Depraved: A Dark Reverse Harem Romance (The Devil's Syndicate Book 5)

by Sarah Bailey

  “Yeah… He doesn’t deserve what happened. I just hope he’s safe from Frank now.”

  Viktor patted my hand.

  “He is under mafia protection now.”

  I tried not to flinch. I knew very well where most of Viktor’s resources in terms of men came from even if he wasn’t fully affiliated with them. The Russian Bratva. I should be grateful he was doing all of this for us, but I couldn’t help my feelings about the Bratva. They were dangerous. I guess it was a good thing my father would protect me from all that shit.

  “That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  He reached over and took a sip of his drink, leaning back against the sofa.

  “Is something wrong?”

  I shook my head.

  “No… well other than the obvious.”

  I’d spoken to the boys about this over breakfast. Xav’s acceptance of it when I’d told him about it gave me the courage to explain it to the rest of them. Thankfully, they’d all understood. Xav had helped me order the paperwork already and it’d arrived this morning.

  “I’ve been thinking a lot. Even though our future is uncertain right now, there are a few things I know for sure I want to do.”

  Viktor eyed me with wariness in his expression.

  “I’m not a Russo by blood, only in name. And I no longer wish to associate myself with that identity. So I wanted… I wanted to know if you would accept it if I changed my last name to Bykov and… and if you’d help me get my birth certificate changed to reflect you’re my biological father rather than Frank. I don’t want anything to do with him after this is over. I just want a fresh start and this will help me with that. Besides, you are my real father and I want… I want us to be a family. You mean a lot to me, Dad… I love you.”

  He was silent for a long time. Leaning forward, he placed his glass back on the coffee table and took my hands in his. His blue eyes were full of unspoken emotions. Each of them hit me in the chest one by one.

  “Nothing would make me happier.” Reaching up, he stroked my hair back behind my ear and brushed his fingers across my cheek. “I would be honoured and proud to publicly call you my daughter. To show the world you are my flesh and blood.”

  A stray tear slipped from my eye, but I didn’t dare dash it away. The way he spoke with such reverence had me vibrating with joy. After everything I’d been through, I had a father who loved and cared for me, who wanted me the way I was without trying to change me.

  “Won’t it cause some kind of scandal for you?”

  He smiled wider and shook his head.

  “As if I care about such frivolous gossip. When Frank is gone, you will be free, kotik. You can be whoever you choose. I will support you regardless. And I love you too.”

  I couldn’t hold back any longer. Tears fell freely and I pressed closer. He let go of my face so he could wrap his arms around me.

  “I do hope those are happy tears, Ash.”

  “They are,” I choked out.

  He held me until I stopped crying. When I pulled away, I noticed the boys eying us from the dining room, all with expressions of concern on their faces. My boys were nothing if not protective over me.

  “Excuse me a minute.”

  Viktor gave me a nod. I stood and walked into the dining room, wiping my face on my sleeve. Xav was closest and he rubbed my shoulder.

  “Angel, is everything okay?”

  I nodded.

  “Happy tears.”

  He drew me closer, kissing the top of my head.

  “I told you he’d be happy about it.”

  I’d believed Xav, but a part of me still worried Viktor wouldn’t want me to take his last name. Stupid really since he’d supported me from the moment we’d met.

  “Didn’t make me any less scared,” I whispered.

  I knew I didn’t have to impress Viktor or anything, but to have him be proud of me meant more than I could express in words.

  “Angel…” his voice was so soft as he pulled me into his arms and held me tight.

  “I’m okay, I promise.”

  “I can still hug you.”

  I smiled into his chest. Xav was my big teddy bear even when he was being incredibly annoying and winding me up with stupid shit. I loved that about him though. He brought joy and laughter into my life.

  Next thing I knew, I had further bodies surrounding me. When I looked up, I found not only Eric but Quinn and Rory there too. I blinked. Why were they all hugging me at the same time? It felt significant. Like we’d really come full circle and were finally one big unit.

  “What’s happening?” I whispered.

  “You’re getting loved on, angel.”

  “I see that, but since when is this a thing?”

  “Since we love you.”

  I snorted but didn’t say another word, letting them all comfort me for a long minute before we all pulled away from each other slowly. They looked away with awkward expressions on their faces. I bit my lip.

  “You guys don’t need to feel weird about hugging me together, you know.”

  Quinn turned back to the table where they had papers laid out.

  “I know,” he muttered, fiddling with the end of a page.

  Eric and Xav glanced at each other with a grin. Rory leant down and kissed my cheek before walking away to stand by Quinn. I rubbed my cheek before walking back into the living room. Viktor was observing me with a neutral expression and I knew he’d probably seen what just happened. Thankfully, he didn’t comment on it as I sat back down.

  Leaning forward, I pulled the paperwork I’d left on it towards me.

  “I filled out the form to change my name by Deed Poll, but I need this statutory declaration thing so I was thinking of asking Fabi as he meets the criteria. Witnesses are easy, the boys can do that.”

  Viktor smiled.

  “I’m sure he’d be more than happy to.”

