The leather's worn, but I'm not so formal that it matters. The wear adds character. This purse's one flaw is an inadequate shoulder strap. More than any other purse I've had in the last 20 years, this one will not stay on my shoulder. So, in the summer, I switch to a purse that's half the size with a much more useful strap.
Rescued from domestic abuse, Bratva princess Inessa recuperates from the latest beating in the home of Giovanni Maglione, the mafia captain of Cleveland. Learning that her husband double-crossed the Chinese triad, and they want their pound of flesh--and they're happy to take it out of Inessa--her parents ask Giovanni to marry their newly widowed daughter. The Chinese triad will be looking for a Russian mobster's wife, not the wife of an Italian mobster. Inessa agrees to this marriage of convenience which, of course, isn't so convenient. The ruse fails, which forces Giovanni into a violent and bloody mob war, because he protects what's his... and Inessa is most definitely his.
Inessa whimpered, cowered in a corner, and tried to protect her head from the blows raining down on her.
“Yebanaya suka!” Ruslan shouted as he switched from using his fists to kicking her with his booted feet. He preferred pointy-toed cowboy boots.
Inessa moaned as she felt another rib give way, the crack inaudible beneath the thud of his boot against her side and his bellowed curses.
“Cheat on me, will you? You dare to sleep with another man?” he yelled in Russian. “Fucking bitch! No man will want to touch you after I’m through with you!”
She groaned again, her voice hoarse and no singular pain distinguishable from another among the contusions and broken bones resulting from yet another perceived infraction of Ruslan’s many rules. She should have known better than to smile when thanking the nice young man for helping to carry and then load the groceries into the car. But it had been so nice to have someone do something for her just that once, especially since she hadn’t quite healed from the last beating.
Inessa felt the blackness of oblivion cloud her mind. She welcomed it and hoped it would stay.
“It’s your damned fault that I can’t pay my debts!” Ruslan screamed at her, the words landing on the edge of her fading consciousness.
With an incongruous sound, the doorbell rang. Ruslan set his booted foot back on the floor and muttered, “Stay put.”
He turned and walked through the house to answer the door. Chest heaving, body sweating, and red-faced with the exertion of pummeling his wife, he flung open the door and gaped. Whipcord lean and sharp-featured, Gennady faced him. The man’s eagle-eyed gaze flickered over him, missing nothing.
“What are you doing in Seattle, Gennady?” Ruslan demanded as he positioned his body to block the man’s entry.
“Maksim and Olivia haven’t heard from Inessa lately and they sent me to check up on her.” Gennady caught sight of the swollen and abraded knuckles on the other man’s hands, the dark, shiny liquid splattered on his black, alligator hide boots.
“She’s fine,” Ruslan answered curtly. “Now go.”
Gennady raised an eyebrow and managed to look down his nose at the bigger man. “I don’t think so. Step aside, Ruslan.”
“What? You don’t trust my word?”
Gennady’s expression turned from skepticism to open contempt. “You’re a worthless shit, Ruslan. You always have been. So, no, I don’t trust your word. Now, step aside.”
Find Holly Bargo at: WebsiteFind Russian Pride at: Amazon
Thanks so much for visiting with me today and sharing your book and favorite handbag, Holly!
2 comments:
I hate when the purse doesn't stay on my shoulder. It slips down and I look like the Queen of England with her handbag. I wish you all the best with your book!
Hi, Melissa! Drives my crazy too. I think my shoulder slopes. That's why I go for short tote handles or a cross body strap. Thanks for stopping by.
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