Anton: The Odessa Organization Book 1 Read online

  Anton

  The Odessa Organization Book 1

  KL Donn

  Copyright © 2022 by KL Donn

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Design: Sweet 15 Designs

  Photographer: Lindee Robinson

  Model: Joshua

  Editing: KA Matthews

  Formatting: Alluring Write Productions

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Synopsis

  Glossary

  1. Sofiy

  2. Sofiy

  3. Anton

  4. Sofiy

  5. Sofiy

  6. Anton

  7. Anton

  8. Anton

  9. Anton

  10. Sofiy

  11. Sofiy

  12. Anton

  13. Anton

  14. Sofiy

  Epilogue One

  Epilogue Two

  Next in The Odessa Organization

  About the Author

  Also by KL Donn

  Synopsis

  The Odessa Organization is more than crime, broken laws, and bloodied enemies.

  It’s loyalty, perseverance, and strength.

  You must first prove your worth before you are accepted.

  Anton is the first standalone book in USA Today Bestselling Author KL Donn’s Odessa Organization as part of the Social Rejects Syndicate. While each book in the series can be read alone, you may find more enjoyment in chronological order.

  Anton Renznikov took the world on his shoulders when his father died. The Odessa Organization became his sole purpose for surviving the often turbulent streets of his Ukraine home. With his brothers by his side, Anton fought to conquer any enemy that came his way with swift ruthlessness and a devilish hand.

  What he wasn’t expecting was falling for his daughter's nanny, and when his lifestyle comes for her, steals Sofiy Koval from his fingertips, there isn’t a force in the world that will stop him from exacting justice.

  Seen but never heard. Back straight, stand tall, eyes forward.

  Words Sofiy has beaten into her by a mother, expecting her to achieve goals that don’t align with her desires. From a small farming town, Sofiy only wants two things: Her own family, and a man who is so madly in love with her, he can’t help but show it.

  What she gets instead is Anton Renznikov.

  The man responsible for her brother’s death. It doesn’t stop her from loving him, though. Or his daughter. The sweet young child steals Sofiy’s heart from the day they meet.

  When Sofiy gets a call that her father is dying, she immediately knows that she must leave, only Anton has become so obsessed with the young woman that he doesn’t want to let her go, and out of his rage comes searing words that ensure Sofiy doesn’t return. Unfortunately, nobody realizes the reason she hasn’t come home is that she’s in the hands of a madman bent on destroying not only Anton but gaining control of the Organization as well.

  What better way to show Sofiy that she’s his entire world than to kill everyone who thought they could lay hands on her. Anton is on a mission to not only win over Sofiy’s heart but ensure his mistakes never touch her again.

  –––––––––––––––––––––

  Looking for your romance to be a little dark, a little devious, and a whole lot obsessive? Anton is the man for you then! While this is a standalone first in series book, dark themes, abuse, torture, and overall nastiness come with dark romance. Know your limits because I sure don’t. If you choose to venture on, you should know this book will check all your boxes!

  Single dad/nanny ✓

  Dark elements ✓

  Age gap ✓

  An obsessive love you can’t resist ✓

  Organized crime ✓

  Glossary

  brat – brother

  baba – grandmother

  dido – grandfather

  dorohyy dočka – dear daughter

  dorohyy – dear

  dyad’ko – uncle

  kokhanyy – darling

  kyts’ka – pussy

  mama – Mom, Mommy

  malo svitla – little light

  malen’kyy brat – little brother

  tak – yes

  tato – Dad, Daddy

  solodkyy – sweet

  sonechko – little sun

  Dedication

  True love stories never have endings.

  Chapter 1

  Sofiy

  “…Seven...eight...nine...ten, ready or not, here I come!” Uncovering my eyes, I stay seated a moment as I wait on Svetlana Renznikov to find her perfect hiding spot. Lana is the only child of Anton Renznikov, the man who has employed me for the last two years. She’s a darling three-year-old girl with her father’s dark hair and nearly black eyes. She has a mischievous soul and constantly keeps me on my toes.

  During the day, I am her au pair and playmate because Mr. Renznikov doesn’t trust outsiders. He runs the Odessa Organization, a criminal enterprise that the whole of Ukraine knows about, and I don’t fully understand, but I know he has many enemies. All of which would do anything to bring him to his knees. Hurting Lana is the only way to make that happen.

  “Here I come, malo svitla!” I warn her again as I stand from my spot, ensuring my uniform is in place because, despite my position as an au pair, I’m expected to project the role of the help. There isn’t much room for error in this home.

  Lana’s favorite game is hide and seek, and we play it nearly every day, so I know all of her hiding places. Opening the doors to the den, I peer under the small desk left for Olena, the house manager, and my supervisor to do her payroll and assignments.

  “Hmmm, where could she be?” Sometimes Lana hides too well on me, and I have to continue to speak out loud, so she’ll giggle and give herself away.

  “He’s not going to be pleased,” Olena mutters as I pass her by the staircase, and suddenly, I suspect I know where she is.

