Taken by the Mafia Boss

TAKEN BY THE MAFIA BOSS AN ENEMIES TO LOVERS ROMANCE VYSOTSKIY BROTHERS BOOK TWO BOOK TWO KASI RYAN Copyright © 2023 by Kasi Ryan All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. CONTENTS 1. Derek 2. Alora 3. Derek 4. Alora 5. Derek 6. Alora 7. Derek 8. Alora 9. Derek 10. Alora 11. Derek 12. Alora 13. Derek 14. Alora 15. Derek 16. Alora 17. Alora 18. Derek 19. Alora 20. Alora 21. Derek DEREK “You know, every time I come visit you in this place, it makes me wonder if you’ve really grasped that you’re no longer in prison,” Marko Vysotskiy’s voice floats across my upstairs studio apartment. It echoes off the small, bare walls and into the only corner of the room that I’ve chosen to occupy. “I don’t need much space,” I answer dryly without looking over my shoulder as he slides the heavy metal door shut. “You forgot what you needed a long time ago, my brother,” Marko adds. I don’t miss the hints of sarcasm or the undercurrent of concern for my well-being. I didn’t take to my freedom by instantly throwing myself into debauchery like our brother Martino chose to. He was the sort who was intent on making up for every single second of lost time. I have no such compulsion. “I understand that my living situation is not up to your standards, but I don’t need it.” I use the small screwdriver in my hand to gesture around the small space. “This is all that I need for now. Should I desire to branch out a little bit, then I will.” For me, freedom isn’t about indulgence. We each had our own reasons for wanting to get out of prison. Yet, unlike my brothers, I am the only one who has spent his entire life in prison. I’d been in juvenile correctional facilities as far back as I could remember and in and out of the local joints even beyond that. My rap sheet could fill libraries. I think that’s why my brother has even more of an issue with the fact that I don’t want to move into the mansion that he purchased for us to share. A base of operations, he called it, but it just looks like another prison to me. Marko slips his hands into his pockets and sits against the edge of my desk, careful not to disturb my work. “You don’t even have a bed, Derek.” I pause and glance over my shoulder. He’s right, but he doesn’t need to know that. The pallet on the floor is what I’ve chosen. It’s easier for me. The fancy mattress that Delilah had sent over on my behalf was still in plastic and resting up against the far wall. “Well, after years of lumpy cardboard passing as a mattress, the body wants what it wants. What can I say?” I replace the small screwdriver in my hand with my small soldering iron. I flip my protective glasses down from the top of my head and tap the heated tip to the circuit board that I’m working on. Marko’s nose scrunches in disapproval. I can see it out of the corner of my eye. “Stinks.” “You don’t have to be here.” I remind him. “You don’t have to pretend that you’re all alone in this, either. You keep yourself holed up here much longer, and I'm going to move in here whether you like it or not. You know father wouldn’t want you to be so alone like this. ‘Stronger as a team’, that’s what he always said to us,” Marko reminds me in a calm, even tone. Though the words leave Marko’s lips, I hear them in our father’s voice. My wrists rest on my desk as I sigh. “Just what would you have me do? Do you think that I’m going to just lounge around indulging in earthly pleasures when there is still vengeance to be had? Don’t tell me I’m the only one who remembers that there’s a much larger fish out there for us to fry.” I point the tool at Marko for emphasis. “Nobody has forgotten anything.” “Just because you got your personal vengeance doesn’t mean that I’ve had my fill.” My words are both an answer and a dismissal as I turn back to my task. Marko knows I’m too stubborn to argue with, so he drops it. “Just what are you working on, anyway?” I don’t answer right away. Technology has never been Marko’s strong suit. He’s better tactically than anyone I know. He’s wonderful about planning and seeing political trends. He’s the face and voice of our operation for a reason, but my job is to keep us current. The motherboard in front of me is going to do exactly that. “You said that Delilah’s bastard of a father, may he rot in pieces, was being puppeteered by someone else, right? Yet, no matter how much you looked, you found nothing. Not even your little bloodhound Alexsi was able to find what we needed,” I offer. It’s impossible to keep my excitement from bleeding into my words. “Yeah. That’s another reason that I’ve come to talk to you actually. I wanted to get your input on a plan to—” I cut him off with a wave of my hand and lift up the bit of technology that I’ve invented instead. “We just didn’t have the tools… I couldn’t find anything powerful enough to accomplish what was necessary, so now this little beauty is going to do it for us. Once I get her hooked up to our mainframe, Martino and I will be able to reverse engineer the signals sent to Popova that night. Whoever it is, whatever they’re up to—I’m going to find