THE DEVIL'S LOVE INDIAN MAFIA CAPTIVE BRIDES ROMANCE #3

MV KASI

Copyright © Mv Kasi All Rights Reserved. This book has been published with all efforts taken to make the material errorfree after the consent of the author. However, the author and the publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause. While every effort has been made to avoid any mistake or omission, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that neither the author nor the publishers or printers would be liable in any manner to any person by reason of any mistake or omission in this publication or for any action taken or omitted to be taken or advice rendered or accepted on the basis of this work. For any defect in printing or binding the publishers will be liable only to replace the defective copy by another copy of this work then available.

To all the people working tirelessly on the front lines fighting an invisible enemy during the hardest of times. A heartfelt thank you! And to ALL my readers and my VIPs. I love you all!

Contents Prologue

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1. Chapter 1

1

2. Chapter 2

7

3. Chapter 3

19

4. Chapter 4

28

5. Chapter 5

33

6. Chapter 6

38

7. Chapter 7

42

8. Chapter 8

45

9. Chapter 9

55

10. Chapter 10

64

11. Chapter 11

66

12. Chapter 12

75

13. Chapter 13

84

14. Chapter 14

90

15. Chapter 15

98

16. Chapter 16

106

17. Chapter 17

110

18. Chapter 18

115

19. Chapter 19

118

20. Chapter 20

122

21. Chapter 21

127

22. Chapter 22

132

23. Chapter 23

141

24. Chapter 24

155

25. Chapter 25

159

26. Chapter 26

165

27. Chapter 27

169

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Contents 28. Chapter 28

174

29. Chapter 29

178

30. Chapter 30

182

31. Chapter 31

189

32. Chapter 32

195

33. Chapter 33

200

34. Chapter 34

205

35. Chapter 35

208

36. Chapter 36

214

37. Chapter 37

217

38. Chapter 38

220

Epilogue

223

Author's Note

231

Mv Kasi’s Book List

233

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Prologue Anjali’s head throbbed with a dull ache as she slowly woke up. Groaning softly, she tried to blink her eyes open knowing it was time for her to wake up and get started on the day. But her eyes refused to cooperate. Her body felt unusually lethargic and heavy. She tried to move, but it only brought her attention to the unfamiliar feel of her bedding. Frowning, she wondered why the sheets under her were too soft and plush. Suddenly, she froze while her heart began to thud, and images rushed into her brain—she was dressed in traditional bridal wear, and Raj was standing next to her inside the wedding chapel with a nervous smile. But they didn’t get married as planned. Instead, what happened was shocking and right out of her darkest nightmares. Oh God. She sucked in a deep breath to stop panic from taking over. But a familiar mild and expensive musky cologne filled her senses and made her panic worse. Her eyes flew open recognizing the cologne and knowing to whom it belonged. She was lying on a bed facing the ceiling. Even in the dim lighting, she could see the rich tones of deep red and gold colors on the ceiling along with unfamiliar gleaming light fixtures. There was also an open canopy on the four-poster bed she was lying on. It wasn’t her room. Her breaths came out fast and loud as she tried to determine where she was and how she got there. “How are you feeling?” a deep, masculine voice asked. Her heart almost jerked violently hearing the voice. Slowly, she turned her head to the side. She didn’t see him right away as he was seated in the shadows. But she didn’t need bright lighting either to know how he looked. He had been haunting her long enough to recall every small detail of him inside her mind. His tall, broad and muscular form, his harsh yet handsome features with piercing eyes, sharp nose, strong jaw and sensual lips were unforgettable. But despite his god-like beauty, he terrified her. Darkness and power radiated from him, causing chills to run down her spine.