  Mr. Renznikov’s office. A place nobody is allowed to enter without his explicit permission, which barely ever happens. Rushing to the other side of the house, I take deep breaths before knocking softly. I didn’t think anyone was home today, but they must have come in while Lana and I were in the garden.

  How she would have come and snuck into his office while he was in there is beyond me. I knock again, louder this time because I can hear masculine voices.

  The door springs open, and I jump as Vasyl Renznikov, Anton’s middle brother, lifts an eyebrow in question. “Did she come in here?” I ask quietly.

  He frowns before laughter fills his signature playful eyes. “I don’t think so.”

  “Who is there, Vasyl?” Anton shouts, making me jump again.

  Vasyl’s gaze softens with sympathy as he opens the door fully. “My apologies, sir,” I nearly stutter, but I know it will only make him angrier.

  “Well? What do you want?” I swallow roughly as he stands behind his desk, six other men in the room, including the youngest brother, Petro, who looks bored. “Spit it out already. I don’t have time to waste with you.”

  The constant reminder of his disdain for me cramps my lungs. “Someone mentioned Lana might have come in here.” If possible, he looks madder, ready to kill, and I take a step back.

  “Come here.” He barks the order. “Vasyl, close the door.” With trepidation jostling my body, I step into his office as the doors close behind me, sounding like the nails banging my coffin shut.


  All eyes are on me as Mr. Renznikov points to a spot in front of his desk. One man snickers when I pass him.

  Striking forward with his hand, Anton grips my chin in a ferocious grasp, nearly painful with his anger. “Are you stupid, Miss Koval?” I go to shake my head, but he holds me tighter, bruising my fair skin.

  “No, sir,” I mutter. Embarrassment tinges my cheeks.

  “Then why, after reprimanding you twice already this month, do I have to repeat myself about keeping the child out of my office and not disturbing me?” His words are growled with so much force, it’s like a punch to the sternum.

  My eyes drop. “I’m sorry, sir. I was only trying to entertain Lana before her piano lessons.” Biting my tongue, I attempt to resist the urge to shake in fear of him.

  “Read her a book, do a puzzle...Stop ignoring me!” he shouts, and his grip grows painfully restrictive. I don’t even think he realizes he’s done it until Petro is clawing his hand off my face.

  Turning my chin towards him, he warns, “Touch her like that again, big brother, and we might have a problem.” My gaze darts to Petro, terror from his words strikes my heart.

  “You threatening me?” Anton challenges him, and I know I shouldn’t be here for this.

  “Look at her face.” Gently, he turns me to look at Anton, and I close my eyes, trying to fight back the looming tears.

  “Get out!” Anton’s furious voice gets my feet moving before my brain has processed his words.

  I hear someone shout after me, but I don’t stop until I’m in the restroom and splashing water on my face. Locking the door, I place my hands on the sink and hang my head, water dripping off my chin.

  I have no idea why Anton has such a fierce hatred for me or why he keeps me around, for that matter. None of it makes any sense. I know the only reason I got this job is that Petro went to school with my older brother, Vlad. He died just a month before I was hired, and Petro saw my family was struggling and that nobody wanted to hire me for anything.

  I’m quiet, was raised to be seen, and never heard. I don’t kick up a fuss about anything, but this last month, Anton’s animosity for me has become overwhelming. Hearing the door jiggle, I mumble, “Just a moment, please,” as I dry my face. I can’t look in the mirror because I know exactly what I’ll see. I’ve always bruised easily; today will be no different.

  “Let me in, Sofiy.” Petro’s voice penetrates the thin wood panel.

  Straightening my uniform and inhaling a sobering breath, I open the door and plaster a smile on my face. Lana is at his side, a look of dismay on her precious, cherubic face.

  “You found her,” I gasp.

  “Hiding under the stairs,” he says, but his focus is on my face. I shake my head when he tries to reach for me.

  “Let’s get you ready for your lesson, Lana.” I clap my hands and pretend like everything is fine.

  I always pretend.

  Anton

  * * *

  The manager of Tear Drops Bordello, our largest whorehouse, continues talking about the week’s finances and the girls, but I don’t hear any of it as I stare at my hands on my desk.

  Hands I swore would never harm an innocent.

  Hands I swore would always protect those in my care.

  But I marked her.

  I bruised her porcelain skin. Besmirched her. And not in the way I want to. Sofiy Koval has been a constant distraction since Petro brought her home. We owed her family for her brother, Vlad’s, sacrifice. He was my driver at the time, and we were ambushed on the way home from collecting Svetlana from the hospital after she and her mother were in an accident that killed the woman.

  Vlad threw himself in front of Lana and me, and a bullet exploded through his skull, killing him instantly. Hiring Sofiy as Lana’s new au pair was the least I could do because their parents refused to take any money from me.

  From the moment Sofiy walked into my home, I’ve wanted to bed her. I’ve wanted to do nothing more than occupy all her time, but Lana must be the priority. And now, I’m afraid the time for us has passed.

