There are many things I never thought I’d experience in my lifetime. A honeymoon is definitely one of them—but what else is a man supposed to do after getting married? It seems I’m breaking a lot of my own rules lately, and it began the day I slipped that ring onto Elena’s finger. The beginning of our marriage was marked with danger, uncertainties, and lies. The balance of power between myself and Oleg teetered on a razor’s edge, and avoiding an all-out war was of the utmost importance.
Now, none of that matters anymore. The Yezhov and Pérez families are now one—two factions bonded by kinship and the need to crush a mutual enemy. Viktor has been cast out of our world in shame, his face marked for all the world to know that he’s a coward and a traitor, his body too twisted and broken to pose a threat to anyone.
Elena has become so much more to me than a lover or a beautiful possession. She’s even become more than a wife, or someone to take solace in. She’s my partner, my equal … my queen. She serves as a reminder of my humanity, and she appeals to the weakest, softest parts of me, while somehow making me stronger than ever.
Letting her in on the mechanics of my businesses turned out to be one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made, and her input is already shaping new and future operations into lucrative successes. It’s an outcome I never would have imagined when deciding to marry her. Instead of becoming a pressure point or a liability, Elena has become my best asset.
In a world where women are prized only for their beauty and the safe haven they can offer their men, Elena is showing me—and everyone around us—that she’s worth far more than that. If something were to ever happen to me, I would rest easy knowing that La Familia is in good hands. Elena isn’t just a mafia queen … she’s become a fucking boss, just as she wanted.
Leaning back in my beach chair, I bury my toes in the warm sand and watch the silhouette of my wife outlined by the late afternoon sun. A getaway to Rio de Janeiro was just what we needed—a time to rest and truly enjoy being newlyweds before getting on with the rest of our lives. Elena is in peak form, her body tight and sinewy with the muscle she’s built in her sparring sessions with Jaime. She’s turned into a dead-eye shot now that the right guns have been placed in her hands, and Jovan’s patience has resulted in proficiency. My wife never goes anywhere these days without the custom Springfield 911 I bought her as a gift—its silver casing engraved with her name and the face of a roaring tiger.
We arrived in Rio a few days ago with Marcella and Jovan in tow—just in time for Carnival. Elena and I aren’t interested in the crowded festivities, but Marcella has been begging me for months to be allowed to spend her twenty-first birthday here. While Elena and I relax on the private stretch of beach beyond one of several compounds I own across South America, Jovan’s job will be to shadow my sister and make sure she’s safe while having the time of her life. From there, we’ll jet to Colombia so I can introduce Elena to my birthplace and extended family. We won’t return to Miami for a few months at least, but things back home will be in good hands with Oleg overseeing and Jaime working as his right hand in the interim.
I peer through my aviator shades at Elena, who’s leaving the water and making her way toward me over the sand. She’s fucking gorgeous in this environment, framed by the bluest waters and the lushest, greenest mountains, with a clear blue sky overhead. She’s wearing a custom bikini from her new line of swimwear—set to be debuted at her first summer fashion show in a few months. I financed the event myself, wanting this new venture to be her most successful. The suit is a pure white with a shimmery finish, tiny straps crossing her belly and giving tantalizing glimpses of skin baked to a bronzed finish by the sun. I’ve memorized the look of it from behind—backless and nearly nonexistent, the thong cut giving me full access to her perfect ass.
She grins when she gets close, drops of water rolling down her body and