  “Getting my birth certificate changed is harder, but we can fix that after we’ve dealt with… Frank.”

  He nodded, his expression growing solemn. I swallowed the lump in my throat at the thought of us not surviving the war with Frank. It terrified me in all honesty. To lose everything when we were so close to winning would be devastating.

  Viktor reached over and took my hand, squeezing it tightly.

  “I’m scared of losing everyone I love,” I whispered, the truth falling out of my lips without my say so.

  “It’s okay to be scared, kotik. It’s not a weakness. Use your fear to remind you of what you have to live for.”

  I nodded. There would be no other way to do this. I had to take down Frank. And I knew I could do it. Take his life. It was the thought of losing my boys and my mother that had me in knots.

  “Will you show me what you have planned? I may be able to help and perhaps alleviate your fears a little.”

  How on earth did I get so lucky to have a man like him as my father?

  “Yes… I’m sure the boys would be happy to show you.”

  We both rose from the sofa. Viktor brought his glass into the dining room with him, saying hello to the four boys in turn.

  “He’d like to see what we’re planning,” I said to Quinn, putting a hand on his arm.

  Quinn nodded.

  “Welcome to the war room.”

  Xav snorted.

  “Nah, it’s the ride or die room. We go hard or we go home.”

  “Would you take this seriously for one minute?”

  Xav winked at me and I grinned. He was messing with Quinn as usual. It surprised me Quinn hadn’t strangled him in the twenty-two-years they’d known each other. Those two were always bugging the hell out of each other.

  Viktor leant over to me.

  “I like him,” he whispered.

  “Why? Because he winds Quinn up all the time?”

  “Yes.”

  I stifled my laughter by putting a hand over my mouth. Quinn glared at
me and I immediately straightened, trying to keep my amusement in check.

  “Shall I then?” Quinn asked, putting his hand out over the table to indicate the papers.

  “By all means,” Viktor replied.

  I hoped my dad approved of what we intended to do. This really was a suicide mission and one we’d enlisted a fair few people to help us with. In order to win the war, we’d incite chaos. And in that chaos, the boys would rescue my mother whilst I destroyed Frank.

  If this worked, we’d never have to deal with him ever again.

  If it didn’t… I couldn’t think about that.

  We had to win because the alternative would destroy everything. If it meant I had blood on my hands, so be it.

  I was ready to take down Frank Russo.

  I was ready to destroy the man who raised me.

  I was ready to murder him in cold blood.

  Chapter 28

  Viktor ended up staying for dinner and the six of us used the time to talk, laugh and forget tomorrow everything could go to hell. It worried me we’d had no retaliation from Frank yet, but I couldn’t think about it. Tomorrow I would focus on that. Tonight, I wanted to forget we might not survive the war.

  When Viktor left, hugging me tight and telling me how much he loved me, I tried not to cry. The thought of not seeing him again upset me because of how much I’d grown to love him in the brief time we’d known each other. I felt so emotionally distraught, I didn’t even go back into the living room with the boys. How could I choose who to spend the night with? It didn’t seem fair to just have one when I wanted them all. It could be our last night. My heart had never felt so tight.

  So even though I wanted to be with the boys, I went upstairs to my room instead. I pulled off all my clothes and tugged on a short silk robe. I sat at my dressing table and stared at my reflection, almost not recognising the woman I’d become. The months I’d been with the boys had changed me, shaped me into a new person. Or perhaps this was the woman I’d always been inside. Perhaps I needed the little extra push in the right direction from the four men who’d become so intrinsic to my life, they were a part of my soul.

  I cleaned my face with a wipe, dumping it in the bin beside the table when I was done. Sometimes I wore makeup to make myself appear older than I was because I’d always looked younger than my twenty-one years. Right now, I felt as though I’d aged a thousand times over. My eyes held a certain darkness in them which hadn’t been there before. I’d seen things and done things I never expected. And before this war was over, I would have blood on my hands. It didn’t scare me as much as it should.

  I’d been raised to be the queen of corruption. It’s time I took on that role. To kill a king, bathe in his blood and wear his crown.

  Picking up my hairbrush, I sat there for several minutes, taming my tangled mess of waves. The motion calmed me. Soothed my warring mind. Kept me focused. I watched the woman in the mirror. She looked tired but resolute. Her determination shone through. She would be the one to cut down the man who’d terrorised her. She’d win this for her men. She’d protect them with her life. Even if it meant she forfeited it in the process.

  I was willing to die for them if it came to it. I wanted to set them free. They deserved more than the shitty lot they had in life. They deserved everything. And I’d give it to them. I’d show them how strong their woman was. Prove to them I would do anything to make them happy and keep them whole.

  “Little girl.”

  Quinn appeared in the mirror’s reflection followed by Xav, Eric and Rory. I placed the brush down and turned around on my stool, facing them. They all looked like they wanted to say something but were holding back. So many emotions radiated off them. I fought to keep calm and composed under the onslaught. We were all feeling the strain of knowing what would come tomorrow.

  “I can’t choose between you tonight. Please don’t ask me to… It’s not fair. None of this is fair,” the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. “I won’t do it. I won’t choose.”