  It infuriates me that she puts up with my behavior. This hostility towards her that she doesn’t deserve. Sofiy should be loved, but I can’t ever let her go so she can be.

  If I can’t have her, then nobody else can either.

  Petro bursts back into the room as quickly as he left after the woman and slams a fist on my desk, leaning forward so only I can hear him. “You touch her like that again, and I’ll ruin you, Anton.”

  “Everybody out.” My tone stays neutral, but I’m furious. They all leave except Petro and Vasyl. “Who the fuck do you think you are to speak to me like that, little brother?”

  “The man who promised always to protect that girl,” he snarls at me.

  Vasyl watches us butt heads, refusing to get in the middle. Likely only here in case we do try to kill each other.

  “She’s not yours to protect,” I say, trying to keep a lid on my anger.

  “No, you dumbass, she should be yours. But you’re a fucking idiot, and now you’ve hurt her. Scared her. How do you expect to claim her if she’s too afraid to come near you?” As much as I’ve hidden my attraction to Sofiy from everyone else, my brothers can read me like an open book.

  “It’s not your business,” I say, getting to my feet.

  “Like hell, it isn’t. Why do you think I brought her here? Vlad and I always knew the two of you were meant for each other, but you’re such a prick that you can’t even be nice to her.” Petro drops into the chair across from me.

  “Did you ever think that I don’t want her? She’s meek, doesn’t speak to anyone unless necessary, and she backs down from any confrontation. Sofiy has no backbone.” Hearing a slight inhale of breath, we all look towards the office door to see the subject of our conversation passing by with a tray in her hand. Fucking hell.

  “Did you need a hand digging that grave?” Vasyl asks dryly.

  Upon standing, my youngest brother shakes his head. “You’re losing her, and you don’t even know it. Sofiy was raised to obey the man who would one day treat her like a queen. Obedience was beaten into her by her mother from the time she could walk. She is more than you deserve, Anton, and frankly, I hope she moves on from here soon because you’re only going to destroy her.”

  Watching Petro leave, his words vibrate through me, and I know he’s right. I draw a rough hand down my face and let that thought sink in. My infatuation with Sofiy began the first day she came here, and I ignored it because I thought I just wanted to fuck her. But I’ve observed her with Lana, with the staff, my brothers, out in the world. I’ve fucking watched like a stalker, and somewhere along the line, my feelings morphed into something so much more. Not quite love. Stronger, deeper. More possessive.

  “Shut the fuck up and get out,” I bark at Vasyl without looking because I know he’s got some smartass comment at the ready.

  “Whatever you say, big brother.” He laughs. “Maybe I’ll go spend some time with Sofiy, help heal her meek little heart.” A feral growl erupts from my chest as the door slams shut behind him.

  Picking up my phone, I open an image I took, in secret, of Sofiy and Lana in the garden several months ago. They’re holding sunflowers, and dirt smudges their cheeks, laughing at their silly antics. They’re happy. Something I haven’t felt in far too long. Sofiy, I know, could do that for me.

  She could complete our little family, be the mother Lana deserves, the wife I’ve always craved. I know exactly how she was raised because Vlad let it slip one night after too many drinks about a year before his death.

  Adria, their mother, whipped any independence out of Sofiy. She molded her into the perfect little toy for any man willing to take her, which should be every single one who has ever met her. But the father, Bogdon, refused to marry her off to anyone that didn’t love her for the treasure she is.

  Something I’m not entirely confident I can do.

  I’m too jaded. Hardened. I’m a fucking cri
minal running an organization that kills as easily as we fuck. I run guns from Russia to Turkey. Sell sex to the highest bidder, and if someone tries to fuck me, I fuck them harder. Faster.

  As I’m about to look for Sofiy to apologize for my bad attitude, the phone on my desk rings, catching my attention first.

  “What?” I bark into the receiver, annoyed at being interrupted.

  “Anton, baby, you sound angry,” Nina, the woman I’ve been seeing on and off for a couple of months, croons into my ear.

  “What do you want?” I’m in a rush and don’t feel like dealing with her antics right now.

  “Well”—she drags the word out—“I was hoping you’d take me for dinner tonight. Then afterwards, we could spend the night together.” Subtle, she is not.

  I’m about to say yes when I realize the day. Today is one of Sofiy’s evenings off. “I have to bring Svetlana.” They’ve met twice. Neither had much reaction to the other. Which should be telling because my Lana either loves you or hates you. She’s an excellent judge of character for such a young girl.

  “Don’t you have an au pair for her?” she harrumphs.

  Clenching my jaw, I bite back my initial response. “You don’t like my Lana?” I can almost hear her trying to backtrack.

  “Of course not; she’s a lovely girl. I just thought we could have a night alone.” I can hear the pout in her tone, and I can’t help but compare her to Sofiy and what Petro said about her. Sofiy may have been raised to obey, to agree, but that also means she’s likely to be strong.