Owned by the Mob Boss by Ashley Hall

last door on the left. “Here you go.”
     
    I walked inside a large bedroom. The bed was huge with black stain sheets. There were two windows with similar curtains to the sheets. The curtain reached all the way to the wooden floor. There was a bureau, a dresser, a nightstand, and a desk, all in cherry oak. The walls were a slightly off-white color. Only one piece of art hung on the wall, directly above the bed—a stark red rose, full and beautiful on a black background, a single petal falling down, halfway to joining the sole petal at the bottom.
     
    Curious, I opened and closed each bureau and dresser drawer and then opened the closet. All of it was full of clothes, and most if not all appeared to be in my size.
     
    “Do you need anything?” the bodyguard asked.
     
    I whirled around, feeling guilty. I’d forgotten he was still standing in the doorway.
     
    “I’m…I’m good, I think. Thanks.”
     
    He nodded. “Ivan will attend to you later.”
     
    And he left me all alone.
     

Chapter Twelve
 
    Ivan
     
     
     
    The sight of my house almost made some of my stress go away. I needed a stiff drink or two. Maybe five. That the bastard Vanya Golovkin had dared to send someone to spy on me…he needed to be put into his place—which was buried six feet under without a coffin. Just an unmarked grave. A dump, not a grave.
     
    I was trembling with rage, and I had to relax, to calm myself. Being rash would lead to mistakes, and I never made mistakes. I could handle myself. I would take care of Golovkin. No one would threaten me or mine again. I had raised up from the ashes once. I would not dare allow anyone the chance to burn me to the ground again. My empire would reign for long after my lifetime, and it would reign through my heir, through my blood. And speaking of my blood, not another drop of Kovalsky blood would ever be spilled by a foe.
     
    A plan. I always operated with a plan. Attention to detail kept me alive. I had squared off against other foes in my time since I took over the Kovalsky mob, and I had always won the battle.
     
    But this with Golovkin wasn’t just a battle. It was war.
     
    The outcome, however, would be the same. I would win. I didn’t doubt that for a second.
     
    I always kept an eye on my surroundings, even when I didn’t actively feel threatened, and as I waited at a red light, I checked all of my mirrors. Sometimes I used a chauffeur, but lately, I’d been driving myself, and tonight was no exception. I liked the feel of the gear stick in my hand, of being in complete control. Plus, no one would do a better job of keeping an eye out for my own safety than myself. Tails never could follow me for long. I knew this city and the streets and alleys better than anyone. I knew how to make myself disappear, whether in a car or on foot. I had a lot of friends here.
     
    But right now, friends weren’t enough. I needed my most trusted men. I needed to be sure of who I putting my faith in. Too much was at stake. I didn’t need protection as much as I needed loyalty. In the mob life, it was loyalty or it never had been anything at all.
     
    No one was following me. The roads were mostly deserted, but that did little to settle my nerves. A few more twists and turns, a few more miles, and I parked my car inside the garage and entered the house. Just down the hall, I opened the hall closet to put away my coat when I noticed an unfamiliar coat hanging up inside. Damn. I had almost forgotten about my arrangement with Rachel Nevison.
     
    Although I barely knew her, I had done a lot of research on both her and her mother. I hadn’t been about to send Leo over with the contract until I knew enough about her to decide if she was a possible option or not, and what I found more than satisfied me. I knew about her lack of a job outside of our arrangement. I knew about her past boyfriends. I knew she preferred bad boys, and that I would be by far the baddest boy she would ever be with.
     
    I