Filthy Secret

TRAPPING HIS QUEEN

Sloane

A scraping sound woke me. I knew something was wrong. My dark locks were plastered to my face, rather than tucked in my bonnet-something I would never do. I wasn’t a wild sleeper. My ex said I slept like the dead, although that probably had more to do with choking on his cock than actually being tired. Dry and scratchy, my throat felt like I hadn’t had a drink in a long time. My head throbbed, but if I’d gone drinking with the other waitresses from work, I would’ve taken something before I went to bed. I was never too drunk to pineapple my hair and slap my bonnet on.

No-slip, my ass.

My eyelids fluttered slightly as I tried to open them, but they were stuck together. Gross. I tried to lift my right hand to scrub my eyes open, but it was pinned down. I struggled to move the other arm. It, too, was pinned. It felt odd, like I was strapped to something.

What the fuck?

“I didn’t mean to wake you, malishka,” rasped a deep, masculine voice close to my left ear. The accent was . . . noticeable.

I tried to move my legs, but they were strapped down as well. If these were normal circumstances, I’d probably bend over at the sound of that rasp. But this situation was anything but ordinary.

“Who’s there?” I croaked.

“I forgot I had these on your eyes, malishka. Give me a moment.” Rough hands peeled something off my eyes.

I’d thought they were stuck shut, but it was some kind of tape, judging by the slight ripping sound it made when he peeled it away.

I was able to blink my eyes open to see a dimly lit room coming into focus.

“Where the fuck am I?” My voice broke from disuse.

“Take small sips.” I noted he didn’t answer my question.

A straw was thrust into my mouth, and I gulped down a few sips of water. The tattoos on his arms, drawing my eyes while the vein throbbing made me lick my lips in response. He was a tall drink of water in and of himself. When I’d drunk my fill, I used my tongue to push the straw back out of my mouth.

“You still haven’t answered my questions–and what does mal-ish-ka mean?” I turned my head to take in the man who was in this room with me. Maybe we’d been kidnapped together or something. I wasn’t panicking as I should, which was worrisome.

My eyes widened in surprise as he came into view. If I was kidnapped and stuck with him, thank the good lord he was sexy as fuck. Better to have eye candy to stare at than the walls.

Something was seriously fucked with my brain. It was probably all the time I’d spent as a sweetbutt in my local MC. Not that I’d give them any fucking credit for my personality quirks.

His dark hair was pulled into a bun, but pieces were falling out of it. Must’ve put it up in a hurry. I’ve been there before–toss your head, gather the loose hair, and apply elastic band in a rush. I couldn’t see anything else, other than that he was wearing a sweater and dark pants.

It made sense–we were in a mountain town, after all.

“To answer your question, it is a term of endearment in Russian,” he said, interrupting my inner thoughts. His breath blew across my face, and I almost spread my legs as my brain registered his scent of spearmint. My favorite scent.

Fuck. What was wrong with me?

“Do you think it’s hot in here?” I felt like panting.

He shot me a look. “It’s not hot in here; it’s the drugs, malishka.”NôvelDrama.Org content.

“Can you untie me, please?” My voice was panicky as I tried to pull at the straps. Did he just say drugs? This man drugged me?

“Not right now,” he murmured.

“What the fuck? Let me go! Why am I here? Who are you? What are you going to do to me?” I whimpered.

There went the hope that he was a hot fellow captive. His aura told me it was his fault I was here. I pushed back up, trying to gain leverage, but my hands were too far apart. Breaking free wasn’t an option in this position. There was barely any give with these restraints.

“Calm. Breathe, malishka. Nothing bad is going to happen to you–at least, nothing you won’t find pleasurable.” His ice-blue eyes made me shiver from their intensity. I willed him to look away, and when he did, I let out a breath I hadn’t known I was holding.

“I have a life. People will be looking for me.” I told him, trying to hide the tremble in my voice.

“Your life is full of surface-level people. They will be irritated that you didn’t show up to your shift, but none of them will look for you.”

I tried to hold back a whimper, his eyes shooting to mine when I failed.

“I didn’t say that to cause you pain, malishka. I was merely telling you the truth.” He moved away from the bed, and couldn’t help the gasp that escaped. This man was huge. There was a scar on the other side of his face that had been hidden from view, and it made him look even more dangerous.

“Fuck, I know it’s hideous. I’m sorry.” He turned away, his shoulders hunched like I’d kicked him.

“Wait! I wasn’t gasping at your scar; you’re just, well, kind of huge. See, I’m only-”

“5’2,” he interrupted, spinning back around to pierce me with his intense gaze.

“How did you know that?” I looked at him suspiciously.

He waved a hand in front of him. “You were saying?”

“Right, I’m small, and you’re huge, which I guess scared me a little bit, but not because of the scar.”

He leaned over the bed, and I shrank away from him. “Does my size intimidate you, malishka?” He put a weird emphasis on size, like he was alluding to something else.

“Y-yes. I’d feel much better if you’d tell me why you brought me here,” I implored.

“Who said I brought you here?”

