Page 46 of Inked in Devotion

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I stalked into the room where Chloe was holed up with Marena. I heard their murmurings, but I didn’t wait. I knocked, and opened the door. Both turned to me with irritated expressions.

But upon seeing my face, Chloe’s eyes glazed over in fear, which I hated. I shouldn’t have barged in here, but it was rubbing me the wrong way that Marena was keeping her secrets and not me. Not that I had any right to them.

“Sebastian is fine,” I said. “But we need to leave now. Have you packed your clothes and Sebastian’s? I’ll have the guys pick up the crib and the pen. The rest we can purchase.”

Chloe rose slowly from the bed, holding my gaze. “What’s going on?”

“What happened last night hit the news. You and I are headlines.”

Chloe gasped and checked her phone.

I entered the room and touched her arm.

“I didn’t receive any messages from Theo,” Chloe said.

“He’s probably handling the fallout,” Marena said.

I glared at Marena for her choice of words. And she was a therapist?

“But,” she added, “remember what we talked about, Chloe. None of this is your fault. You wanted to disappear quietly, and Theo wouldn’t let you.”

Chloe was looking more dazed than she had been earlier. I grasped her shoulders and glanced at the open bag on the bed. “Are you done packing?”

She nodded mutely.

“And you should leave,” I told Marena.

“I think you’re forgetting who I am, Mr. Petrov. I don’t answer to you. I actually answer to Mr. King since he’s Sebastian’s legal guardian.”

“You’re going to pull this legal bullshit right now? Chloe and Sebastian are at the bottom of King’s priorities. You think he’ll have time to listen to you as you paint me as the villain here?”

“You just did,” she said with a trace of triumph. “Because once again you’re making Chloe feel like second best to her brother, but I can assure you it’s not true. Although I don’t expect a man like you to understand the responsibilities of a CEO.”

Was it too early in the day to throttle a woman?

“Did King put you up to this?” I gritted.

“Kolya.” Chloe’s small voice affected me more than if she’d yelled at me.

Marena had the advantage in this psychological warfare, so I had better leave the room before she twisted my words, because I couldn’t guarantee there wouldn’t be bloodshed.

“I’ll call the guys.” I forced my feet to leave the room.

Chapter

Ten

Kolya

“Scandals create uncertainty,” Lucy said. “And markets hate uncertainty.”

We were gathered in the kitchen. Sorcha set out a grazing table of charcuterie and easy finger foods. Lucy and Chloe were having wine. I stuck to beer. Kirill was off somewhere else with Maksim, so Lucy came over to strategize for the bratva.

“What does your fixer intuition tell you?” Chloe asked. She’d loosened up a bit with the alcohol, but she was in danger of kissing the countertop with her forehead. In her state, one would need toothpicks to prop her eyelids open.

The King stock had lost twenty percent at its lowest. After news of the King board convening hit the news, it recovered ground. It had been a nightmare to get through the gates. Reporters and paparazzi were everywhere. However, when they recognized me behind the wheel, they made sure not to be in front of the vehicle. Sometimes my reputation had its benefits. Using a vehicle to plow down my target wasn’t my preferred method of getting rid of them, though. Too messy.