The Pakhan's Collateral: A Russian Mafia Curvy Queen Captive Romance (Curvy Queens of the Bratva)

My brother stole millions from the Bratva. To save his own life, he offered me up as collateral to a monster.I marched through a freak winter blizzard to the gates of a mountain estate, carrying a pathetic bank draft and begging for a payment plan to save my family. But Nikolai Volkov, the lethal and uncompromising Pakhan of the Chicago syndicate, does not offer payment plans. He deals in leverage, debt, and devastating consequences.Trapped in his sprawling fortress by an impassable snowstorm, I am held captive as the ultimate bait to force my cowardly brother out of hiding. I am entirely at his mercy, wearing his clothes, sleeping under his roof, and subjected to his cold, predatory gaze.But when Nikolai's ruthless lieutenants demand my execution to settle the blood debt, the Pakhan does the unthinkable to keep me breathing. To shield me from a firing squad, he invokes an ancient syndicate law and falsely declares me his arranged bride.Suddenly, I am bound to the devil by a brutal blood oath, a heavy platinum ring, and a bruising, territorial kiss witnessed by heavily armed killers. To survive the incoming mafia war, I must play the perfect, obsessed wife. I must stand by his side, wear his diamonds, and never flinch when he touches me.Yet, the longer we are trapped together in the dark, the more the lines of our fake marriage begin to blur. Nikolai is a ruthless warlord who murders without hesitation, but he is also the only man willing to take a bullet for me. He promises to burn the entire world to ash before he lets another man lay a hand on me. I came to this mountain to negotiate a debt, but I am rapidly realizing that in the Bratva, a claim is absolute. And the Pakhan never lets go of what belongs to him.Tropes in this book:Sins of the Brother / Debt to Pay: A heroine forced to answer for her sibling's massive theft from a deadly crime syndicate.Forced Proximity / Snowed In: Trapped together in a remote mountain fortress during a violent, impassable winter blizzard.Fake Relationship / Arranged Marriage: A protective lie spun to keep the heroine alive turns into a binding, legal reality.Touch Her and You Die: A fiercely territorial and morally gray antihero who executes anyone who threatens or harms his woman.Captive to Lovers: The shift from a terrified hostage held for leverage to a devoted mafia queen who willingly chooses her captor.Protector Romance: The male lead takes severe injuries and fights through ambushes solely to ensure the heroine's survival. Read more