The Mafia Contract Series

IVAN

as plans go, this one was executed perfectly, and I’m quite smug as we speed away from Rose Hall Academy with the target neatly secured by my side.

In fact, the whole plan was a stroke of genius, even if I do say so myself.

It wasn’t difficult to steal Lady Richmond’s phone while she lunched at the Savoy. The distraction at the school was easy to arrange and I laugh to myself when I think of Yuri playing the part of a father searching for a school for his daughter. It wasn’t difficult to persuade him either because he loves nothing more than making an entrance and when I told him why, he couldn’t sign up quickly enough.

Lord Richmond has become a problem for the Bratva that is a difficult one to solve. It always is when it involves a high-profile customer who owes us, so this was the perfect excuse to kidnap his daughter and demand he pay up to get her back.

It’s a shame he never will because there’s a much higher bidder for the woman beside me, which will set Winter free and bring her home to us where she has always belonged.

As I sit back in my seat, I wonder what’s running through this girl’s mind right now. She must be fucking terrified, and I feel bad for her. Then again, she has lived a life of privilege to this point and so any guilt I have is quickly pushed aside because it will do her good to see how hard life can be for most of the population. Me included. My friends included and a little discomfort for once in her life is just the consequences of a very bad action.

I’m surprised that she doesn’t scream, struggle even, but it’s as if she’s frozen in place. Maybe she’s fainted, stopped breathing perhaps, but as I run my eye across her chest, I see it heaving as she struggles to remain in control.

I’m not happy about this, but there are always casualties in every war, and she is just one of them.

A bargaining chip in a deadly game and unfortunately for her, the man she is heading toward is a bastard at it.

The car screeches into the private airfield where our jet is standing by and as we stop in front of the steps, I waste no time in flinging the door open and heading around to her side.

As I pull her roughly out, I toss her over my shoulder and growl, “Move one inch and I’ll knock you out.”

Once again, she stiffens and I’m a little disappointed about that. She’s making it too easy. Where is the fight I love? This is almost boring, and I consider slapping her ass just to get a reaction, but instead I haul her up the steps over my shoulder and content myself with dropping her into her seat and securing her bound wrist to it with handcuffs.This is property © NôvelDrama.Org.

The door closes behind us and the engines start and just five minutes after we arrived at High Baron airfield, we are speeding down the runway with a very precious cargo onboard.

Once the plane is in the air, I relax and, being slightly curious, I untie the fastening around her neck and pull the bag off in one swift move.

I’m not sure who is more shocked and, as I stare into the most bewitching eyes I have ever seen in my life, I lose the power of speech.

Deep blue eyes stare at me with horror, the tears glistening in them like pools of crystal water.

Like a startled fawn, this woman looks at me with fear and her lower lip trembles as she regards me with an expression that makes me feel like the biggest bastard in the world.

Her long blonde hair is tied back in a ponytail and several strands have escaped their binding and trail across a face that is as white as snow. She looks utterly terrified and as those long lashes bat in my direction, I try so hard to remain focused.

“Charlotte Richmond.” Perhaps I should have checked we had the right girl before we left and relax when she nods.

With a deep sigh of relief, I say roughly, “Just do as I say at all times, and this will be over quickly.”

She looks to the floor, and I wonder what she’s thinking and leaning forward, I grasp her face in my hand and lift it to stare into my eyes. She flinches at the contact and it’s like holding a frightened animal in my hand and I feel like the biggest bastard as I say roughly, “You are my prisoner and must do everything I say otherwise you’ll regret it. Do I make myself clear?”

She nods and as I hold her face in my hand, I stare at a beauty I wasn’t expecting. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman quite like Charlotte Richmond before. The girls I’m used to have more sass than sense and would probably be screaming and complaining by now. Not her, though. She just regards me with a startled look in her eye that makes it even worse and so I drop my hand and say abruptly, “Get some sleep. This will be a long flight.”

While I lean back in my seat, I wait for her reaction, and she seems almost shy as she whispers, “Where are we going?”

“Russia.”

Her eyes widen and the shock in them makes me smile as I shrug. “It’s the perfect place to lose a life.”

“My life?” She appears more intrigued than afraid, and I nod.

“I need to keep you out of the spotlight. Somewhere nobody would think to look for you, and I know the perfect place.”

“But why?”

She’s curious and I owe her that at least, so I sigh and lean back in my seat.

“Your father owes us money and his credit limit has expired. He missed his last few payments, and we need to persuade him to pay up.”

“My father owes you money.”

She appears shocked about that, causing me to lean forward and stare into her bewitching eyes and snarl, “What’s the matter princess? Are you worried your inheritance is under threat?”

For the first time, I see a little fire in her expression as she says angrily, “I couldn’t give a fuck about my inheritance.”

I love getting at least one reaction from her and can’t help saying, “Your type is all the same.”

I sneer and curl my lip and the flush to her cheeks has more to do with anger than anything as she hisses, “You know nothing about me. How dare you judge before knowing the facts, which as it happens, you never will, so do what you must, get your blood money and do it fast because the sooner I’m away from such a judgemental arsehole the better.”

“You mean asshole.” I smirk and love watching her eyes blaze with fury as she snaps, “Arsehole.

I’m English, remember.”

She pointedly turns away and I watch her silently fuming in her seat as she sits straight backed and defiant, not even trying to free her wrists.

Shrugging, I stand, needing to take a piss and, without any more words, leave her to stew and head to the rear of the aircraft.