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Chapter 104⟿❂⟾Nikolai⟿❂⟾"Thank you, darling," The man in the gear said, his voice carried clearly over the settling dust and distant alarms. "You did perfectly."Now that I heard it, his voice sounded familiar. I turned, following his gaze, and the world tilted sideways.Sylvia was stepping out from behind the spot I’d shoved her in for cover. But she wasn't running toward me or the exit.She was walking toward him."What—" The word died in my throat as I saw her face. Tears streaming down her cheeks, her whole body shaking with sobs, but her feet kept moving. Away from me. Toward the enemy."I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice broken like glass. "I'm so sorry, Nikolai. I didn't want this. I never wanted—""Sylvia." My voice sounded like it was coming from underwater. "What are you doing?"The left handed bastard pulled off his mask and I froze again. Kaine. That left handed fucker I'd been hunting for days was the same one that had cost me two men. The bastard was smiling.I di
Chapter 103⟿❂⟾Nikolai⟿❂⟾The bastard was playing chess when we walked in.Of course he fucking was. Two years in a concrete tomb, and he still thought he was running the game. The pieces were arranged like he'd been in the middle of a match with himself—white and black locked in some eternal battle that existed only in his twisted mind."Oh, look,” he said without looking up, he moved a pawn forward with a maniac smile. "My disappointment of a son finally crawls back into the light."I didn't respond. Couldn't trust myself to speak yet. The sight of him always did this—brought back the taste of blood and the sound of my mother’s screams. Behind me, I could feel Sylvia's nervousness, her fingers ghosting against my back like she was anchoring herself to me."How long has it been?" he continued, studying the board like it held the secrets of the universe. "Two years of leaving the man who gave you everything down to your last name rotting down here, and this is what you bring me?" Hi
Chapter 102⟿❂⟾Nikolai⟿❂⟾“Let me,” I said, turning her to face me. “I want to take care of you.”She bit her lip, torn between embarrassment and arousal. “It’s messy, Nikolai. You don’t have to. I could go inside the bathroom, freshen up and—”“I want to,” I interrupted, my voice firm. “All of you. Every part of you.”She nodded slowly, then guided my hand between her legs. I could feel the string, and I gently pulled, watching her face as I removed it. She was beautiful in her vulnerability, trusting me with this intimate act.“There,” I murmured, tossing it aside before washing my hands quickly in the small sink. “Now where were we?”I turned her back toward the mirror, my hands sliding down to cup her bare ass. The reflection showed us both flushed and desperate, her completely naked now, me hard and aching behind her.When I positioned myself at her entrance, she was slick with more than just arousal, but it only made me want her more. I pushed inside slowly, watching in the mi
Chapter 101⟿❂⟾Nikolai⟿❂⟾Maybe I have to write my fucking name on her forehead in public places, I thought angrily. The rage was still coursing through my veins like molten steel, but having Sylvia pressed against my chest was slowly bringing me back from the edge. Her heartbeat was finally steadying, matching the rhythm of mine, and I could feel the tension leaving her body.But something was different. Wrong.She pulled back to look at me, her dark eyes holding secrets I couldn't read. "You're too stubborn and adamant," she complained, but there was something desperate and hungry in her tone that made my blood heat."When I saw him touching you, I wanted to tear him apart with my bare hands," I admitted, my thumb tracing along her jawline. The skin there was so soft, so perfect. "The only thing that stopped me was you.""Good thing I was there then." Her voice was breathless, and when I looked down at her, I could see desire pooling in her eyes.I exhaled slowly, trying to focu
Chapter 100⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾"Well, well," a voice drawled. Male, rough around the edges, with an accent I couldn't know. "Look what we have here."I spun around, my heart hammering against my ribs. The man from the bar stood between me and the exit, his bulk filling the doorway. Up close, he was even more intimidating, with dead eyes and hands that looked like they'd done terrible things."Excuse me," I said, proud of how steady my voice sounded. "I need to get by."His evil smile grew a little too wild. "Not so fast, sweetheart. You and I need to have a little chat."Every instinct I didn't know I possessed screamed at me to run. But there was nowhere to go—just stalls behind me and this mountain of malice blocking my escape.“This is a female restroom.” I pointed out. “I see that.” “Then you must realize your mistake that you’ve stumbled into the wrong bathroom,” I said through gritted teeth, that my voice didn’t shake. “You should leave.”A low chuckle. “Oh, I don’t think so. You
Chapter 99⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾We reached Albany by midnight. After settling Maeve with Dr. Weiss, I found myself restless, pacing the living area while Nikolai reviewed files at the kitchen table."I need to go to Lussuria Nera," He said without looking up.I paused mid-step. "What's that?""The club. Business meeting that can't wait." His pale eyes finally met mine. "You should get some sleep.""I'm not tired." The lie came easily. Truth was, my nerves were too wound up from the flight, from being back in the city where my mysterious past supposedly lived. "I'll just be here... doing nothing."Nikolai's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "Don’t say what I suspect you want to—”"Take me with you.""Absolutely not."I moved closer to the table, placing my hands flat on the surface. "You said I wouldn't be out of your sight. You said I'd be protected. Well, I can't be protected if I'm here and you're across town.""Sylvia." His voice carried a warning. “You know damn well that’s different