Hitman Daddy by Aster Rae

16

Christian

I can barely believeit when Nikolai presses his lips to mine.

Nikolai's lips are soft. So fucking soft.

The world melts away as he swirls his tongue around my mouth.

I'm in shock when Nikolai breaks off the kiss.

Did this really just happen?

Did Nikolai actually kiss me?

A gruff expression sets into Nikolai's face.

He opens his mouth to say something but his brothers interrupt.

"Get it, bro!” Igor claps Nikolai on the back.

"We want to see tongue!" Timofey shouts.

But Nikolai doesn't hear his brothers. He stares into my eyes.

"Come with me."

Grabbing my hand, he leads me away from the festivities.

He escorts me to a circle of chairs next to the bar and helps me sit down.

My head spins. Nikolai's father said I was dead meat if I didn't get under his family's protection.

He said Nikolai lied to me and that I know nothing about his true self.

He also said I was in danger.

But why?

What’s Nikolai holding back from me that's so serious?

"Let me get you a drink." Nikolai releases his grip on my hand.

I accept his offer. Nikolai rises to grab two beers from the bar.

He returns and hands me a beer. I take a refreshing sip but it's not what I want.

I want answers.

Nikolai lied to me.

I need to know what's going on.

As a tattooed DJ takes over from the orchestra and plays bass-pounding music, I decide to get the truth even if it kills me.

"I need an explanation,” I say.

Nikolai blows out a breath.

A bead of sweat trickles down his forehead.

His deep coffee eyes center on mine.

Nikolai is a liar. A manipulator.

But damn. Can anyone else make brown eyes look so good?

"Ask me anything,” Nikolai growls.

"What are you willing to tell me?"

"I'll tell you what you need to know."

I shake my head. "That's not going to cut it, Nikolai. You brought me into this fake relationship because you needed to impress your business partner. But your father says there's more going on. How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"I couldn't be honest with you then. I can now,” Nikolai says.

"Why?"

"I can't tell you,” Nikolai says.

Rage punches me in the gut.

"You need to treat me better than this,” I say. “I told you about myself but you didn't tell me about your ex. How can I trust you, Nikolai? You lied to me repeatedly. You owe me a full explanation."

Hesitation and uncertainty war in Nikolai's mind.

A vein bulges.

"I'll tell you,” Nikolai says at last.

I breathe a sigh of relief.

I'll get answers.

Nikolai's features darken. "My family is one of the most prominent Mafia families in New York City. We've been active in the scene for four generations."

"Go on."

"It started with an attack on my father's pier. Francesco Ricci – the pater of the Ricci crime family — blew up my father's shipment of cocaine from Latin America. He had a rival shipment coming in and wanted the territory for himself."

"How long ago was this?"

"Twenty years ago. It started a cartel war with the most vicious cartel in Venezuela.”

Nikolai clenches his fists. "The Ricci family moved into our turf. They mutilated our soldiers and killed our men. We held onto Brooklyn for fifty years. But the Italians fucked everything up. They insisted on special treatment and wanted a share of our profits. My father wouldn't let them force their way into our business. He killed their capos and dismembered prominent Ricci family members’ bodies in front of their children. He started a turf war with the Riccis that's been active ever since."

My blood turns to ice.

I knew Nikolai's father was dangerous.

But I never dreamt he was such an evil man.

"What does this have to do with me?" I say softly.

"I negotiated a truce with the Ricci family five years ago. We agreed to a cease-fire in Brooklyn if the Ricci family stayed out of Manhattan and Brooklyn. That way none of our men would end up dead and we’d both make money off weapons and drugs without encroaching on each other's territories."

"It didn't stay peaceful," I guess.

"Exactly. It started with shit in my restaurants. One day I'd arrive and the help would tell me armed men were sitting in the back and watching the waitstaff. These men took inventory of my servers and the layout of the business to attack it. I phoned Luca Ricci – the heir of the Ricci family fortune — and asked him what the hell was going on. He told me nothing. When he bombed my favorite Russian restaurant, I knew our cease-fire had ended."

Jesus.

"What happened to Luca?" I ask.

Nikolai's expression darkens even more. "My brothers and I have hunted him for the past three months without success. We’ve tracked his movements but he evades our soldiers. The night you showed up at Crave was the night I intended to take his life. I'd arranged a plan to take Luca out. I'd lured Luca through the back door with two Polish Mafia women to blow off his head. But Luca got a whiff of our plans. He decided to come in the front door instead. I had no choice but to raise my AK-47. I wanted to blow him to pieces. But that's when I saw you."

The pieces fall into place.

I remember standing behind an Italian man in the line at the nightclub.

Luca.

The notorious Italian killer.

“He was right behind me in line," I whisper. "Why didn't you kill him?"

Nikolai lets out a primal growl. "I couldn't shoot Luca in front of you. You were the most beautiful boy I'd ever seen. I refused to scar you for life."

His words take the breath out of me.

My chest swells with emotion.

"Please tell me you weren’t going to kill Luca Ricci in front of the entire nightclub,” I beg.

"I had no choice."

"You could’ve hit a stranger."

"Dead bodies are unavoidable in our profession."

My heart races out of my chest. "So you didn't kill Luca because you wanted to spare me?"

"Exactly."

Emotion swells inside me.

But I sense there’s something he's not telling me.

Something dark. Dangerous. Deadly.

"Keep going," I urge.

"Luca is an evil man. We checked the security cameras. We think he saw us talking in the club."

"What does that mean?"

"He knows who you are. He saw your face. He knows how I feel about you. He'd hurt you to get to me."

My stomach seizes. "Luca wants to kill me?"

“Yes. That's why I needed to bring you into this fake relationship. My father will protect you but he needs to know you're part of the family.”

"Who are those men following me around?"

"My guards. Luca bombed my latest Russian restaurant because I ordered my guards to leave the premises to protect you.”

I can barely process Nikolai's words.

My life is in danger. It's Nikolai's fault.

I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and now there's an Italian mobster who wants me dead.

The only reason I'm still alive is because Nikolai put guards on me.

A chill travels down my spine. "What else do you need to tell me?"

"It depends, Christian." Nikolai holds my hand tight.

"It depends on what?"

"How far we take this. I can turn you over to my father's protection and leave your life. You'll be safe with his guards and he'll pay to keep Luca's men at bay. Or…"

Nikolai lets out a deep breath. "Or we can keep doing this and see where it goes. I won't lie, Christian. I’ve felt more alive over this past month with you than I have my entire life."

"This is just a business relationship," I whisper.

"I want more." Nikolai's dark eyes blaze into mine. "I'm not going to fucking lie. I want you. I'm a greedy bastard and I want you in my bed. I want to be the only goddamn man in your life. But I won't force you to keep going with this if you don't want to. I've said my piece. This is your decision to make."

I sense there's still something he's holding back. Something about his past. And possibly even his last relationship.

But he's told me so much about himself already. And Nikolai isn’t a man who opens up easily.

He’s a coldhearted Russian monster and I should run.

But I want to be with him.

I still need to ask about his former boyfriend but for now I just want to enjoy the rest of the wedding with him.

"Can we dance?" I press my thumb into Nikolai's palm.

Nikolai takes my half-empty beer bottle from me. He leads me to the dance floor.

Nikolai presses his lips to mine and I nearly melt.

It's the most beautiful kiss I've ever imagined.

It's so much better than my fantasies.

This man is a monster. A liar.

A drug and weapons dealer who knows only murder and death.

But he sacrificed killing his mortal enemy to protect me that night.

We still have a lot to learn about each other but Nikolai will help me through it.

And right now I just want to get lost in his arms.