“Who paid you?”
“I owed someone drug money, and they said I could do this instead of paying. Please let me go, I didn’t know what this place was.”
My teeth grind. Fucking errand boy.
Mikhail clears his throat. “We need to find out who sent him. If it’s the Nozares trying to gather intel on our operations, that’s a problem. If it’s someone else, that’s a different problem. Either way, he’s seen our faces, this location, the setup.” He gestures at the guy bleeding on the floor. “He dies regardless. Question is whether we use him to send a message back or just make him disappear quietly.”
He’s right.
Mikhail’s smart when he’s not fucked up on benzos or coke or whatever combination he’s using this week. Strategic mind, sees three moves ahead when he bothers to focus. I’ve been watching the way my father treats him, and he’s harder on Mikhail than any of us, pushing him more and testing him constantly.
I think he’s grooming him to take over one day, seeing if he can handle the pressure and wants to know if Mikhail can lead when it matters. He just needs him sober enough to actually do it. That’s the part that keeps not happening.
My father’s gaze shifts to the guy on the floor, calculating. “Daniil will go through the phone and camera. Trace who contacted him, pull any messages, follow the digital trail.” His eyes move back to me. “Extract everything he knows. Then we make sure whoever hired him gets the message loud and clear.”
My nostrils flare, and my hand twitches at my side. I grab the guy by his throat and haul him up. He claws at my hands, choking, boots scraping against the floor as I drag him toward the door.
My temper’s already hanging by a thread. Kelly’s going to be waiting in the rain, and I’m stuck dealing with some errand boy who picked the wrong fucking day to take pictures of our cars.
I pullup to the clinic in an Escalade. Kelly’s standing out in his navy scrubs with his arms wrapped around himself, talking to some other man who looks like he’s in his thirties and standing way too close for my liking.
I narrow my eyes. Then I get out of the car.
Raindrops hit my face as I walk toward them. Kelly spots me, his eyes going wide.
The other guy turns around and looks me up and down. His gaze travels from my face to my shoes and back up like he’s sizing me up. I already don’t like him. If he’s said something to Kelly that upset him, I’m going to need his full name.
I wrap my hand around Kelly’s neck, pulling him into me. He lands with a soft sound against my chest. Zero self-control when it comes to him. None.
He glances up at me, then looks over at the man. “That’s Brady. One of the other veterinarians working here.”
I don’t take my eyes off Brady. Still deciding if he gets to keep all his teeth.
Brady extends his hand with a friendly smile. “Hey, nice to meet you.”
I don’t take his hand. He frowns, dropping it awkwardly.
I grab Kelly’s chin, tilt it up, and crush my mouth to his. He gasps, caught completely off guard. I shove my tongue in before my brain catches up, then pull back.
Stupid. I’m so fucking stupid.
I can’t be seen in public with him, let alone kissing him in front of other people. I never think straight when he’s involved.
“Sorry I’m late. Ready to go?” I ask, keeping my voice flat.
He gawks at me with wide green eyes, pink creeping up his neck, his mouth still parted and lips wet from my kiss.
Perfect.
“Your timing’s perfect actually. I would’ve forgotten the paperwork I need if you’d been on time. Camilla went to grab it.” he says. “Brady was just keeping me company.”
Keeping him company. Right.
My head snaps over to Brady who’s rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. Good. He should be uncomfortable. I wonder if he’s a screamer or if he’d try to play tough. Would he bite his tongue, clench his jaw while I start cutting off hisfingers one by one until he realizes this isn’t an interrogation—it’s entertainment. For me, anyway.
The clinic door opens. A woman with dark brown skin and braids twisted up in a bun steps out. I recognize her. The one Mikhail brought home from Ozero before ditching her when Daniil had a meltdown.
She stops when she sees me. Brady takes that as his cue to fuck off.
