His head lowers so his hot lips meet my ear. “You didn’t think they were filthy when they taught you how to kill.”
“Let me go.” I meant to snap, to yell, but my voice comes out low and almost wounded.
“Then I guess these filthy hands will be all over Ana.”
“Not if I kill you first.” I glare at his unfeeling, expressionless eyes.
“You think you can kill me? That’s grand coming from you.”
“You think I can’t?”
“Not unless you’re ready to be brought down with me. You know me, Princess, I give back as much as I take.”
“So do I.”
“Really? How so?”
“You think I don’t know you’re playing a game right now?”
He smirks, and this time, it’s mischievous. “What type of game?”
“A power game. You left the Vory for a reason and came back for a reason.”
“What type of reason?”
“I don’t know yet, but I will find out.”
“Until then, I will marry Ana.”
“No way in hell.”
His face turns blank as he tightens his hold on my neck as if to drive the point home. “Then do us all a favor and stop being fucking stubborn.”
I meet his unfeeling eyes with my grudge-filled ones. I try not to be angry because anger makes me do stupid things. Anger drives me out of my element and gives my opponent the upper hand.
I’m cornered into this no matter how much I try to get away from it. I have no doubt that Kyle will move on to Anastasia if I refuse him. His purpose isn’t me; it’s the power he can get by finding a way into the Sokolov family, and until he achieves his goal, he won’t stop. Ever.
So instead of fighting him head-on in a losing battle, I choose to retreat to reform my line.
“Fine. Let me go.”
“Does this mean you agree?”
“Yes,” I manage through gritted teeth.
He releases me, but doesn’t step back as he whispers, “For better or worse.”
“Fuck you.”
He chuckles, the sound echoing around us like a sonata. I try not to get caught up in how handsome he looks when he laughs, when his angular features ease and he appears every bit the model on the cover of a GQ magazine.
After his fit ends, Kyle reaches out a hand and traces a finger over my bottom lip. “I will take good care of you, Princess.”
The joke’s on him.
I’ll forget about whatever foolishness I felt for him in the past, because that? It was a big fat lie. Instead, I’m going to get under Kyle Hunter’s skin so deep, exploit his power, and then use it against him.
When the hurricane hits him out of nowhere, he’ll understand why storms are named after women.
6
Kyle
I stare at Rai’s back as she leaves the house. Her steps are confident and wide, with a gentle sway of her hips I’m sure she doesn’t even notice having.
Beneath the ice-cold exterior, there’s a feminine side she crushed and burned before it was able to blossom.
But it’s not completely dead. Not even close.
My lips twitch at the prospect of thrusting myself into her life and exploiting those hidden parts of her, the ones kept under lock and key.
My gaze follows her all the way to the entrance even though one of her most loyal soldiers, Katia, meets her and accompanies her outside.
And yes, only Rai would specifically choose a woman as one of her closest guards. She always did things differently while flipping the world her middle finger.
I’ll be the exception in that world.
She thinks she can go to war with me, but what she doesn’t know is that the war already started a long time ago. Her cards were already dealt, and all she can do is play her role as previously planned.
It would be a shame to see her princess eyes shed tears, but what’s victory without sacrifices, huh?
Still…I rub my thumb against my forefinger, relishing the feel of her skin against mine. She’s so soft, like untarnished silk, and according to the red marks that remained on her neck after I released her, she might bruise easily, too. No idea why that fact excites me, but it does. It could be my depraved nature, or the simple fact that I always liked breaking things, ruining them, then watching them shatter in the wake of their destruction.
People become raw in that state and show their truest, most hidden tendencies.
Rai will join the list as my latest acquisition. Sure, it won’t be easy considering the way she stabbed me with those darkened eyes as if that’s her favorite sport.
My dick strains against my trousers as I recall the feel of her pulse beneath my hand when I held her throat. Rai might act like she’s all that, but in that very moment, her breathing hitched and I saw a hint of her muted desires.
Desires I would be more than happy to explore.
I place a hand in the pocket of my pants and turn around, silently heading back to the dining room. I stop at the corner when I spot the four kings and Vladimir leaving along with their guards.
That only leaves Sergei and Adrian inside, which means juicy business.
I wait until the front of the room is empty then I approach slowly. I don’t eavesdrop like an idiot in front of the room. That will give me away to any of the guards stationed nearby.
Instead, I stand in front of the hall mirror, retrieve my in-ear piece, plug it deep inside so it’s not noticeable, and then tap it. I got this gadget from my friend’s most talented hackers. The guards who sweep daily for bugs can’t for the life of them find it because it doesn’t really exist. It appears like a normal lamp wire.
There’s a small rustle from the other side before the voices filter in.
“What’s so urgent that needed all the others gone?” Sergei asks in Russian, voice low and tone perturbed.
“You’re the only one I trust with this information, Pakhan, especially considering the current circumstances.” Adrian, who’s usually so silent you forget his voice, continues in the same language. “Someone is stealing from the brotherhood.”
“What?” Sergei hisses. “Who has the balls to steal from us when they know the penalty is death? Is it one of our own?”
“I’m not sure yet. I still need to run background checks so I know the exact numbers. What I’m certain about is that a sum has been strategically transferred from V Corp to multiple accounts abroad for the last year. At first, I chalked it up to something unimportant, but in total, it’s close to one hundred thousand dollars.”
“Is it not related to the money laundering?”
“No. That is separate.”
“What do you suggest we do?” Sergei throws the ball completely into Adrian’s court, which isn’t so surprising considering he’s responsible for the Bratva’s security. Not only that, he’s also the genius mastermind of this brotherhood. The reason why they always slip through the authorities’ hands isn’t because of the four kings’ ruthlessness; it’s because of Adrian’s brains and strategic thinking. He usually finds the right influential men who will give them immunity.
He predicts solutions to events that haven’t happened yet, and that’s why he’s the best ally I currently have. However, that doesn’t change the fact that he will turn into my worst enemy in the future. As much as he keeps away from the limelight, Adrian’s loyal to this fucking brotherhood to a fault.