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PROLOGUE

She recalled how he made her feel. He terrified her as much as he fascinated her. She had spent the last four weeks trying to escape him and the way he made her feel. “W-where am I?” she asked, feeling shaken. Her throat and mouth were dry, but she somehow managed to speak. The silence stretched while she felt the heavy weight of his gaze on her. She couldn’t see his eyes, but she had always been able to sense his gaze. “You are at my home,” he replied. “As my wife, this is your home too.” Shock ripped through her as images flashed into her mind once again. She recalled the hasty wedding she and Raj had planned. But most importantly, she recalled the words spoken by the marriage officiator that shocked her to the core. “You are now husband and wife. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Seth.” “No,” she whispered, denying him and the implication of those words. “I won’t accept this marriage. You tricked me! I wasn’t supposed to marry you!” Her pulse skittered when he got up from the chair and came towards the bed. His unhurried strides made her feel stalked once again. With her heart pounding inside her chest, she saw his face as he emerged from the shadows. And just like before, his handsome face was unreadable and devoid of any emotion. Her mouth dried up in fear. But somehow, she mustered up her courage. “Why did you bring me here? Stop this madness and let me go!” Her heart almost stopped when she finally saw some emotion on his face. Something dark and possessive flashed in his eyes. “This may be madness,” his deep voice stated. “But I’m never letting you go.” Brutally soft, the calm finality of his words knocked the air out of her lungs as shock and fear overwhelmed her. I should have listened to my instincts. She should have run the moment she met him. Four weeks ago, when he touched and held her possessively during a party, she had known he was dangerous. And when he had proposed marriage within days of meeting her, she had rejected his proposal. Even then, she had known he wouldn’t give up. She thought she would be able to manage him, and that the civilized society would offer her a modicum of protection. She was wrong. And now, as a consequence, she was tricked into a marriage and became his wife. She was his captive and completely at his mercy.

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CHAPTER ONE

There were times when the urge to destroy and kill became too strong. Times when decades-long of learning to control dark, violent urges disappeared into thin air and screamed for the monster inside to get out. Vijay Seth looked at the blood oozing out from the place where he dug the tip of a knife into the man’s throat in front of him. The man continued to beg. “No! Don’t kill me! I’ll give you all the money I made from that deal. Every penny! I’ll even ask my father to give fifty percent commission on all future deals. My father will agree. I swear—” “Your father will agree for sure,” Vijay said, looking into the man’s eyes and enjoying his terrified gaze. “It’s too bad that money is the last thing I care for.” “No! Don’t kill me—” There was a terrified scream followed by a gurgling sound as the man’s throat was sliced open. Wiping the bloodied knife on the dead man’s shirt, he turned. There was another man tied to a chair with his mouth gagged. His eyes were widened in terror. “Untie him and allow him to talk.” At the soft instruction, the man was untied, and the gag inside his mouth was removed. But the man remained frozen. “You killed my brother,” he whispered. “You are a devil!” Vijay looked at the man levelly. “You are right. I am the devil. If you don’t give me the information I want, what I did to your brother will seem merciful.” The man’s face paled. Everyone knew about the devils’ penchant for darkness. The three devils left a gory and bloody trail in the underworld in the last decade. They knew that once a devil began to torture a person, nothing would be left of the tortured person. The person would lose their mind along with being physically brutalized. A slit throat was a merciful death compared to what would be done.

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THE DEVIL'S LOVE

“Start talking, or your family won’t have a body to receive for the last rites.” The man looked terrified, but slowly there was hopelessness followed by a defeated look on his face. Vijay raised his eyes and indicated to his security head. The cameras set up in the darkened room began recording. “I-I don’t know much,” the bleeding man stammered. “A-all the contact I had with the syndicate was through phone calls.” “When did they contact you the first time?” The man took a shuddering breath. “A month ago. T-they called my father and told him to begin his old business. They said they will pay four times more than the usual payment. My father refused at first because of you, but… but… my brother pushed him to do it. He… he said that with two of the devils dead, you are not as powerful… and that we can take you on with the help of the international syndicate.” The man continued to speak about the crime syndicate named Phoenix that stayed in the shadows yet expanded their reach all over the world. In the last year, they set their sights to take over the devil’s territories. “Did they contact you too?” Vijay asked. The man shook his head. “No. They called only my father.” Vijay looked at his security head. “I want you to place tracers on his father’s phone.” “Sure, Vijay. I’m assuming those calls are encrypted, but just in case there is a slip-up, we can get the location.” Vijay nodded. He turned back to the injured man who was now trembling silently. “Your brother deserved to die,” he said in a quiet tone. “You know what he did yesterday. I know you are not like him. But if your father or you try to destroy me in some misguided attempt of revenge, you’ll both meet the same, if not worse fate as your brother.” The man sucked in a noisy breath and nodded. “Answer me.” The man nodded his head jerkily. “Yes. I understand. My father and I won’t betray you.” “Good.” Vijay got up from the chair, and he looked at one of his men. “Sedate and blindfold him. Then drop him wherever he was picked up from.” “Okay, sir.” 2

