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We drove too fast through town, going north. Kirill filled my mind, stealing my every thought. Where was he? Was he hurt? He was going to his father. His father wouldn’t hurt him. His father wanted a relationship with him. I had to hope he was okay. My heart broke with every mile we drove away from him. Like a string tied from my heart to his, it pulled taut with every second of distance between us until my chest was shattered and broken.
I’d thought I’d known hell.
I had been naïve.
I’d had no idea what hell was.Until now.
18
KIRILL
NOW
Mallory didn’t stir when I left the bed.
It was late, and she had to be exhausted. She was malnourished, overworked, and poor as dirt. She was right where I wanted her.
The door to my office was locked with a fingerprint scanner. I opened it and entered, flicking on my computer. My blood buzzed around my veins like I’d spent the evening on a coke-fueled bender. It was Mallory. Her presence was my drug of choice, and I was high from her proximity.
I should be worrying about how I would divert Viktor from the idea of this arranged marriage. It was another test. He had pitted Nikolai and me against each other enough times to recognize it. He wanted to see how far I’d go for him, how committed I was. I was damn committed. I had nothing but the Chernov bratva. Viktor himself had made sure of that.
But the organ housed in my cold, dead chest? It was committed to something else—my obsession with Mallory Madison.
I flicked through the camera footage waiting for me on my computer and settled back to watch the scene in the kitchen.
I never imagined in a million years that Mallory would sleep with me so quickly. And for her to be a virgin?I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen her blood on my dick.
There’s no one other than you I’ve ever wanted to have sex with.
Her words stroked against the icy barrier of my heart, wishing to be let inside. She was going to be a handful. Almost immediately after reuniting, she tried to slip under my barriers and pry off my cool mask to see me. She thought I was her Kirill. Soon, we’d be like we were once the awkwardness was over.
She had no idea how I’d changed.
It felt like a triumph to know she’d never been with another in all this time. She’d been tighter than a vice, milking my cock with strong muscles I could have lost myself in for weeks—and planned to. It must have been uncomfortable. I hadn’t been gentle, but she hadn’t complained. Mallory could take a hit—her father had trained her well. She’d be tough to crack.
And I’d enjoy every minute.
I picked up my cell and called Ivan.
“Bratan,” Ivan answered. Quiet music played in the background, and I had the impression he was somewhere outside.
“How did it go with the frat party?”
Ivan laughed. “It went well. They’ll be found slowly, and the coroner can have a fun day matching body parts to make them fit. A bloody hundred-piece puzzle.” He chuckled, pulling a grin from me. I did appreciate a man who enjoyed his work, even when it was hacking arrogant Wall Street trust funders into fish food.
“How about Holmes?”
“He’ll be found sooner rather than later.”
“Perfect. You did great work, my friend.”
“Does that mean it’s time to ask for a raise?” Ivan joked.
We chatted another minute before I hung up.Killing Kaplan Holmes had been a truly pleasurable activity. Sure, I’d killed a lot of people, but I never enjoyed it. That was Nikolai’s domain. Kaplan Holmes was the first. His friends, I hadn’t cared about and dispatched the job to men in training. But my high school bully? I’d listened to his screams long into the night. Now, Kaplan was dead, and my long-held lust for revenge had finally been sated. I could turn my mind to the far fairer and more enjoyable target for sating my need for control.
I returned to my room. The scent of sex and pure, undiluted Mallory hung in the air. It made me feel things, fierce and primal. This woman would stay in my home as long as I willed it. All her smiles and tears would be for me. I had seven years to make up for.
I didn’t sleep beside her. That was altogether too familiar. It was risky. She would be soft and smell good. Her skin would feel like silk, and her hair would tickle me and make me feel things. I couldn’t afford that.