  They didn’t even look at each other. Quinn merely put his hand out to me, beckoning me over. I rose slowly from my stool, wondering what he wanted. What they wanted. The room became charged with tension. Whether or not it was of a sexual nature, I wasn’t sure.

  I crossed the room and stood in front of Quinn, staring up at him, hesitant to ask what was happening right now. He raised his hand and cupped my face, brushing his thumb across my bottom lip.

  “We’re not asking you to choose.”

  It took a second for his words to register, but I didn’t have time to process it as his lips met mine in a soft kiss. It’s only when I felt the others move closer, their presence surrounding me, lips touching my neck and hands on my body, I realised what was going on. What they wanted. What they intended to happen. And none of me wanted to question it even though I probably should. Instead, I surrendered to each touch. Each kiss. Each caress. Hands fell to the belt of my robe, untying the bow before more hands pulled it off my shoulders, allowing it to flutter to the floor.

  “What are you doing?” I whispered as Quinn pulled back slightly, his eyes inky pools of black.

  “We’re making love to you.”

  I looked around, finding Xav behind me, Eric to my left and Rory to my right. Swallowing hard, I looked back up at Quinn as I stood there completely bare in front of them whilst they all remained clothed.

  “All four of you… at once?”

  Xav’s hands banded around my waist and his breath was hot against my ear.

  “Yes, angel… Everything might go to hell tomorrow. Tonight we want our woman.”

  I had no idea what to say. No idea what to even think. This seemed crazy, but everything in our lives was. We’d never had a normal beginning. It seemed fitting for us not to have a normal ending. Because tonight could be our ending. It could be our demise.

  “Okay.”

  I felt the rumble of Xav’s approval at my back.

  “But I have some requests.”

  Quinn stroked my cheek as if urging me to go on.

  “One, I need you all to look me in the eye and tell me you’re okay with this. Two, I get to undress you one by one because I want to savour you… And three, you all have to promise whatever happens tonight, it won’t get weird between us afterwards.”

  Quinn looked over the top of my head at the others, silently communicating with them for a long moment. He turned his eyes back to me.

  “I want this, little girl.”

  My heart thumped once.

  Eric turned me to him.

  “I want to do this, hellcat.”

  My heart thumped twice.

  I turned to Xav.

  “I want all of it, angel.”

  My heart thumped three times.

  Rory put a hand on my shoulder and twisted me around to him.

  “I want this with you and them, little star.”

  My heart thumped four times.

  All of my emotions got tangled up inside. I couldn’t think let alone speak. Their expressions had been so open. So full of honesty. This wasn’t something we had to do, but something we needed with each other. To show our love and devotion to this quintet in a moment where we forgot all the other shit weighing down on us.

  “I love you.” I twisted around, taking each of them in. “All of you. I love you all so much.”

  Not wanting to wait any longer or talk about it any further, I turned back to Quinn and reached up, flicking open the top button of his shirt. His eyes darkened further as I undid each one, pulling his shirt out of his trousers and off his shoulders. I dragged my nails down his chest, leaving faint red lines in my wake as if marking him as mine. His jaw clenched as if he was trying to hold back. I’d make him lose himself in this… in me… in us.

  Leaning towards him, I kissed my way down his chest as my hands went to his belt, undoing it and pulling it out of the belt loops. I ran my tongue over his nipple, mak
ing him choke out a groan. His hands flexed at his sides, holding back from grabbing me. They could ravage me later. We were going to do this part on my terms.

  I unbuttoned his fly and tugged his remaining clothes off his hips, leaving them pooled at his feet. My eyes fell between us. My hand wrapped around his length, stroking slowly. Quinn was ready for this judging by how hard he was.

  “Little girl,” he panted out as his hand curled around my waist.

  “Patience, sir.”

  Going up on my tiptoes, I kissed him, my free hand wrapping around the back of his neck. When I released him, taking a step back, his eyes were so dark and the heat in them whipped my skin, setting it alight. I smiled before turning around and taking the few steps to close the distance between me and Xav. His piercing blue eyes bored their way into mine as I reached for his t-shirt, tugging it off him and dropping it to the floor. I ran my fingers down his arms and then I stared at his chest, my breath catching in my throat.

  “When did you get this?”

  He looked down at the heart with the letters A and E entwined together he’d had tattooed right over his heart. It looked very new and had scabbed over.

  “Last week… and he cried over it,” Xav replied, pointing at Eric.

  “Shut up, Xavi.”

  Xav grinned and winked at Eric before looking at me again.

  “Do you like it, angel?”

  I nodded. It meant the whole damn world to me. I stroked my fingers down his chest, careful to avoid the fresh tattoo. He didn’t need to tell me he’d done it to show his devotion to me and Eric.

  “It’s perfect,” I whispered, leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss to it.

  I stripped the rest of his clothes off his body, revelling in the sight of my beautiful tattooed king staring down at me with a smirk on his lips. I kissed him, stroking his cock because I couldn’t help myself. I wanted all of them so fucking much.