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“It’s just been reported that a New York City prosecutor responsible for eradicating a high percentage of organized crime has just been found dead inside his Hampton, New York home. While details are sketchy at this point, the police are calling his death suspicious.”The reporter drilled on about the few details that had been reported. Within seconds, everything became muffled.
A haze formed over my eyes, the hard thudding of my heart echoing in my ears.
“Who is that?” Candy asked.
I purposely turned away, taking gasping breaths. “The first man who betrayed me this week.” As I heard footsteps, my body swayed. When Alexei walked into the room, his torso covered in blood, a raspy whisper slipped past my lips. “There’s the second.” As Alexei walked toward me, his gaze moved from the television back to my face.
Then his expression changed as I’d seen it do so many times before. His features hardened, his usually dazzling eyes nothing but soulless vessels.
He’d lied to me.
He’d broken my trust again.
And I knew at that moment I couldn’t handle his kind of pain.
* * *
Alexei
There was no mistaking Stephanie’s expression. Horror. Anger. Uncertainty. I only needed a quick glance at the television screen to realize that she would never believe I’d kept my promise, something I rarely did. While the details regarding Gregory’s murder remained sketchy, it was obvious Sergei had followed me to the man’s Hampton house, acting on his plan of revenge.
“What the fuck?” Kirill asked from behind me.
“It’s obvious the prosecutor was murdered,” I answered, my eyes never leaving Stephanie. She’d barely moved a muscle, yet her face held a multitude of expressions, one rolling in after another.
“By you,” she said in such a quiet voice, I strained to hear her.
“No,” I said, although as soon as I muttered the single word, she shook her head.
Then she took a wide berth around me, leaving the room.
Candy waited until she’d left before approaching, peering at me entirely differently than she’d done before. She was a fireball, just like Stephanie, but she’d never allowed her relationship with Kirill to dissuade her opinion on the Bratva and I could tell she wasn’t going to start now.
“She’s been suffering, worrying about whether or not you’d return. Now, this.” Candy shifted her gaze toward Kirill for a few seconds, but her pursed mouth indicated even if my enforcer attempted to control her, she wasn’t going to allow their passionate relationship to get in the way. “I don’t know what happened and in truth, it’s none of my business, but if you care about Stephanie even a little bit, you’re going to be honest with her. Brutally honest. She asked me how I could tolerate being involved with Kirill and perhaps I didn’t convey the real truth. The only reason I can stand waiting to see if he returns from some battle or assassination disguised as business is because he’s as honest with me as he can be. Don’t worry. Kirill would never dare divulge secrets, Alexei, but he tells me if I should worry. And he never lies to me. She gives a damn about you. Can you say the same? Are you willing to lay down your life for her?”
I’d had few men in my life who’d challenged me this way, let alone women. The spark in her eyes highlighted the intensity of their love affair, which I’d discounted. I’d seen it as a weakness in Kirill, although I’d never bothered to act on my opinion or share it with him. At this moment, her caustic words allowed me to realize that Kirill’s relationship with Candy had given him an edge that I didn’t have, strength that few men ever experienced and most took for granted.
When she barged out of the room, making certain she brushed against me, I sucked in my breath.
A few seconds passed then Kirill walked toward the bar. “She’s a tough girl. She speaks her mind. And I won’t require her to change her attitude or her actions.” He poured two drinks, turning away from me while doing so.
Exhaling the heated breath, I raked my hands through my hair as I stared down at the blood soaking my clothing. “I wouldn’t expect you to.”
He waited until he grabbed the glasses, walking toward me before he said a damn thing. “Good. Because if you did, I’d tell you to go fuck yourself.”
I took the glass from his hand, half laughing. “You’re one tough motherfucker.”
“Yeah, I am,” he said then tossed back his drink. “But don’t tell Candy that. She’ll call me a liar.”
We both laughed, although tension remained.
“I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but I agree with Candy. It’s obvious what you feel about this woman. She’s not a weakness. She will become your greatest asset but only if you allow that to happen.”
“Yeah.” What the hell was I supposed to say? I’d ruined her life. Did I regret it? Yes. Was it just business? I wasn’t certain any longer.
“Did you assassinate Gregory?”
I polished off my drink, the swallow difficult. “No. I went there to cut out his tongue, but I realized that he was just another pawn, a man who’d lost his soul based on greed and the desire for power.”
