My stomach dropped all the way down to the lobby.
Ivan.
There were rumors he was staying here, but I’d yet to confirm if they were true… They were, and it looked like he was staying on the same floor as us. Jane stumbled to help me up, and I ran my shaking hands down the front of my dress pants.
“Ivan, what a surprise,”
“Poppy, right?”
My eyes narrowed as I looked him up and down. He was carrying a long black case and a dark grey backpack. Did he play an instrument? After everything that had happened to me in the last week, I was done playing nice. I took a step toward him, back into his personal space, and gritted my teeth.
“You know who I am,” I whispered angrily at him.
“I met you at my brother’s bridal shower,” I watched as he swallowed thickly, his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat.
I was done playing nice. I poked him square in the chest, right where I knew his scar was, right where I’d kissed him. “You can keep pretending like what happeneddidn'thappenbut I’m going to get to the bottom of it, and when I do… I’m coming for you.”
I could have been mistaken, but I swore I saw fear flash through his eyes. I took a step back, finally satisfied with something happening in my life, and looked over my shoulder to Jane, whose jaw was definitely on the floor.
“Enjoy your trumpet practice,” I waved my hand to his large case and walked down the hall with my head held high and my shoulders straight. Nothing had ever felt so good.
Chapter Fourteen
Ivan
Trumpet?She thought I played the trumpet? It was better than her putting the pieces together, that it was definitely a gun. I needed to be more careful. I hadn’t planned on taking my guns out of the rental, especially in broad daylight, but after what Dimitri said the other day and cops combing the city, I couldn’t be too careful. The rental had to go back, which Benson would handle, thank goodness, and I would need to lay low for a little bit. It was bad enough that Dimitri recognized me from the surveillance footage Benson swiped. I was thankful for their meddling, even if it made me feel just as uncomfortable. Thanks to Benson, the security cameras in the parking garage and the floor of my hotel were on a loop. He’d texted me after the bridal shower to inform me that he was on Dimitri’s salary, but he didn’t mind helping out a friend, even if he didn’t understand the hit that I did.
I dropped the case on the bed and pressed my palms to my eyes.
I’m coming for you.
Her voice was still in my ears—shaking, angry, and curious. I should have felt threatened. But instead, I felt excitement and desire. Especially when she poked me in the chest. Everything from that night came rushing back. Which was unfortunate because I needed to lie low. I didn’t need her poking around and looking for things that weren’t there… Or rather that were.
All the blood in my body rushed down to my cock, and I wondered if I should take a cold shower to get it to go away or take care of my issues with my hands.
A knock on the door had me swearing under my breath. I shoved the rifle case under my bed and approached the door slowly. Ace was waiting on the other side.
The last thing I wanted was a visit from Daddy’s right-hand man. The last thing I wanted was a family reunion, but here we were, especially when I just needed to get rid of my boner. Thankfully, Ace’s presence did the trick rather quickly.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” I asked as I opened the door wide enough for him to slip through.
“What kind of game are you playing at?”
Not him, too.
“I’m not so sure I know what you mean.”
He let out a breath through his nose and rubbed his temples. “You are playing with fire here.”
“Like I said, you’ll have to be a little more specific.”
In a flash, Ace had his fist in my shirt and was shoving me against the wall. “You killed a major player in father’sgames, and I need to know why. I won’t play games with you. You will either tell me or I will turn you in.”
With a steely gaze, I looked up at my brother, who wasn’t much taller than me and smiled. “Are you still on father’s payroll?”
His jaw worked as he let out an even deeper breath. “Unfortunately, but not for the reasons you think. Father needs to think someone is still on his side. I don’t have many options here.”
I raised a brow. “And?”
