LOGINChapter 63: Left Knee Or RightNico's POV We track Boris to a quiet dacha on the edge of Macau. An old safe house that would seem unoccupied if we didn’t know he was in there right now. Sasha drives. I ride shotgun, watching the snow-dusted pines slide past the windows. Neither of us speak much. We don’t need to, actually.We took three more days to dig into what we had. The offshore accounts. The call logs. The CCTV stills of him handing envelopes to my father’s driver. Boris has been bleeding the Bratva for almost a year.We park half a kilometer out, kill the lights, and walk the rest of the way there. Snow crunches under our boots. The air is sharp enough to cut lungs. The dacha is dark except for one window near the kitchen. Through the glass, we see him at the table, a vodka bottle in hand, half empty. He’s alone in there.Sasha signals for me to circle left. He goes right.I slip in through the back door, which is unlocked. Obviously, Boris thinks he’s untouchable. He doesn’t
Chapter 62: Walk out and disappear' Nico's POV We’ve been at it for three days straight, holed up in the warehouse, fueled by black coffee and takeout. I must say, the last three days have been pretty awkward—but not the bad type of awkward. The satisfying type. After seven whole months, three days of awkwardly existing around Sasha almost feel like heaven. It would be literal heaven if he didn’t shoot lasers with his eyes at me whenever I so much as breathe loudly.It’s still very hard to adjust to staying back here in Greece. We both decided not to head back to our respective syndicates. Me, because I’d have to leave Sasha’s side again, and there was no telling how long we’d be apart. The idea alone was scary. I have no idea why Sasha agreed to stay behind.Of course, the obvious reason would be to find who exactly our rat is, but some part of me keeps telling me that’s not it. I don’t want to get my hopes up, so there will be no optimistic thoughts.I also half expected Sasha to
Chapter 61Let's not talk about last night Nico's POV Morning creeps in through the blinds. There is a very delicious ache all over my body. I feel ravaged and kind of happy. But the warmth from hours ago is gone.I snap my eyes open and look around the room.Sasha is not here.When did I even fall asleep? I’m on the couch. Did Sasha carry me to the couch? I guess we didn’t end up sharing a bed. But where is he?I check under the blankets he draped on me. Nope. Nothing underneath. And wiped clean. Okay.My eyes scan the room. Then I see him behind the couch, near the stairs. He stands there, arms folded tight, staring at me. With a look that tells me he’s kind of pissed. Or very pissed.He doesn’t say anything, but I already know what is coming before he even opens his mouth.“Let’s not talk about last night. It meant nothing. It changes nothing. Everything stays the same. You are only here to help me figure out who it was that caused what happened seven months ago, and you are gone
Chapter 60Mark me again Nico's POV The kiss doesn't soften. It detonates.Sasha's mouth crashes against mine like he's trying to punish me for every second we've been apart—teeth scraping, tongue demanding, a low growl rumbling from his chest that vibrates straight through me. My back is still pinned to the wall, his hand firm around my throat, thumb pressing just enough against my pulse to remind me who's in control. I don't fight it. I've dreamed of this exact brutality for seven months.I kiss him back just as hard, fists twisted in his shirt, pulling him impossibly closer. He tastes like everything I've fantasized about for the past seven months, like the water I didn't know I was dying of thirst for. My knees nearly buckle when he rolls his hips forward, grinding against me, letting me feel how hard he already is.He breaks the kiss only to drag his teeth down my jaw, biting hard enough at the hinge to make me hiss. "Seven months," he rasps against my skin, voice wrecked. "Sev
Nico's POV The parking lot is still very quiet, except for the low, distant hum of music coming from the party.Sasha is still holding the folder in his hand, almost like he’s still contemplating whether to believe me or not.I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t believe me either. In fact, I wouldn’t give me a chance to explain.He walks toward the car without looking back, shoulders squared, striding through the parking lot like he owns the place. I stay rooted in place.Should I follow him?I really don’t know what to do now.Parts of me want to let him go by himself, let him figure it out alone. He doesn’t need my trouble. While the other part—the part that’s been surviving on scraps of memories for months—wants to follow him, wants to be with him, never leaving his side again.“Are you coming?”His voice cuts through the space between us, and my head snaps up instantly.It’s not quite a question, more like a silent order. He doesn’t look back, just stands by the driver’s side door.I ex
58: Don't Get Excited Sasha's POV The parking lot still smells like oil and night air. Nico doesn't move closer, and I don't know why it unsettles me.He stands where he is, one step back, his hands visible, shoulders tense like a man bracing for impact. He doesn't seem concerned. It's more like he's begging not to be mistaken for a threat."Someone else," I repeat flatly. "Explain slowly and choose your next words very carefully."He exhales through his nose, dragging a hand down his face. Like he's trying to pull himself together."I didn't sell you out," he says, "and I didn't give my father anything that could have caused what happened seven months ago. I thought I did at first. I blamed myself. In fact, I still do. But the timeline doesn't add up."I cross my arms defensively."Funny," I say. "The timeline kind of adds up over here."His jaw tightens. He nods once, like he deserves that."I know. That's why I didn't come to you sooner. Because if I were you, I wouldn't believe







