AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“P-please, sir,” the grubby little man begs. “I-I don’t have anything to do with Petyr Ivanov.”
I shift my gun to the side so that I can see his face better. “I might have believed you if you hadn’t just given yourself away.”
His eyes go round. “What? I don’t know what you’re—”
“Save it,” I interrupt, feeling the bloodlust pulse through my body. It feels good to be out in the field, getting my hands dirty. It’s exactly the distraction I need. This is pure and physical and violent.
The other shit? Too messy. Too insubstantial. Feelings are for women and children.
Action is for men fit to wear the crown.
“Misha,” Konstantin pleads from behind me, “just… stop for a moment.”
But I can’t stop. I can’t stop for a single second. Because if I do, I’ll think about her. I’ll hear her sobs as I walked out of that hospital room. I’ll start making excuses again.
“Please, sir,” the man whimpers. He’s on his knees, his hands held together in a wordless prayer. “Please don’t kill me. I’m innocent.”
“Innocent of what?”
“Of… of working with Petyr Ivanov.”
I snap my fingers. “Ah, there. You see? I never mentioned Petyr Ivanov.Youdid.”
His lip trembles when he realizes his mistake. I don’t want to hear him beg a third time. It’s too pathetic.
So before he can utter another whimper, I shoot him between the eyes. He goes down like the useless sack of bones he is. Or,was, rather.
Rest in pieces, asshole.
Konstantin shakes his head in disgust. “Jesus. He was a—a nobody, man. An underling. A minor player. We don’t bother hunting down the rats.”
“Anthony is a rat,” I point out. “And he’s given me no end of trouble. Better to kill the rats before they start to pose a real threat.”
My cousin blows out a weary breath. “It’s late. You should go home.”
“I’m fine.”
“Your eyes are red. You look like shit.”
“I’m just high on the chase.”
“You’re going to getkilledon the chase if you don’t get some rest!” He lowers his voice. “You can’t avoid going home forever.”
I want to argue, but Konstantin has seen to the heart of me. Denying it would only make my objective more obvious. And the longer I stay here, the more he’s going to press.
Given how I’m feeling now, I might end up killinghim,just for the momentary refuge from emotion. And as much as he irritates me—now more than ever—I’d still regret his death in the morning.
I clench my jaw and nod. “Call me tomorrow. First thing.”
“Consider it done. Now, for the love of God, go home. I’ve got enough bodies to bury already.”
I climb into my car and fire up the engine. I consider hitting up one of my old haunts. Some sleazy bar where no one asks questions or even glances in your direction unless you explicitly invite it. But I’m not in the mood for company.
The one person I want to see is the person I need to avoid.
So I go home. Maybe putting an end to this day from hell is the right call. I’ll have a clearer head in the morning. Things will make sense in the light of dawn.
But the moment I step into the foyer, I know I’ve made a mistake. Paige’s almond scent pervades the space so heavily that I want to check to make sure she isn’t hiding behind the door. She must have passed through here just recently, but it’s too late for her to be up. Dr. Simone prescribed plenty of rest so her body could recover from the chamomile attack.
