by Lylah James
Our eyes met, and she sighed. “Valentin hasn’t come for me in weeks. I wonder who he’s hurting now…who is bearing all his painful, depraved marks. I just hope it’s not her. I hope she is far, far away from him. From this cruel world.”
I cupped her cheeks and swiped away her tears. “I hope so too, baby.”
Just like I am going to take you far, far away from him.
“You would have liked her,” Valerie said. She finally gave me the smallest smile. Something so precious—I wanted to memorize it.
“What’s her name?” I asked, still lost in Valerie.
“Irina.”
Irina.
Irina.
Irina.
Why did that name sound so familiar?
I had heard it somewhere, yet I couldn’t…
Irina.
That name…
When realization finally dawned, my stomach rolled, and I fought the urge the throw up. My lungs squeezed until I was breathless.
I heard Valerie’s voice. “Viktor, are you all right? What’s wrong?”
It sounded far away. I felt heavy; all of me was sinking. Everything was drowned by the tidal waves of nothingness. Except the Devil’s laughter. That I heard, clear and loud. He had been gone for so long. I thought I had finally escaped his taunting, but there he was again. His reappearance made me clench my eyes closed.
The devil on my shoulder mocked me. He reveled in my suffering.
His tongue slithered out, and he hissed in my ears. You fucked up yet again, Viktor. I knew you would. And now…now you have to face the consequences.
Fuck.
Irina’s words echoed in my head.
I also hope you find a good woman. One who will not make you so heartless anymore. A woman who will actually teach you to be good and how to show compassion.
Valerie called out to me again. I couldn’t respond. The devil continued to laugh. I wished he would choke, but instead, he stayed perched on my shoulders, crossing his legs, watching the drama unfold. My life was his favorite fucking soap opera.
The name whispered through my head again.
Irina.
Fuck my life.
THE END
Acknowledgements
I think first and foremost, I want to thank Viktor and Valerie. This story wouldn’t have been possible without their forever presence in my little head. They spoke, and I wrote. Viktor is the type of character that you can’t say no to. He will scream loud until I give in and write his story the way he wants.
I want to thank Vivvi. My girl. My best friend. You are everything. Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for always pushing me up when I am falling down. Thank you for loving my characters, my babies, just as much as I do, if not more. Actually, saying thank you is not enough. I am so glad to have you in my life.
My parents, thank you for your never-ending support and love.
To Jessica and Chelsea, my girls. What would I do without you? Seriously, I would be drowning if it wasn’t for you two keeping me afloat. Thank you for being there and supporting me through all this craziness. It has been a wild ride, and you have stuck with me till now—thank you will never be enough. Cheers, to so much more now.
To my beta readers and author friends– Dani Rene, Skyla Madi, Brianna Hale, Tania Varela, Julia Lis, Giana Darling, Rebecca Scarlett – thank you for reading this book, thank you for being gentle with my babies and thank you for loving them. You guys have been so amazing and supportive. I have no words to explain my gratitude. Love you all!
The biggest thank you goes to my Publisher. Thank you for giving The Mafia and His Obsession a chance.
To my editor, Toni—what would I do without you? Seriously. You are a life saver, and I am so glad you didn’t hunt me down, tie me to a chair, and make me write this book faster without procrastinating so much. Your patience has been so amazing. Thank you. I am so glad we worked together on this book. You truly did wonders.
Thank you to everyone else who had a hand in making this book—my proofreader, formatter…you guys are stars.
To Deranged Doctor Design—This cover is GORGEOUS. You always paint my vision beautifully. Thank you.
To the bloggers and everyone who took their time to promote The Mafia and His Obsession, you are awesome! My big thanks to you.
To my beautiful readers, a huge thank you to every single one of you. My lovelies. Your never-ending support and love has taken us on this path. From the first word to the last, you have been here with me. I am proud we took this journey together. I am so thankful for that. Thank you for standing with me, even through my craziness. To all the fan accounts and groups out there, thank you! All the beautiful edits and posters you have made, they are my inspiration and motivation. Cheers. To many more!
About the Author
Lylah James uses all her spare time to write. If she is not studying, sleeping, writing or working—she can be found with her nose buried in a good romance book, preferably with a hot alpha male.
Writing is her passion. The voices in her head won’t stop, and she believes they deserve to be heard and read. Lylah James writes about drool worthy and total alpha males, with strong and sweet heroines. She makes her readers cry—sob their eyes out, swoon, curse, rage, and fall in love. Mostly known as the Queen of cliffhanger and the #evilauthorwithablacksoul, she likes to break her readers’ hearts and then mend them again.
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