Prologue - Max

When I pulled up to my brother’s place it looked like a parade exploded all over it. We were a family that enjoyed Christmas, but this was something else. From the scowling guard at the gatehouse who waved me through while wearing a Santa hat to the hundreds of potted poinsettias lining the long drive, all the way to the twinkle lights festooned over every shrub and palm tree, there was no doubting what time of year it was. There was a very real-looking snowman standing at attention in the flower beds, looking wildly out of place with the bright blooms and blazing sunshine of a southern California holiday season.

And then there was more once I was inside.

The entry hall resembled a cheerful forest with all the ribbon-draped evergreen garlands hanging over every surface and tacked up to the walls. Mistletoe balls dangled from every doorway, and a giant tree with boughs drooping from all the ornaments stood sentry before their sweeping staircase.

An elderly uncle who had just arrived from the old country accosted me from behind a fully decorated tree further down the hall, scowling as he assiduously avoided one of the clumps of mistletoe and red ribbons hanging above our heads.

“What’s gotten into Aleks?” he asked.

I took a moment to breathe in the aromas of roasting meats and the undertones of gingerbread cookies and grinned down at my uncle, who insisted on speaking Russian to keep us American family members on our toes.

“I think being happily married has gotten into him,” I answered in my rusty but passable attempt to make the old man smile.

He rolled his eyes and answered in English. “She seems very enthusiastic,” he said. “So far.”

“I think she’s in it for the long haul,” I said, jumping to my new sister-in-law’s defense. Uncle Genov was currently on a break from marriage after his third wife left him and only shrugged.

Katie and Aleks might have had a rough start—a very rough start, but they were as solid as any couple I knew, short of our parents, who were still going strong after seven kids and all these years.

The red-haired fireball herself hurried up to me, giving me an absentminded kiss on the cheek before handing Uncle Genov a small plate of her impressive hors-d’oeuvres, wiping the ever-present scowl off his face.

“Have you seen my sister?” Katie asked me, looking worried under her smile. “I need to talk to her.”

“I don’t think I’ve even met her yet,” I told her, searching the crowd of friends and family members as we wandered into the living area.

People were spilling out onto the back garden and pool area, all of them holding drinks or plates or both, surrounded by twinkling lights and holly. Katie rushed off, the worry in her eyes increasing, but I didn’t have time to ponder what might be bothering her when her husband waved me over from across the room.

I pretended not to see my eldest brother and faded behind a scattering of cousins and family friends, acting like I was deep in a text conversation on my phone to keep them from greeting me. It’s not that I didn’t want to be part of the festivities; I just needed a minute to wrap my mind around how different things had become in such a short amount of time.

As happy as I was about Aleks finding his soul mate, I wasn’t sure how I felt about how different he’d been acting since Katie came into his life. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with his bride, but still wouldn’t let go of his fierce clutch on the reins of the family business. This Christmas gathering was no time to express my annoyance that he wouldn’t give me more responsibility, and half the reason I was avoiding him was because I didn’t want to hear about all the attention I gave to my diner in the bustling heart of Hollywood.

The Hustle Grill wasn’t just a hobby for me, though I loved running it and even jumping in the kitchen to make my signature shrimp kabobs when there was a special VIP. Because I spent so much time there, Aleks seemed to think I was more serious about holding court with Hollywood’s elite than I was about cultivating our family empire.

On the contrary, he could never understand the amount of contacts I made there. The upper echelon of the film industry may as well be royalty here, and many of them were just as involved in criminal activity as we were as kings of the Bratva. And they were always eager to make a few million extra here and there. The tiny town was bursting at the seams with opportunity, but I couldn’t make Aleks see that I was doing more at the diner than having a good time.

It was a good time there, though. I was thinking of ways to cut this little party short, not in the mood to argue with my brother about the new territory I was eager to forge and that he’d be just as keen to tell me to hang back on for now. It was all I could do to stay on the fringes, not getting caught up in one of my elderly relatives’ long-winded rants about not visiting Moscow enough.

The decorations put me in a begrudgingly festive mood despite keeping to myself and not engaging with anyone, and I was thinking about throwing an impromptu party down at the Hustle as soon as I could find a way to slip out of there.

Until I spotted someone I didn’t recognize out of the sea of familiar faces. My interest was piqued, and not just because I didn’t know her. Not just because she was flat-out gorgeous, either, though she was. Shiny chestnut brown hair fell down her back in smooth waves, and her alert eyes followed the ebbs and flows of my crowd of family members. Her clothes were simple, but the thin, cream-colored sweater and dark jeans fit her like a glove. My eyes moved down her lush curves from the proud lift of her chin to her toes. And then back up again because I liked the view so much.

She somehow seemed to draw me in with the way she was also holding herself back, standing apart from everyone but not looking self-conscious in the crowd of strangers. She was confident in being by herself, but with no air of being aloof. Her full lips were set in a half smile, partly bemused and partly curious. Her eyes were alert as she swept the tides of my relatives moving all around her. Not on edge or nervous, but as if she was calmly waiting for someone to speak to her.

