Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
I knew then I should’ve turned away.
I should’ve turned out the light and gone back to the office.
But I didn’t.
I stood there silently watching the soft rise and fall of her chest, and I couldn’t help but wonder how in the hell she’d ended up here. It felt so wrong and so right all at the same time, and it was fucking with my head. I don’t know what it was about this woman, but she’d gotten under my skin.
I was busy cursing myself for being a damn fool when she started to stir. Her breath hitched, and a whimper caught in her throat. She started to turn her head and writhe against the sheets, and she was muttering something I couldn’t make out. But I heard the fear. There was no missing that.
Before I had a chance to think, I knelt down next to the bed and placed my palm on her chest. I leaned forward and lowered my mouth to her ear as I whispered, “I’m here, Lina. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”
And just like that, her body let go of the tension, and a soft sigh slipped from her lips. Her furrowed brows smoothed, and she sank back into her pillow.
Something deep inside me cracked wide open. It was something I hadn’t felt for years. Maybe ever. Not desire. Not possessiveness. Something deeper. Something I didn’t want to name. And that terrified me more than any bullet or blade.
Preacher wasn’t buying it. I could see it in his eyes, but he didn’t push. He just shook his head and said, “You’re playing with fire, son, and I have a feeling you’re not the only one who’s gonna get burned with this.”
“That’s a chance I’m willing to take.”
“Well, I’m not. Your mother has a right to know, and…”
“You know how many times I thought the same with you, but I trusted you to do the right thing by her. Time you did the same for me.”
“Fucking-a.”
He ran his hand over his beard, then stood. After a quick nod of his head, he walked out of the room, and Creed and Goose were quick to follow behind. Jenson glanced over at me, and when he saw my expression, he took it as his cue to excuse himself. He walked out and closed the door behind him, leaving me alone to deal with the crazy in my head.
Only I didn’t want to deal with it.
Alek was dead, and for the first time in days, I felt like I could actually breathe. I didn’t want to sit in my damn office and squirrel the day away. I wanted to make good use of the lightness in my chest, so I closed my computer and made my way to the door. I was just about to walk out when Viktor came barging in.
“We need to talk.”
“I’m heading out.”
“Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on.”
“Nothing’s going on.”
“Bullshit!” he snapped, slamming the door shut. “You’ve had me running in circles for days because you’ve been up here scheming with Preacher and those fucking bikers.”
“I’ve been handling things, Viktor. It’s what I do.”
“Handling what things?” he spat. “Because I’ve been handling all the bullshit with the casino on my own. Every meeting. Every phone call. Every problem. It’s all fallen on me.”
“You’ve just gotten a taste of what I do every day.”
“Stop with the bullshit. I want to know what the hell is going on.”
I wasn’t ready to show my hand just yet, so I said, “It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with. The casino is running fine. You’re handling it well. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
“Have you forgotten who you’re talking to?” Viktor’s eyes narrowed. “I know you better than anyone. I know when you’re hiding something, and this time it’s something big.”
“You’re wrong.”
“You’ve been disappearing for hours… days at a time. The casino has always been your top priority, and now, you’re giving me the reins. You won’t answer questions, and you expect me to just play along like I don’t see that something’s going on.”
“I expect you to do your job.”
“I’m your brother, Sergei. Not your fucking errand boy.”
His words stung a bit, mainly because he was right. I loved my brother, and that wasn’t a word I threw around lightly. He was a good man, and I’d spent the better part of my life trying to do right by him and Nikolai. But I’d made a mess of this thing with Alina. And I knew it.
I’d not only taken advantage of him, but I’d lied to him, too. But telling him the truth meant opening a door I wasn’t sure I could close again. Viktor had a history with Alina. They were close, and there was a time when I wondered if something would come of the two of them. It was a thought I didn’t like to revisit.