Page 111 of Coveted By Cupid

When Riley wanted me to ask her boss for a job, I could have said no. I could have turned away from the situation when I saw Kirill’s van on that dark road that first night. And when Riley came on to me in Vanessa’s apartment, I could have pushed her away and told her to get lost.

There were so many things I could have done differently to avoid where I am now. But I didn’t, and that’s on me.

Anger over losing Vanessa to Cupid made me concoct this asinine idea to get Kirill involved in teaching her a lesson. It was a spontaneous and reckless decision, and all for nothing.

Perhaps I’ve been overthinking things from the start. I don’t need Vanessa punished for leaving me and choosing Cupid. I just need her back.

The question is how?

I’m no longer under the boot heels of the Russians, free to live my life as I choose—one obstacle out of my way. The only other thing standing in my way is Cupid.

Through the windows, I watch Vanessa hug the women, waving goodbye as the women retreat. Vanessa moves out of the frame of the windows, and the lights go out in the apartment.

It’s nearly one in the morning. She must be going to bed. After all, her classes start early in the morning, and she needs to travel into Fort Collins.

A handful of minutes pass before I see the petite woman with black hair exit the restaurant at ground level. She makes her way up the main road alone.

An idea sparks in my head, seeing an opportunity to lure Vanessa out of the MC’s territory.

Time is of the essence. I need to act quickly or risk losing this chance.

My feet are moving without a second thought. I grab my bag, hustling to the stairwell.

Riley jogs after me. “Wait. Where are we going?”

“Keep up,” I say over my shoulder. “We have a woman to snatch.”

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

CUPID

“Atlas, I have the traffickers,” I say, holding my cell to my ear.

There’s a dark chuckle on the other end of the line. “Kirill and Mikhail?”

“Yes,” I say, pacing the corridor of the bunkhouse. I’m excited to get this show on the road. “They’re going to die tonight. I’m not asking for permission, but I hope you have no objections.”

“We’ve taken out their operations in our territory. With the Russians in your custody, they’re no longer a threat to our community. Do with them as you wish. Really, I should thank you for taking out the trash. My crew has wasted enough man-hours searching for them. We can return to business as usual.”

“Believe me. I’m looking forward to dealing with them.”

“I bet. Cipher texted earlier saying you were coming into Fort Collins to retrieve Vanessa’s ex and his sidepiece for questioning. Have you located Boden and Riley, too?”

“Not yet,” I say regretfully. “But we will. Turns out Kirill and Mikhail have been camping out at Boden’s since we burned down their storage facility.”

There’s a quiet pause on the other end of the line before Atlas speaks. “You’re telling me your woman’s ex was working with the Russians?”

“Yeah,” I say with a flare of fury coursing through me. “He was recruited to be a scout like Riley, finding women on campus to fill the orders of the Black Market Railroad.”

“Un-fucking-believable,” Atlas growls on the other end of the phone.

“Exactly how I feel. I currently have two men—one for each apartment—doing a stakeout in the areas around their residences in case Boden and Riley return. Oh, and you should probably know that we made a mess of Boden’s apartment. The police will get involved once someone reports the damage. I can send our club’s cleaner there to deal with it if you’re okay with us heading back into town.”

“Let me handle it,” Atlas says, unbothered. “I’ve got connections with Detective Quire at the Fort Collins police station. He owes me.”

“Thanks. It’s one less mess I need to worry about.”

“Yes, and I’m sure things will get messy tonight.”