Well, that person was going to be me. I was intrigued by this newcomer and could only imagine she was one of my younger sister, Mila’s, friends, since she looked about the same age. Had Mila even arrived yet?

“Did my sister abandon you?” I asked, sliding into the tiny space she’d set aside for herself by a corner window. The late afternoon sun shining through couldn’t have been more perfectly placed by a lighting expert, making her rosy cheeks glow.

She blinked her gray-blue eyes at me and swept that glorious mane of hair over her shoulders. “Who? Sorry?”

“Oh, don’t be sorry,” I said, holding out my hand. “I’m Max, one of the brothers. I assumed you were my kid sister’s friend.”

She shook her head, laughing a little as she took my hand. I held onto her delicate fingers a moment too long, absorbing the warmth and softness of her skin. I was very intrigued.

“I’m Brooke. I’m not related to anyone here. My friend is Katie’s sister, who is—”

“Ah, right,” I said. “Married to my brother Aleks. So, a friend of the sister of the sister-in-law.”

The tip of her pink tongue darted out as she smirked at the convoluted relationship. “Yes. I go to Berkeley with Jenna.”

I was pleased she wasn’t Mila’s friend, because my little sister would have stripped my skin off for getting involved with one of her friends, but disappointed that Brooke wasn’t a local. Well, Berkeley wasn’t that far, and it wasn’t like I was never up in the San Francisco area. My second oldest brother Lev had been stationed up there for almost a year now, expanding our territory and making his own mark. Something I longed to do, although that was the farthest thing from my mind while I chatted with the charming Brooke.

She had a slight bit of shyness, but not enough to keep her from falling into an easy conversation with me. I asked her what she made of the place, meaning the ridiculously over-the-top decorations and she sighed as she looked around.

“It’s all so beautiful and grand. I don’t think I’ve ever been to such a nice place. Definitely never been to a house this big.”

“Oh my darling, you haven’t seen anything yet, then,” I said, clamping my lips down on further bragging about my own mansion. Taking her there and letting her see for herself would be better than blustering about it. And it was my sudden goal to take her there.

A blush rose on her pretty cheeks, making her eyes seem more blue than gray. She easily smiled at my attempt to flirt with her, lifting her delicate brows.

“I don’t suppose I’ve seen much,” she admitted, locking her gaze with mine. An invitation to show her.

Who was this little minx? I had to know more about her, unlock all the secrets in those eyes, make that noncommittal smile really shine, and only for me.

“Well, I’ll have to remedy that,” I told her, already planning something to knock her socks off. Among other articles of clothing.

She only laughed, easing back a little and crossing her arms. She was keeping me at a distance, making me work to impress her, something I never had to do before. Something I wouldn’t care about doing where any other woman was concerned.

Brooke was different. Her laughter seemed to ring down to my very bones, making me feel lighter. Her flashing eyes made my blood race to know what she was thinking, and made me turn to see what she was looking at whenever they strayed from my own.

“I’m so interested in this huge family of yours,” she said, her glance dancing over the crowd of my people.

“They’re… interesting, all right,” I said, scowling at one of my brothers, who’d been circling like a shark. Just let him try to make a move on my girl. “We all have our place.”

Those eyes of hers that had me so entranced got a faraway look for a moment before she asked what I did, blowing off any more questions about her studies.

“I’m still in my first year; it’s just a bunch of mandatory classes right now.” She made a sour face, but I wasn’t too keen to dance around the subject of our family’s wealth and how we acquired it.

Instead, I told her about my diner, my pride and joy. There was honest interest in her questions, and I finally told her she’d have to see it for herself to believe it.

“Is that an invitation?” she asked. Hopeful? As if I wasn’t going to take her there.

“Let’s go right now,” I said.

After talking to her for half an hour or so, I found I liked Brooke. Actually liked her. She made me laugh a few times, and she saw right through my flirty facade, batting off my attempts to sweep her off her feet as easily as flies at a picnic. She had a quiet self-assurance about herself that was nothing like that fake bravado of the models and starlets who clamored around me at the Hustle. And Brooke was every bit as gorgeous as any of them. In short, I was smitten. Just like being hit by a heavyweight, I was down and didn’t want to get up.

And she was staying an entire week. Seven days to sweep her off her feet so thoroughly she’d be in the same position I was in. I’d definitely be freeing up my schedule to spend every available minute with her.

My sudden invitation to leave this party for one of our own had Brooke flustered and blushing prettily to the point I thought she might throw caution to the wind and accept. I was about to take her arm and lead her away, slipping us out one of the side doors where no one would take notice of us, when my niece, Nataliye, flounced over.

“Katie sent me to rescue you,” she said, pulling Brooke away. She thrust a glass of champagne at me as a consolation prize. “She said you were monopolizing.”