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They were inside a dimly-lit basement of a high-rise building in the middle of the city. No one ever suspected that the bright, gleaming building had a dedicated torture chamber in one of the underground levels. Vijay knew the man for sure wouldn’t be able to track the place. “We are done here. Clean up the place and deliver the body.” He wiped his hands with the wet antibacterial wipes handed to him. Then shrugging into his suit jacket, he walked towards the far end of the basement before stepping into the private elevator. His security head followed him inside. “How are they doing, Bhargav?” Vijay asked. “Apart from that one girl who was hurt, the rest are all just shaken. They have no injuries,” Bhargav replied. “Six girls are running a low-grade fever. Our doctors have quarantined them onboard, and they are now placed into our private hospital.” Vijay was still pissed about that one girl being hurt. But she was now stable. That was one of the reasons why he killed the man who hurt her with a simple throat slit. “Good. Keep me posted.” Vijay pulled out his phone and checked the messages. He had received a message from his executive assistant reminding him of the quarterly board meeting. There wasn’t much time left because the interrogation had taken longer than he had expected. He looked up from his phone. “Is there blood on my suit, Bhargav?” His security head looked at the dark three-piece business suit. “No.” Vijay’s mouth twisted. “Good.” He liked to keep his two worlds apart. He might be a part of the criminal underworld, but he chose not to look like one when he stepped into his other world. *** Thirty minutes later, he walked through the plush carpeted corridor. He was at the corporate headquarters of one of the largest private banks in the country. “Good morning, Mr. Seth. The board is waiting for you inside.” Vijay nodded at his executive assistant before stepping into the boardroom where the members of the board were waiting. He sat in the seat reserved for the chairman of the bank. Each and every man in the room willingly chose banking as their profession. But he was born into it. His family had started the bank nearly 3

THE DEVIL'S LOVE

a hundred years ago. And since then, it always had a Seth designated as the chairman. “Gentlemen, let’s begin.” For the next two hours, the board members discussed regarding the market slump and how it was affecting the banks around the world. But the discussion was more on an informational basis. All the board members knew that Seth Corporate Banking was never impacted by the economy. Even before the Seths started the bank, they were heavily involved with the underworld—drugs, illegal arms and flesh trade in particular. One of the main reasons they had created a bank was to convert the huge money transactions of blood money into white. Vijay wasn’t even supposed to inherit the bank or the other unsavory businesses. His mild-natured older brother was the one who was supposed to take over next. But after the death of his father and then his older brother, the succession came to him. Over the last decade, he had expanded the business and acquisitions aggressively. “We are still worried about what the Dasanis are up to, Vijay. They have been speaking with our stakeholders and telling them they will soon have access to a large number of shares. Considering those shares belonged to your late wife Satya Dasani—” Vijay cut him off. “I’m aware of the problem. It’ll be resolved by the next board meeting.” Once upon a time, the Dasanis were considered as their competitors. But after the death of Rudra Dasani, his brother took over and the bank went downhill. But unfortunately, before his death, Rudra Dasani had bought twenty five-percent stakes of shares in Seth banking. Currently those shares were tied up in a trust which the Dasanis were trying to acquire through deceitful means. “Vijay, two weeks ago you had proposed a merger with a small bank in the United States. At this time, the board doesn’t think it’s advisable to—” “I’ve already started the acquisition process. The bank is in Los Angeles, and I’m already aware that we won’t make a profit for a while.” There were tightened jaws across the table, but none of the board members dared to voice their disapproval. Vijay knew there would be several follow-up emails and meeting requests to voice concerns. Some of them would even preach to him.

