Chapter Twelve - Ruslan

Prizing my eyes open, I groan loudly, feeling as if I've been annihilated by a Mack truck. Why does my head hurt so bloody much? I lift it up, but it's as if there's a dead weight attached to my shoulders. My jaw clenches as I close my eyes briefly seeing if it will bring relief, but it doesn't.

"What the fuck is going on?" I rumble, feeling around in the darkness for Fiona, but all I find is a carved-out dent where her body should be laying, and an ice-cold bed next to me. That means she's been out of the bed for some time. The pounding in my head grows as I strain through the darkness. Coming here might be the best and worst decision of my fucking life, because what the hell is going on?

Where the fuck is she? The shrill tone of a phone draws my attention momentarily as I reach out to the bedside drawer, picking up my cell phone. I hold the phone to my ear, unsure of who the caller is.

" Boss. " It's Mark on the other end of the line, and from the pitch of his tone, I can tell it's urgent. A loud thump at the front door forces me to jump, and immediately my primal instincts kick in. Flipping back the covers—I stall, the fogginess in my brain stopping me for a split second.

"Yeah."

"I've got news."

I try again to sit up—this time, I'm able to hold my head steady— just .

"What news?"

"I've found out who Luca's daughter is." An echo filters through the phone almost as if there's feedback through the phone. Now the thick pounding in my head has been overridden by the anticipation of Mark's news.

My senses begin to come back online as the sound of rushing water pervades my eardrums. Scanning the room, the blurriness in my eyes clears. She's in the bathroom. She didn't leave. But the door. Another loud thud at the front door pulls my attention to it, and this time I swing my legs over the bed, standing to slip my pants on. Quickly, I reach down into my pants pocket, retrieving my gun from its holster. No matter what, I don't go anywhere without my gun. I head to the front door with the phone still curved into the crook of my neck.

"So who is she?" I ask with a bark, while opening the door. When I open it, Mark is standing, staring back at me with a dubious expression on his face.

"Fiona Anderson," he mouths, ending the call as the name makes blood course like a raging river through my veins.

"That is news." I smile, digesting the information. Now I understand why I have this pounding head. Rubbing a finger back and forth across my temple, I open the door wider, inviting Mark in.

The little minx must have added sleeping pills into my coffee from last night.

Mark joins me inside, his gun in hand as we stalk through her kitchen, back to the bedroom, gulping down the bitter pill that's ultimately been triggered by the slip of my dick. I signal with my finger that Fiona is in the bedroom, giving him the shh symbol and treading lightly.

Fiona Anderson is Luca Marino's hidden daughter. Son of a bitch. Smirking, I think about my blood pressure rising because Fiona Anderson has tunneled her way under my flesh, and now I can't erase the traitorous minx from inside my memory banks. Nor do I want to.

I recall her evocative, sensual scent, and how only hours ago, I had his daughter moaning my name. I'd wanted to ravage her last night, and fuck her brains out, but something stopped me. Instead, I made love to her, and as a proud Bratva boss, I don't make love to women. I fuck them senseless and leave.

Not with Fiona. Her demure naivety captivated me, and I loved the way her brunette locks spread out over her bed as her back arched in orgasm, her full breasts on display. Fuck, I want her again, especially since I know she's in possession of the Omerta files, and I've taken her virginity. She's the perfect woman for a man like me. What I wouldn't do to touch her ivory skin… and to wring her neck, all at once.

"I wish I could stay here forever with you in your arms." Her velvety lies were almost believable. She'd been so fucking convincing last night. She knew who I was all along. Her big innocent emerald eyes were just like those of a deer, even if they were green. Her effervescent laughter, and pearly straight teeth shone, and her hot hourglass body pushed against mine.

As we enter the bedroom, I shift my eyes over the bed, pointing to the washroom as Mark bursts through the door with his gun cocked only to find an empty bathroom. The only telltale sign of Fiona's presence being a fogged-up bathroom mirror.

Mark looks at me in it. "We've been duped."

Nodding in admiration, I pick up her face wash, tossing it into the bath. There's no point looking anywhere else. I can't feel her presence anymore. She's long gone.

A sly grin lifts the corners of my mouth, a million and one thoughts shooting through my brain. I can't wait to see her again. Ah, I've met my match. "Hmm, she is indeed Luca's daughter."

Internally, I applaud her cunning. I thought she was an innocent sheep, but really she's a seductive vixen. My head is slowly clearing, and as I return to the bedroom, I pull on my shirt, looking at Mark.

"We are going to find her."

Oh Fiona, my sweet little virgin, what a dangerous web you're weaving my dear….