Sergei stepped away after delivering the message, his watchful eyes scanning the entire building.
“Wait here,” I said to Scarlett, my voice deep and husky.
“Where’re you going?” she asked, her brows knitting together to accent the confusion in her face.
I hesitated for a moment, reminding myself of why I shouldn’t introduce my wife to these people. They were very important personnel in my line of work, more powerful than me in more ways than one.
“Something needs my attention,” I replied, then walked away, adding, “I won’t be long.”
I wasn’t afraid of these men or worried that the womanizer amongst them—a man named Julius Clark—would find my wife attractive. That pig would fuck whatever was in a skirt as long as they had boobs and a pussy.
The mere thought of another man attempting to claim her made my blood boil. As dangerous as these men were, I wouldn’t think twice before going to war with them if they ever crossed the line and touched my wife.
They were notorious for taking whatever they wanted. And over the years, Julius Clark had taken more married women than I could count. The husbands who tried to fight him were all silenced.
Other organizations dreaded working with them because their methods were extreme and their heads were fuckin’ unstable. Especially Julius Clark—he was the real definition of a madman.
Sokolov was right when he accused me of protecting what’s mine after ruining what was his. Perhaps I was being a hypocrite for keeping my wife safe from another man when I’d had an affair with another man’s wife myself.
To be fair, I hadn’t seduced Sokolov’s wife into my bed. She threw herself at me, and I didn’t refuse her. It wasn’t my fault that he failed as a husband; his inability to keep his wife led her to my bed.
I was nothing like Julius Clark because, unlike me, he’d made it a habit to force himself on any woman he liked. Keeping mymilayaaway from that predator’s eyes was the perfect way to avoid an all-out war.
Nothing would stop me from going after him and the others with everything I had if they came after my wife. I wouldn’t care how dangerous they were; they’d learn the hard way never to mess with a Tarasov.
When I met with them at a corner, and we began discussing business, I made sure to keep their attention on me. I couldn’t risk Julius’s eyes wandering and falling on Scarlett across the hall.
The conversation was supposed to be brief, but for some reason, it wasn’t. They were taking up so much of my time on issues we could discuss another day. I looked right into their faces, as though I were engrossed in their opinions on our forthcoming project.
But in fact, I stopped listening about two minutes ago.
While I pretended to pay attention, something caught the side of my eye—something I simply couldn’t ignore.
A tall young man in a black tuxedo stood before my wife with a bright smile. She seemed excited, and although she was hesitant at first, she still let him hug her.
That sparked a surge of rage within me.
The hug was harmless—platonic—but it still triggered me, twisting my face into a frown. I shifted my gaze between my associates and her direction. What’s even more annoying was how she laughed with this strange, tall man, as if his presence had brightened up her mood.
Furious by this sight, my fingers clenched into fists at my sides, and my jaw locked. I was about to cut the conversation short when one of my associates received a call. They had no choice but to end the talk, saying they’d get back to me.
Perfect timing.
We shook hands and went our separate ways.
My scowl deepened as I walked back to my wife with slow, measured steps and a hand in my pocket. “What’s going on here?” I demanded, my voice low but venomous.
“Oh, we were just talking,” she said amidst soft chuckles. “This is Ethan, my former boss at Josie’s,” she added, attempting to introduce us.
“Nice to meet you.” He extended a hand, a curt smile playing on his lips.
I glanced down at his gesture, then returned my gaze to his face, ignoring his stretched-out hand. A wave of embarrassment washed over him, and his throat wobbled as he swallowed hard, lowering his hand.
He shrank under the intensity of my gaze and could barely maintain eye contact with me. I didn’t have to speak a word to him—my silence and deadly stare were enough to send the message.
Scram, you fuckin’ asshole.
I wrapped my possessive arm around her waist and pulled her closer to me while still looking right at him. Fear crept into his mind, and his forehead glistened with sweat. Shaken by my presence and the fire in my eyes, he took a step back.