His words sent a chill rushing down my spine. “Did someone else snatch me off the street?”

“It wasn’t the street–I’d never be that sloppy. It was right after your shift ended, and all your coworkers left you to go home. While you dug for your keys, I crept behind you and knocked you out as gently as possible.” There wasn’t any hesitation in his voice while divulging the intricate details of the crime he committed against me. He didn’t care.

“With drugs?” I’d used some before, but never touched them once I’d left the MC.

“It wasn’t a lot. You are a tiny woman. I didn’t want to overdose you.” He smirked at me.

He had to be a psycho. That was the only explanation for this.

I came to the realization that I was going to fucking die.

***

ALEXEI

My little malishka was terrified. I could see it in the tightening of her muscles, the way she held herself away from me, even in the sweat trickling down her dark skin. It was heady.

Delectable.

I leaned forward and lapped some up. She tasted so fucking good.

Before I could scare her further, the burner phone in my back pocket pinged. I kissed her forehead, even though she tried to move away. That didn’t deter me. Her fight was everything I wanted. Unfortunately, she would have to wait. I left the room and pulled the phone out of my back pocket.

“Yeah?” I barked.

It was Roger, my only remaining contact. “Boss, we have several problems.” He sounded exhausted on the line.

“You mean more than the fact that my brother took my throne in Russia and exiled me to this god-forsaken mountain? Or how about the fact that we’re hemorrhaging money and our alliances are jumping ship? If it were up to Viktor, the Bratva would go up in flames,” I said with a huff.

Roger had enough respect to let me vent without any input from him. He knew I didn’t want to hear it, especially while I was stressed. I could feel the vein in my temple throbbing as my heart rate kicked up, a side effect of my rising blood pressure.

“Tell me what you want,” I snapped. It wasn’t Roger’s fault. This just wasn’t the most fantastic time to talk to me.

“The girl you snatched has no priors. There is nothing in her history, but I dug a ton and found that she has a connection with the local MC. I wanted to see if you would like me to find out more about her background, or if you’d like me to focus on why the leader is so obsessed with her,” Roger drawled casually, like he wasn’t speaking of the woman who was going to bring my children into existence.

“What do you mean, that motherfucker is obsessed with her? For what?” I felt an itch begin underneath my skin. All this stress was eating me alive. What was supposed to be an easy snatch and grab was starting to turn into a clusterfuck of epic proportions.

“I have no idea. From what I’m getting, he’s trying to find her, and he doesn’t care if the delivery boys get a little rough with her.”

My blood boiled at the thought of some dirty biker messing up my woman’s face.

“Were they dating?” I growled into the receiver. I didn’t want to think about my malishka being with anyone else.

“It’s a strong possibility, but she was working at the town diner and didn’t seem to have any issues with the MC while she worked there.” I could hear Roger clacking away at his keyboard. He was the best hacker money could buy. I’d saved his life a few times and although he had no ties, he was far more loyal than the men in my inner circle.

Even more loyal than my own blood.

Viktor and I may have had different mothers, but I never treated him as less than myself. That was all my father’s doing, and something I’d put a stop to when I took the reins after Father’s death.

“Keep me informed.” I ended the call with a click–no goodbye. That’s how we operated. Who knew when the next time we’d speak would be?

If I wasn’t alone, Sloane would have the protection she needed. But the reality was, I had no allies. No one coming to my aid. The Bratva would lay down their lives at the feet of my queen. If only they knew she existed.

But I was a king without a kingdom. So as much as I wanted to storm back to Russia and take my rightful place, I couldn’t. My brother had seen to that.

Viktor was a manipulative liar.

He’d used the men’s greatest fears against them, whispered in their ears about the way I ran things while smiling in my face as I walked by. I’d given him more and more responsibilities: something my father had refused to do. His mother had been a whore and a traitor, but she paid in blood for her betrayal. Father had spoken about how he wished he had smothered Viktor as a child, but didn’t. I wished now that he had. Then, I wouldn’t be in this mess.

I let out a sigh that did nothing to release my tension. It was time to get back to my malishka. She would relieve my stress more than any drink or drug could provide. Hell, she was the drug.

From the first time I’d seen her, I knew I wanted her. I sat in the diner every day, out of her section, just watching her habits. She flashed her smile at everyone, no matter how they treated her. I’d had to take many men in the back and teach them a lesson of respect, but my little malishka never knew. She was oblivious to my protection. It was why I took her in the first place. Now, I just needed to keep her.

Simple.

As I walked back to the room I’d left her strapped down in, she let out a blood-curdling scream that had me busting down the door in my haste to get to her. I looked around but didn’t see any hidden assailants or shadows. She kept screaming, even after she saw I was in the room with her.

“Oh, malishka. Screaming won’t save you from me.” My mouth lifted with a nefarious grin, and I let myself give in to my baser urges. I was going to eat her from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. Then, when I finished, I expected her to thank me for eating her like a meal.

If she didn’t?

Well, I guess she’d see what the king of the Bratva could do to her while she lay helpless to stop him. The thought had merit. I ran my lecherous gaze over her.

I had always loved chocolate.