Page 24

“Keep it quiet,” Oleg warns. “This gets back to her, and it might send her over the edge.”

I tune the rest of what they say out and look out the window, unseeing as I replay the events of the night.

The sex with her was fucking hot. It was better than I’ve had before, and I’ve slept with my fair share of women. Men in my position, we don’t want for anything, including pussy.

This woman, there’s something about her and the way she watches me that makes me loathe and crave her. The next time I see her, I’ll slice it out of me. I will never let a woman have that kind of power over me. Ever.

10

LANE

RUSSIA: TWO DAYS LATER

“Again? I thought we were finished with this bullshit, you crazy bitch,” he seethes, slamming his fist into my gut, sending me backward.

The exact move I wanted him to make. He’s becoming predictable, and in this line of work, that gets you killed. It’s time he realized it and learned from it. I should kill him for it, but I have plans for him.

If he refuses those plans, then I’ll kill him. No point in wasting anyone else’s time.

I might get some flak from the man in charge, but it’s no different than every other time I’ve killed his favorites. The older he gets, the more he’s slipping. Favoring the students who have no business in this world.

Or perhaps that’s why he does. No matter, that doesn’t affect things in the here and now.

Mishka Belov is the new favorite, but not in the way of the others. He’s not a child who can be broken. He’s a grown man, and he’s fought at every turn. He’s pushed, he’s refused, and he’s paid the price for those infractions, but he still falls in line and does the jobs he’s assigned.

Until yesterday. Yesterday was the day he cemented himself in my mind.

The day they tried to break him after he refused to complete an assignment that would have had him killing an innocent little girl to get back at someone who wronged our lieutenant, but he wasn’t the one to leave broken. Instead, said lieutenant was found dismembered and scattered around the room.

A room I know far too much about.

A room I did the exact same thing in years ago. A move that solidified my fate.

So I’ve done my digging, and I’ve found what I need. Him. I need him on my side, and he’s going to help me with the plans I’ve been working on.

Or I’ll kill him and find someone else. The pickings are slim, but I’ll make whatever I need work to ensure this is successful.

Pasha Antonova’s days are numbered, as is the empire he’s trying to build. He dared to try and fuck with what’s mine.

And Mishka Belov is going to help me with that.

I rush Mishka, sliding across the floor and slamming my foot into his knee. He grunts and stumbles back without falling. I spin, using my other leg to send him tumbling to the ground.

The crash is loud, but it won’t draw any attention. No one will dare to interfere. Not even our fearless leader himself. Everyone keeps to themselves in this place.

I bring my knife toward his heart, but he evades, the tip sinking into the wooden board beneath. I nearly laugh.

Finally, a worthy opponent. I’ve killed far too many with that move, and he avoids it every time. This time, however, I’m ready for his counter.

Predictable.

He uses his strength to try and overpower me. The way he was taught by his worthless family and the men they employed. I counter easily, finding the pressure point at his wrist to make him release me.

I clamber onto his back, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing tight. He doesn’t panic. He goes limp, trying to throw me off, but I simply readjust.

The moves are smooth, fluid, years of practice making them second nature. Him, though, he’s new, and he’s yet to prove himself. To me, anyway.

I’m the monster that lurks in the dark, the one he watches, expecting an attack, but he’s always held his own. He’s proven himself to be smart and resourceful, but he’s growing tired. Weak. And I need him at his best.