I grumbled, half pleased that Nat seemed to have gotten over the fact that her best friend had married her father. Aleks had been worried how this first Christmas might go, but if Nat was doing Katie’s bidding and blocking my fun with her trademarked mischievous grin, they must have been on good terms again. It was only for that reason that I shrugged and promised Brooke that this wasn’t over with my eyes.

Hers sparkled back at me as she let herself be led toward the buffet by the pool. I grinned at her until she turned away, then let my gaze follow the sway of her curvy hips encased in those perfectly fitting jeans. Draining the glass of champagne couldn’t cool me off, but I decided I better take it easy or risk Katie’s ire. If Brooke was her little sister’s best friend, she was as good as family as far as the big-hearted Katie was concerned.

I had the whole week. No need to be so impatient, and I didn’t understand the urgency that burned in me to get closer to Brooke. It wasn’t like me at all.

Without her to distract me, I was a bit lost and untethered in the bustling party, trying to pay attention to whatever someone said to me as I counted down the minutes until I could get Brooke to myself again without causing too much notice. When I finally disentangled myself from a long-winded gossip session with two of my cousins from Moscow, I noticed another stranger who could only be Jenna, Katie’s sister.

She sat by herself in the library, and it was only by chance that I glanced in and saw her. She looked more than a little upset, and I wondered if my overwhelming family had gotten to her. It was in my nature to check in on anyone who looked as morose as she did, but I would have been lying if I also didn’t want to get a little inside scoop on her best friend. Being the good, brotherly sort I was, I headed to her hideaway with a plate of Katie’s fantastic holiday cookies.

“Are you okay?” I asked after introducing myself. “You’re Jenna, right? Katie’s sister?”

She made a face, shrugged as if she wasn’t sure, then finally nodded. “Thank you,” she said dully as I handed her the plate. She immediately set it on a side table and kept staring at the floor.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” I asked, still wanting to bring up Brooke but disturbed by her obvious distress. “Can I get your sister for you?”

“No,” she said in such a hurry and with such ferocity that I almost took a step back. “No, thank you, I’m really fine.”

Before I could press the issue, because she most certainly wasn’t fine, my brother Lev came storming in and pulled me aside.

“Something’s up downtown,” he hissed, glaring over my shoulder toward Jenna for some reason. “We need to go take care of it without upsetting the party.”

I nodded and followed him to his car. So much for dancing with Brooke later after all the older members of our family had retired to their beds. So much for getting her out from under my sister-in-law's watchful eyes and getting to know that mysterious woman better. And so much for a first kiss under the stars that would have her trembling in my arms.

“Get your head out of your ass and look alive,” Lev told me as we pulled up to the warehouse that had been raided.

I blinked, not even noticing the time in the car passing, all my thoughts on Brooke. “Yep,” I said, snapping to attention and checking my firearm as we headed inside. “I’m here.”

It was a straightforward beatdown, with the culprits already mostly dispersed. We just had to tidy up a few loose ends, and it barely made either of us break a sweat. The only problem was that Lev wanted to really settle it, which meant going to look for the ones who had already fled the scene.

It was late into the night when we finally finished, and I was a lot worse for wear than when we started the mission. Any chance I might have gotten with Brooke that evening was lost, unless I was ready to sneak up to the house and toss pebbles at her guest room window.

Was I actually thinking about doing that? The thought made me laugh to myself as Lev rolled back into the grounds of Aleks’s place so I could get my car. My brother gave me a long look as if he could read my mind and I snickered as I headed home. My own home, alone. What was I going crazy for? I had the whole week to make that amazing woman mine.

The next morning, I showed up as soon as I could without drawing attention to myself, ready to sweep Brooke off her feet and into my arms.

But she was already gone.

I learned from a tearful Katie that she and her sister had a falling out, with her sister Jenna refusing to accept that she was now married to a Bratva kingpin. With Jenna rushing back to Berkeley, her best friend Brooke had obviously followed.

I tried to console my sister-in-law, but it was difficult with my own shock of feeling like someone I’d known a hell of a lot longer than one day had been ripped away from me. I never even got her number. Every fantasy that had kept me up the night before, tossing and turning and waiting for the chance to see her again, was gone, never to be realized.

“She’s never going to forgive me,” Katie wailed, so upset she ignored the smoke that was beginning to billow out of the oven as we sat at the big kitchen table.

Aleks grumbled and got up, taking out the burnt cookies and slapping the pan into the sink. “Yes, she will,” he said.

“Of course, she will,” I agreed.

My feelings seemed stupid in the face of Katie’s misery. I pushed them aside to try to salvage my brother and sister-in-law’s first Christmas together. I was being foolish getting so wrapped up in a woman so quickly anyway.

In my world, beautiful, fascinating women were a dime a dozen. I’d forget about Brooke in a matter of days.