Page 2 of Vicious Little Liar
Maxim gives me another approving nod and the urge to flip him off damn near overwhelms me. I refrain, barely, because while Maxim might not see the action, his men would, and their loyalty lies strictly with him.
It’s their job to ensure my safety, or rather, to make sure I don’t run away. They watch me like a hawk, their beady eyes tracking my every move. It’s obvious they expect me to run at the first opportunity. But I’m not stupid. It’ll take time to earn both their trust and Maxim’s, and I won’t make a run for it until I do. I’ll need one hell of a head start when I finally do make a break for it, which means gaining more and more unsupervised time. As things are now, I’m lucky to get ten minutes to myself. But once we’re married, Maxim won’t have any reason to watch me as closely as he does. He’ll have gotten what he wanted and I’ll have proven that I can be trusted. That I’ll do as I’m told and always come back.
“Is everybody having a good time tonight?” The DJ shouts into his microphone.
A roar rolls through the club as partygoers excitedly cheer that they are.
It’s summer vacation, and the local college kids are living it up, celebrating the end of the semester at ???????,pronouncedstrast’— one of Richland’s hottest nightclubs.
The word meanspassion. Looking around at the sea of bodies and drunk gazes beneath me,passionis fitting. Though lust might have been more accurate. The club sits at the west end of Richland, deep in Sidorov territory. I have no real business being here, and Maxim knows that, but with our wedding fast approaching and my innocence still firmly intact, my father is taking matters into his own hands and praying I fuck up.
Papá is a calculated man. One who won’t relinquish his power easily. Allowing me to galavant around the city in enemy territory is his way of affording my fiancé every opportunity he can to claim my virginity before our wedding. Something Maxim would happily do, with or without my consent.
But Papá failed to take one thing into consideration when he plotted out this little arrangement.
Me.
Family is everything, but my father stopped being mine the day he threw my sister away. When he cast my sister aside, he forfeited not only my respect, but my loyalty. So, when he ordered my engagement to Maxim, I played the one and only card I had.
That of my inheritance.
Maxim might have been born a second son and I a second daughter, but my mother had the forethought to ensure that what was done to her could never be done to one of her own. We would never be torn from our family and stripped of our protections. We wouldn’t stand by while our birthright was claimed by a cousin or uncle simply because of our gender. No. Mamá ensured that we’d maintain our wealth, despite being women, and that we’d be next in line to claim our family’s throne.
There’s just one small requirement.
For a daughter to inherit, she must remain pure until her wedding day.Gotta love being Catholic.
Everything should have gone to my older sister, Lucia, but she gave her innocence away, not taking into consideration everything she stood to lose.
When Papá found her in bed with one of his men, a man my sister desperately loved, he didn’t only disinherit her. He beat the man she loved in front of her, stopping just short of death. Stripped her of all her wealth and belongings. Then cast her out, forcing her to live the remainder of her days hidden away in Mexico where help can’t find her.
With my sister gone, I’m next in line to inherit. Being head of the family is not a position I want or one I’ve asked for, but Mamá didn’t only ensure that her daughters could maintain their positions in their homes. She also ensured any daughter of hers, regardless of the order of their birth, would gain access to a large sum of money the day after their wedding.
I can’t claim my father’s position until I turn thirty-five, assuming I remain pure until my wedding night and stick around long enough to claim what is mine. But I will receive the promised funds.
Five hundred thousand dollars will be transferred into my account as a wedding gift the day after I say “I do.”
It’s pennies to my papá, which is why he doesn’t care about me getting it, but that five hundred thousand dollars is everything to me. I’ll have money no one else can access or control. Money that can be spent on a plane ticket. On food and rent. I need every penny I can get if I’m to escape the life I’ve been born into, and despite the conditions that come with it, I’m grateful my mamá had the foresight to think of it. Sometimes I wonder if she knew all along that her daughters would need to escape this life, and if the money was positioned in such a way as to provide that opportunity.
As my husband, Maxim stands to inherit everything I do, which explains why I’m here, scantily dressed in a Bratva club, now. And why he hasn’t forced himself on me when I know he’d like nothing more.
Maxim knows that if he takes my innocence before our wedding day, Papá will disinherit me like he did Lucia. And thankfully, he won’t risk it. For now, at least. There are six months between now and when I’m set to walk down the aisle. Only time will tell.
2
ANDRES
“Hermano.”Brother.“Think this through,” Adrian cautions. Something he is prone to doing as the eldest of my three younger brothers. Adrian likes to think of himself as my advisor, and in a lot of ways, he is. There are few people I trust in this world, and Adrian is one of them.
But when it comes to Leticia Castro, there is nothing I require him to advise me on. My decision is made.
“I’m done thinking,” I tell him. “I’ve made my decision.” Remaining here is a waste of time. Time I do not have if I’m going to intervene. “My men spotted her less than an hour ago atPassion. I won’t get another chance like this, so don’t ask me to waste it.”
I’ve waited long enough to take back what is rightfully mine.
“You say that as thoughPassionis an easy location to infiltrate. It’s in the heart of Sidorov territory, Andrés,” he hisses. “Walking into that club is suicide.”
“Not for me.” If one of my men walked into that club, there’s a good chance he wouldn’t walk back out. But I’m not one of my men. I’m the head of the DeAnde Cartel, and I go wherever I damn well please. Sidorov won’t appreciate my overstepping, but he’s not stupid enough to make an attempt on my life. Not in public. Not even in his territory.
