The Preacher Boys. That’s what they called us. Four brothers born and raised in the criminal lifestyle… in stealing. Professional thieves. That’s what we were. And we were damn good at it. Take what we wanted with no regrets, no repercussions. We didn’t have attachments, no worries, and sure as hell no women to screw up the plan. And that’s what made our lives work. The job was set—should have been an in-and-out situation. Easy. But then I saw her, Amelia, and she wasn’t part of the plan. I instantly wanted her, had to have her. She was like this drug, and I was desperately addicted. I’d do anything, whatever it took to make her mine. When her life was in danger when it was Cullen, my own brother, about to hurt her, there was only one thing I could do. Take her, keep her with me, and make her see she was meant to be mine. But to Cullen, she was a liability. He wouldn’t stop, not when all he could see was making sure the family was safe, that the Preacher Boys were in the clear. What he didn’t know was, family or not, Amelia was the one thing I’d always wanted, and I wouldn’t let anyone take her away from me.

Preacher Brothers. That’s what we were. A unit. The only family I had.
I’d never felt love, never felt like I belonged. I buried what emotions I had lingering deep down, pushed them away until I was this stoic, apathetic machine. It’s how I survived, how I kept my brothers safe.
It’s how I showed them I cared, that I wasn’t a machine, a monster. My history was one of violence, neglected by a parent who only wanted to train his sons to steal, to take from others. It’s all we knew, so that’s how we continued to live long after the old man died and we were left to make our own lives. Professional thieves. That’s what I was, and I reveled in it. I’d been such a recluse, taking care of my brothers as they grew up, making sure we had money, food to live. I never wanted or needed a woman… never even knew what it was like to touch, kiss… claim a female. And that had been fine with me. Until now. Until she came into my life and refused to back down. Until I knew walking away from her would leave a hole in my heart. Kimber. Mine. But I wasn’t a good man, and Kimber deserved better. I should have left. But I couldn't. And I knew one thing for certain... not making her mine would only guarantee my complete ruin. She was my downfall in the best of ways.

I found myself at the wrong place at the wrong time. And because of that, I was now considered collateral damage to the Preacher Brothers. So I was taken, thrown in the back of a dark SUV, with bleeding, dying man draped over my lap, and my future uncertain. I didn’t expect to live at the end of this ordeal, not with everything I’d seen, not when I could identify them. But despite my fear of what my future held, I couldn’t help but feel this connection to the man whose life hung by a thread. Wilder Preacher. He’s mysterious as much as he’s dangerous. He’s gorgeous in a severe, almost brutal manner. And although his brothers terrify me, I could see how much they loved him, as their worry for his life was thick. I could see the lengths they’d go to not lose him, even if that included taking me as a hostage. I’d never known that never had that familial tie where I mattered that much to someone. And when Wilder woke up, I felt that connection increase until it threatened to consume me. He looked at me like I was the air he breathed, the blood that rushed through his veins. He told me he’d seen me as he was on the verge of dying, that it was my voice, my touch that made him want to stay. He said I’m tethered to him now, his lifeline… that he won’t let me go. I should run, should put all this behind me. And maybe I would…. Or maybe I’d been drawn into Wilder’s dark eyes and deep voice until I had no control over my emotions and had no chance of leaving. It’s all so crazy, but then again, it’s not as insane as the fact that I don’t want to leave him now.

I saw her and instantly knew she’d be mine. There was no other option for me. Nadja was the only woman who made my heartbeat for the first time in my life. She was an angel. I was the devil. But she still wanted me. Being the daughter of a notorious bratva member meant she was never really mine. She’d be given away, used like a pawn, bartered for power. And at the end of the day, I wielded no power over that. Then she gave herself to me, and I to her. I vowed she was mine no matter what.
But then she was taken from me, and five long years passed in which my heart was outside my body, and I had no idea how to get it back. I knew who had her, would do anything to get her back, but despite being a Preacher brother, I was no match for the Russian mafia.
I became a hollow, angry man.
She was the stars to my darkness, and without her light, I was the vast nothing. And then by some miracle, she was back in my life, but she was not the girl I once knew. She was afraid, running for her life, and it was my job to protect her at all costs. Because even if it’d been five years since I’d seen her… Nadja was still mine more than ever.