He was at my mercy.
“God, I fucking love it when you talk dirty to me.”
Within his smile, I could see excitement for the unknown. He grabbed his junk and licked his teeth.
Pervert.
“So, your brother doesn’t know who I am?”
“Did you want me to tell him?” He didn’t wait for a response. “Listen, Nycto Reaper, he doesn’t know right now, but he will. He isn’t dumb. He’ll figure it out. But why would I go around sharing the details of our wonderful night?” He pushed himself to the edge of the bed, practically ready to fall off and crawl to me. The man acted like he was in heat.
There was a lot I wanted to know, mostly why he kept that to himself. The Nycto Reaper wasn’t an unknown name, yet few people had seen my face. Not a deal breaker, just not ideal for members of the Crimson Rose Syndicate to piece together.
“Why are you here?” His arms went behind his back as he leaned into them.
“Why not?” It had been a long time since I had fun working my way up the chain. A long time since the only thing I had been working for wasn’t in control.
“Hmph, so you do like to play, I see.” Cezar was ready to move, unsure of what he was going to do, when our play was interrupted by Codrin walking into the room.
“Who the hell are you talking to?”
“Jesus fuck, how the fuck—” Codrin searched for his gun, coming up empty. “How the fuck did you get in here? What the hell is going on?”
Cezar slid off the bed, just enough to put himself between his brother and me. I wondered if that loyalty extended to his father. How much did he know about what Viktor had done?
Before Codrin could do anything, I moved, grabbing Cezar and pressing the dagger to his throat as I stepped behind him, forcing him back with me. Codrin stilled, his focus snapping between us, tension pulling tight across his face.
“Relax.” I didn’t raise my voice. “I was just leaving.”
Cezar angled his head just enough to look back at me, smiling. It seemed we both thrived within the chaos, especially the chaos we created.
I backed us toward the window I’d left open, my grip steady, the blade firm against his skin. Codrin didn’t move. He just watched, as if working through every possible outcome.
Cezar’s hand lifted slightly, enough to keep his brother exactly where he was.
“Until next time, Petal.”
I didn’t let myself sit in that.
I shoved him forward, breaking the space between us, and used the second it bought me to turn and slip out the window I’d come in through. The drop hit harder than expected. A sharp jolt shot through my legs, but I ignored it and kept moving without looking back.
And just like that, I already wanted more.
Chapter 10
CEZAR
“What the fuck, Cezar?” Codrin freaked out on me. I was still trying to take in how good Petal’s ass looked as she disappeared through the window. He shook me.
“Yeah, what?” I responded nonchalantly, still fixated on Petal’s departure.
"Are you kidding me right now… who the hell was that and how did she get in here? The people she had with her Cezar… she knows who we are, doesn’t she? Why are we not dead? What does she want?”
I put my hands up to his mouth so he would shut the fuck up.
Is this how she feels when I talk to her…
“Relax, all right.”
