve destroyed any passion I’ve had for dance, turning me in to a puppet.

  Why won't someone save me? And who would even want to?

  Chapter 3

  Luka

  My blood boils as I pace my office. I've been up all night searching for info on Maya, but she's a ghost, which doesn’t help my anger over the situation. Not to mention that Roberto is over an hour late when an annoyed looking Zeke comes in, letting me know he’s arrived. It’s a blatant form of disrespect to not be on time.

  "Fucking finally," I grouse, taking a seat as Roberto strides in without so much as an apology. Most who take over do so because they have a new vision or direction in which they want to move their organization in to, but not him. He hasn’t changed anything from his brother’s way of leadership, and in fact is worse at it.

  “Luka. It’s good to see you again." Taking the chair across from me, he adds in a smug tone, "I assume we can come to an agreement while I’m here. I have a lot to get done." His way of trying to rush me. I nod as I have every intention of finishing this today. He doesn’t need to know I’d give up everything to have Maya included as part of it.

  We work through the basics of trades, protection, smuggling, and so on. I have to give the bastard credit because his demands aren’t outrageous. All he cares about is money and power, foisting the work onto others. I hope I’m around to see him fall on his ass, which may be sooner rather than later as rumor has it that the majority of his men hate him. At the conclusion of our conversation, I tell him, "There’s one last thing before we make this official."

  He’s clearly confused and whines like a child despite being in his fifties when he says, "What could you possibly want? I thought we covered everything."

  "Maya." He can’t hide his surprise as he asks how I know her. "I've seen her dance," I reply with a shrug, portraying a casualness I’m far from feeling.

  His next words solidify my urge to kill him. "Her father owes me a large debt." Meaning he took her instead when he was unable to cover it.

  "Consider it paid," I inform him through gritted teeth. "At double the amount." That earns me the raise of a brow and I realize I didn’t play my cards as close to the vest as I’d intended.

  He chuckles in response at my offer before declining it. "Not a chance as she’s more valuable than that. I will ensure she becomes world-famous." I knew he was a fan of the art, but not enough to kidnap a ballerina and mold her as he saw fit.

  "You want more territory?" I offer, not bothering to hide my desperation. He merely stands with a wide smile, declares that she’s his, and walks out. But I am not done. "If you don't give her to me our agreement is off," I threaten him, which makes him pause. Turning to study my expression, trying to determine my sincerity, I continue. "I will begin stripping you of all your profits and territory until you give her to me."

  He’s stupider than I thought because he gives me the finger and tells me, "I believe I'll call your bluff." Once he’s out of earshot, I roar in frustration, the sound of my fists slamming on my desk echoing around me.

  Having heard me, Zeke comes in and asks, "Is she worth starting a war with the Italians?"

  "Fuck, yes!" I shout without hesitation.

  I will kill anyone that tries to keep her from me.

  Chapter 4

  Maya

  I spin until I feel numb, needing to forget…everything. Unfortunately, when I finally do stop, it all returns. I can see the reflections of the four men watching me in the large mirrors, their backs to me except for an occasional glance to check on me. After years of enduring this fish tank like existence, I'm tired. Walking to the corner, I shut off the classical music and take a much-needed long drink of water.

  Of course, as expected, within minutes I’m getting yelled at to resume practicing. I turn toward him, exhausted in numerous ways, and inform him that I’m hungry and tired. “I need to rest.”

  He shakes his head, reminding me, "You’re not due to eat yet. Besides, you need to lose weight." Then he looks at his watch and once more demands I continue, adding, “We aren't leaving for two hours."

  My eyes fill with tears as my stomach growls. I chug more water hoping to fill it and hit the power button again. This time, I put the volume as high as it’ll go, wanting to get lost in it. Thankfully, it works and I manage to find some peace as I stretch my sore limbs, only to have it disturbed by gunshots, making me jump.

  Blood splatters everywhere, with more pooling around the men on the floor. My heart races with terror as I turn off the music for a second time. My eyes dart around, trying to figure out what’s going on, when the man from the other night lets himself in. His steel-blue eyes stare at me, and for reasons I can’t explain, a sense of comfort washes over me. “You won’t hurt me,” I declare, not phrasing it as a question because I already know I’m right.

  He pauses, just as handsome and dangerous as I remember, and co
nfirms, “Never.” He gently takes my hand and places a soft kiss on it. “You will always be safe with me.”

  That’s when I know. "You aren't one of his men."

  "I'm not." When I ask who he is, he replies, "Luka Petrov." I realize this is my chance to escape, to be free of Roberto, his goons, and my dad’s debt. I am not passing this opportunity up.

  I say the first thing that pops into my mind. "I want a cheeseburger."

  Luka chuckles, and promises, "Then that's exactly what you'll get." He leads me through the chaos he orchestrated and out the door. I know as long as I'm with him that I'm protected.

  That is, until Roberto discovers I’m missing, but I'll let Luka deal with that.

  Chapter 5

  Luka

  Who knew watching Maya eat a burger would be sexy, then again, I think she does would turn me on. I took her to the same place dad took me and Harlow when we were younger.

  She notices me staring at her and stops eating. "What?"

  I smile as I tuck hair behind her ear and tell her the truth, "You’re very beautiful."

  Maya merely polishes off her sandwich and begins working on the fries as she declares, "And you’re a moron for starting a war with Roberto."

  "I'm not afraid of the Italians. We’re on my home turf. Not to mention I have more firepower and this is the best course of action where he’s concerned."

  "How?