Brutal Loyalty

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental. RELAY PUBLISHING EDITION, JANUARY 2023 Copyright ©2023 Relay Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. Published in the United Kingdom by Relay Publishing. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Bella Ash is a pen name created by Relay Publishing for co-authored Romance projects. Relay Publishing works with incredible teams of writers and editors to collaboratively create the very best stories for our readers. Cover Design by Mayhem Cover Creations. www.relaypub.com Blurb A lamb enters the lion’s den… Elena Popov has a mission: kill Viktor Sokolov. But standing between her and her target is the ruthless Roman Garnovich. And if Viktor doesn’t die soon, Elena’s father will have her head. Pretending to defect to a rival family, Elena soon finds herself torn between loyalty and her growing hatred of her evil father. And then there’s Roman and his tests, looking for weaknesses and vulnerabilities so he can break her down. Roman has always been suspicious of Elena. Her beauty may captivate others, but not him. He knows she wants to harm the Sokolov family, but he has the training and experience to inflict harm, too. And if Elena crosses him, she will feel his wrath. Contents 1. Roman 2. Elena 3. Roman 4. Elena 5. Roman 6. Roman 7. Elena 8. Roman 9. Elena 10. Elena 11. Roman 12. Elena 13. Roman 14. Elena 15. Elena 16. Roman 17. Elena 18. Elena 19. Roman 20. Elena 21. Roman 22. Elena 23. Roman 24. Elena 25. Roman 26. Elena 27. Roman Elena End of Brutal Loyalty Thank You! Make an Author’s Day About Bella Sneek Peek: Deadly Knight Sneek Peek: Vicious Heir CHAPTER 1 Roman Roman Garnovich had thought this would be just another mission: pilot a plane to Russia, pick up the cargo, and return back home. Simple. And while it was true that he generally preferred to drive over flying, he hadn’t balked when his pakhan, Viktor Sokolov, had given him his orders to head out from Boston to Russia at the last minute. He hadn’t balked when maintenance at the private airfield in Boston had told him that engine three had just been replaced and that the safety check would take longer than usual. And he hadn’t even balked when Viktor had refused to give him any details on the nature of the cargo, only telling him flatly that he was to “get the cargo and return with it as quickly as possible.” But Roman was balking now. A restless sleep after he had landed near Moscow had left his eyelids heavy, and now he’d spent nearly two hours at this bratva-run hangar, wasting his time waiting for…what? That was the real question. There was still no sign of his cargo, and there were no extra sets of hands here to answer his questions or help him as he refueled and inspected the plane before take-off. Roman had worked for the Sokolovs—specifically, for Viktor—for years now. He’d started off as his personal driver, a job which he enjoyed, and then gradually, Viktor had added more and more responsibilities, which Roman had accepted. No questions asked. He trusted Viktor with his life, and he would do anything for his pakhan, who was also his best friend. Despite the circumstances, he’d been overjoyed when Viktor had assumed the position of pakhan after his father’s murder, and in the three short months since then, Viktor had already proven himself to be a formidable leader. But sometimes, he could be too damn cryptic. What the hell was going on?He checked his watch, again. 4:07 pm. It would be two in the morning back at the Sokolov mansion, but Roman was exhausted, and if he had any chance of getting out of Russia sometime tonight, he needed his cargo ASAP. At the very least, he needed a status update on what was causing the delay, so he could plan accordingly. With no one around, he couldn’t simply sit on his hands and hope that everything would work out. With a sigh, he called Viktor’s cell and hoped he was making the right choice. The phone rang several times. Roman expected it to go to voicemail, but Viktor picked up on the last ring. “This had better be good,” Viktor grunted, noticeably out of breath. Roman could only imagine what he’d be doing awake and out of breath at two in the morning—probably better not to ask. “Viktor. Apologies for waking you.” “You didn’t wake me, and you damn well know it. What’s wrong?” “It’s been two hours, there’s no sign of the cargo I’m waiting for—and there’s no one here to ask about it,” Roman explained. He heard a faint clicking sound behind him, echoing through the hangar, and pressed the phone closer to his ear so that he could tune out the distraction. “She’s not there yet?” Viktor asked. “She?” Roman’s brow furrowed. Had he heard him right? “What are you talking about?” “I knew you never would have accepted the job if I’d told you.” Viktor sounded faintly apologetic. “Your cargo is a woman.” “Oh.” Roman’s voice was flat as he struggled to understand what Viktor meant. He knew that his pakhan did not engage in human trafficking, so it must be something else. The clicking sound in the hangar was getting louder. “And I suppose she’s running late?” he asked. “I haven’t heard anything, but if she hasn’t arrived yet then she must be.” Roman shook his head at the annoyance all this was turning out to be, bracing his forearm against his plane and leaning in, speaking quietly and hoping he could convince Viktor to tell him whatever