Mob Boss Series Book #1: The Russian Heir

Prologue

Bryce's POV
"It was supposed to be a quick drive home. But it was one of those evenings..." Lettie wiggled her eyebrows at me. Sal and Santi have been bugging me for this story. Being in the back of a police car is one thing the three of us never want to do. "Carry on babe. Tell them."

She gulped down a mouthful of water from her bottle looking away with a slight blush. I got lost in her dark eyes for a moment and I only seemed to snap out of it when Santi kicked me.

"Tell the damn story!" He is an impatient listener. If you don't get to the point Santi will probably zone out. He likes to solve things fast and dish out solutions to avoid lengthy conversations.

"It was one of those evenings we can't wait to be alone. That party had dragged on for hours and we left precisely to be alone. But somewhere along the drive, we got a little touchy and well... we pulled up on the side of the road. It was dark, we were alone, it was perfect." I gazed at my wife fondly. "A few minutes later, at the heat and climax of it, someone taps the window. I'm deep in it, Lettie is naked, and there's a cop flashing a light at us."

Santi and Sal burst out laughing. Tessy narrowed her eyes at me probably wondering why I'm telling this story about my naked wife in the back seat. Malyshka and I are not shy about these things. We speak without filters. We want to be open with each other and by extension, we don't shy away from doing so with other people. Besides, Santi has been bugging me for this story. It comes up every single time we meet.

"What happened next?" Santi asked.

"I covered Lettie up, we quickly got dressed and I lowered the window. So he goes 'do you know that your not supposed to be parked here?' Then he points to a sign that clearly says no parking. He then asks me for my license and registration. He immediately notices my name. Now guys, it goes without saying that I have a slight Russian accent. It's slight but notable. So he asks me if I'm legally in the country. I answer confidently that I am but at this point I'm aware this guy is looking for anything to pin on me. He then asks me how old I am. I say 22. He flashes the light at Lettie..."

My wife burst out laughing. Her laughter is highly infectious and everyone followed in tune.

"I think I know where this is going!" Tessy clapped her hands. "But do tell us."

"He asks her how old she is." I continued.

Lettie stood up and took a bow. "Proud to be an inch over 5ft!"

"She is about to answer but the cop won't hear it. He tells me to step out of the car. He accuses me of getting involved with a minor. I thought of arguing and letting him know that she is in fact my wife but I don't think he was open to a conversation. He orders her to stay in the car. He tells me to put my hands on the hood of the car and starts a pat down. He informs me of the consequences of getting involved with a minor. I'm not about to even try to reason with the guy because he obviously has it in for me. So he puts me in the back of his police car and cuffs me. He goes back to Lettie. Malyshka, your turn."

"So I'm trying to tell this guy that I'm not underage. Guys I'm short-"

"And small." Tessy pointed out. "Next to Bryce you look like a kid. I can't blame the cop for thinking it."

"Amen to that. That cop wasn't having it. I was searching through my bag to show him my ID but I didn't have it."

"Classic." I laughed at how she forgets to carry the only thing that will prove she's an adult.

"He says he has to arrest Bryce and he will be charged for having sex with a minor. I freak out and I suggest that they accompany me home so that I can show my ID. The last thing we want is a record with the police, right babe?"

"Right." I agreed and so did my other two friends.

"He agrees and sends the officer who was with him to accompany me. But when we get there, there's the little issue that I'm being accompanied back in a police car. I assure the guards at the gate that it's all good but Alexei is not happy. He is friendly with the cop but he pulls me aside and asks if everything is okay."

"I think he wouldn't have a problem with shooting the cop." Sal noted a fact about my mentor. He doesn't like cops especially not in the compound.

"I couldn't find my ID. The maids had to help me turn the bedroom upside down until I found it. The cop took a look at it and he called the one who put Bryce in the back of the police car. As they spoke I had to tell Alexei they arrested Bryce. He was pissed. He said he has to accompany the officer back. He ordered me to stay home. Babe your turn."

"I have been at the back of the police car for an hour at least. I'm not a patient man. I am especially not good at sitting still and waiting. I'm getting agitated and worked up and it's getting harder to keep my cool. I was worried about Lettie. She left with a stranger and on all the nights we have gone out, this is the one night we didn't bring any bodyguards. He comes over to check if I'm still in the back seat. He asks me if I know or if I'm possibly related to Terrence Romanov. When I say yes, he's suddenly excited and he asks me how. I told him he's my father and just like that he let me go. He told me I should have said so and he explains that he has been buddies with my old man for years. Alexei gets there, immediately they start joking around because they know each other, situation diffused and I get to go home because my name is Romanov. I'm sure if I was anybody else, that cop wouldn't have hesitated to arrest me."

"Moral of the story, cheers to our dads. They either leave us a bad legacy or shoes too big to fill." Santi noted.