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He looked at the time on his watch. “All right, gentleman. I’ll see you all at the next board meeting.” There were low outraged murmurs, but he got up and walked out of the boardroom. Bhargav and three armed bodyguards were waiting next to a car right outside the private entrance of the bank. Vijay got into the car and let out a sigh. “Home,” he instructed. The car began to head towards the penthouse. Although it hardly felt like a home, the penthouse was where he had been living for the past decade. He barely stayed there much since he constantly traveled. But whenever he was back, he used it as a place to sleep. “Vijay, I received a call thirty minutes ago. The passport is ready.” Vijay nodded. “Have you passed on my instructions to the estate?” “Yes. I’ve been in touch with Devi. I told her to make arrangements and prepare the master wing. The rest of the staff has been notified too.” With another short nod, Vijay looked out of the tinted window as the car sped by. Restlessness that had been haunting him for the last four weeks began to consume him again. The killing in the basement earlier should have reduced some of the restlessness, but violence only seemed to have added to the lonely and empty feeling inside. Closing his eyes briefly, he opened them again and reached for his phone. He opened the messages and scrolled through them. The senders were all familiar—high-profile politicians, bureaucrats, bankers and businessmen. He ignored them all and opened the messages sent by one of the best private investigation agencies. He had been working with them for the last four weeks. “She is definitely the perfect match to the picture you showed us, Mr. Seth. Her name is Anjali Patil. Age twenty-eight. Born and brought up in Los Angeles. Five years ago, she lost both her parents who were doctors in a car accident. She stays in her parents’ apartment. She works as the head chef in a restaurant.” Vijay stared at the picture. “Boyfriend?” “She is dating the son of the restaurant owner. As far as we know, she hasn’t accepted his proposals.” “Proposals?” “Yes. Raj Mathur has proposed to her many times, but she turned him down. Based on his messages and chats to his family, it appears like he might propose again soon.” Too bad that marriage would never take place. 5

THE DEVIL'S LOVE

Vijay clicked on the image in the message, and a picture of the woman filled up the screen. There were several other pictures he had of her, but this one was what he had seen first and what held him completely captive. Even after four weeks of constantly staring at it, the impact of the picture remained the same. It knocked the air out of his lungs. The woman in the picture was wearing a chef’s apron and hat. What held him captive was the small mysterious smile hovering on her lips. Dark emotions swirled inside him. After a decade long of numbness, the strong emotions the woman’s face evoked felt exhilarating. Suddenly, a need arose within him. A need he couldn’t deny. “Bhargav, call the pilot and have him prepare the flight in two hours.” Bhargav paused. “Sure, Vijay. To which destination?” “Los Angeles. We are flying in two weeks early.”

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CHAPTER TWO

“Why haven’t you left already, Anjali? Don’t you have a hot date tonight?” Anjali Patil laughed at her friend Kiara’s question. She was stirring the gravy and waiting for the final taste before leaving the restaurant. As the head chef in a popular restaurant, her day began at the crack of dawn. Her twelve-hour shift ended an hour ago. “Hardly a hot date. Raj and I are going to spend time with his cousins.” Kiara shook her head. “How boring!” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Well, I guess that’s better than meeting his mother. I still can’t believe that woman. How dare she snipe at you as though you are some evil, manipulative woman trying to steal her precious son from her.” Anjali laughed at her friend’s outrage even though she knew it was warranted. Raj’s father owned the restaurant she had been working for the past two years. Raj’s mother often visited the place. Although the older woman wasn’t overly friendly, Anjali recalled having a few polite conversations. But ever since Raj had broken the news about their relationship to his mother, the older woman’s behavior towards her completely changed. The indifference and contempt shown was witnessed by all. Anjali was slightly embarrassed by it. The older woman had made it quite clear that someone with no family or money was hardly a good fit for her son, who at the age of thirty was a vice president in a bank. Raj’s mother had more or less accused Anjali of being a gold digger who was trying to take over the restaurant too. “All right. I’m done here.” Anjali tasted the gravy. “Mmm… perfect!” She smiled, knowing she was tooting her own horn. But one thing in her life she was super confident about was her cooking skill. There was a groan from Kiara. “Dammit! There goes my dieting! Now I need to add another two hours at the gym. Remind me later why it’s a bad idea to not only live with but also work with the best damn chef!”

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The DeVil’s loVe “Six months. If you don’t fall in love with me by then, I’ll let you go.” anjali never thought her life would change drastically when she accompanied her boyfriend to a party and met a darkly handsome man who fascinated yet terrified her. an intense pursuit and proposal followed, which she rejected, only to be tricked into marriage and swept halfway across the world. Vijay seth is a ruthless and powerful man known as the devil. anjali has no choice but to accept his condition to stay for six months as his wife, after which he promises to let her go. it was supposed to be easy. her hate and fear were to protect her heart from her husband’s touch. But she was wrong. Thrown into a dark, dangerous and intriguing world, with shocking secrets from the past tumbling out, and a burning desire and passion she can’t deny... Can she fight the devil who is determined to make her fall in love with him? Note: The Devil’s Love is a standalone romance.

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