Eleana grabbed a napkin and pressed it against her brother’s wounded hand, shooting me a look full of fury and I couldn’t care less.
I wiped the knife on the edge of the ruined tablecloth and set it down, clean and glinting.
“I’m not killing anyone at this gala. Consider this mercy. But hear me out, Sawyer. Next time your son gets close enough to breathe the same air as my wife, the conversation won’t end with just a hole in his hand.”
I stood and walked out of the gala, completely ignoring the disapproving looks from Marquette and Hollister.
I had barely stepped into the hallway before I heard heels following the echo of my steps.
“Konflict, what the hell was that?” Eleana demanded, grabbing my arm like she had the right. “Why did you do that to my brother?”
I turned my head just enough for her to see my cold expression.
“If you care about him, tell him to stay the hell away from my wife,” I said. “And that goes for you too. Make this the last time you get close to her to spit whatever bullshit you think you have the right to say. I get irritated real fast when people piss my wife off.”
She blinked, stunned, then scoffed like she could not believe she heard me right.
“Your wife? I thought you didn’t give a damn about her. We spent months getting closer and you even came here withmetonight. Was that just to humiliate me? Since when do you talk about her like she suddenly matters?” Her voice cracked with anger. “I thought things were finally moving between us.”
I stopped walking and faced her fully. Her confidence flickered under the look I gave her.
“Moving? Bitch, please.”
Her mouth fell open.
“You really think any of this was about you? I know you want my dick and a guaranteed seat for your family at the Big Six table. That’s all this little game ever was. Who sent you? Daddy?” I tilted my head, voice dropping into something mean. “He told you to spread your legs for the head of the Korven family so yours could snake their way into our council? That’s the mission carved on that pussy of yours?”
She raised her hand and tried to slap me but I caught her wrist mid-air and her breath hitched.
“Keep your fucking hand where it belongs,” I warned, tightening my grip. “I don’t let anyone cross that line and walk away. You put your hands on me and I’ll drop your ass six feet then sleep like a baby after. Don’t test what kind of monster you’re dealing with.”
I pushed her hand away and stepped back.
“Do not piss me off more than I already am. I tend to put bullets in heads when I run out of patience.”
Her face crumpled in disbelief and fear. I didn’t wait to see which one won.
I walked away.
Inside my head, everything kept spinning. The truth about Eleana had always been simple—she made a decent distraction. But she was not the kind of woman I ever touched. When I wanted to fuck, I called women who understood the assignment,did not expect a place beside me and left before sunrise. Eleana Sawyer was not that. Giving her this dick would have been handing her wings, letting her fly into places she had no right to be. Tonight was proof. She thought she could walk up to Serenity and open her mouth like she belonged anywhere near her orbit. I watched from across the hall with my jaw locked, pretending I didn’t give a damn about Serenity, because I couldn’t let her see anything else. But every second Eleana stood in front of her, made my anger climb harder and hotter.
And then her idiot brother decided to add himself to the pile of Sawyer stupidity.
They were lucky I hadn’t already put a body on the floor tonight because every part of me was craving violence just to calm the storm in my chest.
I stepped outside and Krash opened the car door.
“Take me to the Veylor casino,” I said and Krash didn’t ask why.
The ride was silent except for the burn inside my ribs. The casinos should have crumbled after her family’s fall, but Serenity poured herself into those damn businesses. She handled everything like someone born for it. I hated how much that impressed me. Hated that she had proved me wrong and that tonight I had seen a woman with fire instead of the fragile princess I thought she was.
When we pulled up at the back of the casino, I stepped out. Pushing the door open, I walked through the service corridor. Every staff member I passed straightened immediately, backs rigid, eyes lowered. I kept moving until the doors to the staff lounge came into view. They were open, the entire team gathered inside, standing shoulder to shoulder. They understood the gravity of what was about to happen.
I stepped into the center of the room and let the stillness settle around me.
“Bring Viking,” I commanded.
Viking stumbled as they pushed him forward, his eyes searching the room until they finally found me. The color drained from his face quickly. His mouth opened as if he wanted to speak, but fear strangled the sound before it could leave him.
