Library
Search
Home / Mafia / Tarnished Tyrant / 27

Share

27

Author: Nicole Fox
last update Last Updated: 2026-01-29 17:31:17

I follow Nikolai through the back door and to a service elevator. It takes us to the level just below the penthouse, and then we have to switch to a separate one to get up to the final floor.

The moment the doors open to our suite, Elise claws at Nikolai. “Put me down. We’re inside. I won’t embarrass anyone anymore.”

“Somehow, I doubt that,” Nikolai drawls.

“Come on, E,” I say as gently as I can. “You don’t want to say anything you’ll regret. Remember, Nikolai got us out of that gross motel room we were in. You like it here.”

The only thing I’ve really learned about parenting in the last two months is that orders don’t work. It’s better to remind Elise that she doesn’t want to do something.

You don’t want to fail out of your math class this far into the semester.

You don’t want to hide out in your room all summer.

But hell if I know what she actually wants. A fact that is proven every single day of our lives together.

Nikolai waves me away. “I can handle it.”

Elise takes that as a cha
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Previous Chapter Next Chapter
Locked Chapter

Latest chapter

  • Tarnished Tyrant   30

    I take a deep breath and steel myself, even though all I want to do is curl up in a little ball. “At least I’m not afraid to stand up to the people who want to control me,” I say, jabbing a finger into his chest. “If you think I’m going to sit idly by and let you turn me into an accessory for your crimes, you’re insane. You may be afraid of this Giorgos guy, but I’m not.”“For fuck’s sake,” he hisses. “Ya ne boyus’ etogo zhalkogo podrazhatelya mafioznogo bossa. On boit·sya menya.”I’m less surprised Nikolai has slipped seamlessly into Russian and more surprised by how much of it I understand.I was almost fluent at one point, but my understanding started slipping as soon as my dad died. I buried that with him when I was too young to know any better.Still, I understand enough.“I’m not afraid of that pathetic wannabe mafia boss. He is afraid of me.”Mafia? Did I hear that right? Images of old school gangsters with comically large guns and fedoras flood my mind.What the hell is Nikola

  • Tarnished Tyrant   29

    “You want to talk about respect?” I continue acidly. “I won’t be disrespected by being tracked in my own goddamn city. You’ve been warned. If I find out it’s happening again, your sister will be the lone Simatou leading the family. And you’ll be cooling off in a fucking morgue.”I hang up the phone just as I step outside.The evening is humid, the alleyway devoid of any cross-breeze or relief. I slide into the driver’s seat of my car and crank the air conditioner on high.And I’m hit with the smell of vomit coming from the backseat. I turn and find the Big Gulp full of vile sludge sitting in the cupholder.I grab it and chuck it out the window, letting it splatter against the pavement and the side of the building.Fuck this night.My phone rings again. It’s Giorgos. No doubt calling to try and get the last word. But I’m done talking to him.It’s like I told Belle: the next move is in his hands now. He should choose wisely.14BELLEElise’s door is still closed when I get ready to leav

  • Tarnished Tyrant   28

    NIKOLAII assigned Giorgos Simatou a short, shrill, irritating ringtone. It reminds me of Xena, for obvious reasons. So I know exactly who is cock-blocking me when my phone starts to ring in my pocket.Belle pulls back, her lips still puckered but her eyes open. “What is it?”“A call,” I grit out.I’m hard. Painfully hard. This woman has been driving me to the edge all fucking night, and I need this release like I need my next breath.“Do you have to get it?”Beneath her breathy question, I hear what she’s actually saying.Stay. Ignore it. Fuck me.And damn it, I want to do all of those things.But maybe this is for the best. My priority is to make sure Belle completes the audit and leaves without saying a word to anyone else. Not to babysit her little sister and wipe away her tears.The deeper I get in with her, the messier this gets.For all of us.I grab my phone and see Giorgos’s name on the screen. “Yeah, I need to take this. I’m going to go.”“Go? Like, leave? You can stay. Take

  • Tarnished Tyrant   27

    I follow Nikolai through the back door and to a service elevator. It takes us to the level just below the penthouse, and then we have to switch to a separate one to get up to the final floor.The moment the doors open to our suite, Elise claws at Nikolai. “Put me down. We’re inside. I won’t embarrass anyone anymore.”“Somehow, I doubt that,” Nikolai drawls.“Come on, E,” I say as gently as I can. “You don’t want to say anything you’ll regret. Remember, Nikolai got us out of that gross motel room we were in. You like it here.”The only thing I’ve really learned about parenting in the last two months is that orders don’t work. It’s better to remind Elise that she doesn’t want to do something.You don’t want to fail out of your math class this far into the semester.You don’t want to hide out in your room all summer.But hell if I know what she actually wants. A fact that is proven every single day of our lives together.Nikolai waves me away. “I can handle it.”Elise takes that as a cha

  • Tarnished Tyrant   26

    I follow the path Belle made through the crowd until we’re halfway across the club, then I take a sharp left towards a dark hallway. I don’t need to turn around to make sure Zach is following me. I know he is. He sets traps for unsuspecting teenagers, but he doesn’t have the sense to know when one is being set for him.I duck into the hallway and turn left, clearing the opening. And the moment Zach appears there, I grab him by the front of his shirt and yank him into the darkness with me.“What the fuck?” he screams, wrapping his hands around my wrists. “Whoa, man. What the hell is—”I slam him against the wall, knocking the wind out of him.“You think it’s cool to give fourteen-year-olds drugs, asshole?”“Fourteen? What? I didn’t know she was—”I stun him with a right hook to his jaw. “Don’t fucking lie to me.”It’s dark, but I can see light reflecting off the growing pool of tears in his eyes. “I’m not lying. I didn’t know—”“You came into my hotel,” I say, hitting him a second time

  • Tarnished Tyrant   25

    “Hey!” Belle jumps off the table and spins around. “What the fuck is—”But I don’t even let her get the words out before I round the table and punch the asshole in the jaw.My fist connects hard with his face. Something breaks beneath my knuckles, and he spins away from the force of it. The crowd around us gasps and parts, but Belle moves in to grab my arm.“Nikolai! Don’t!”I shake her off. Just as the man is turning to face me, I hit him again. It’s almost not fun to beat up such a poor, outmatched son of a bitch.But the feeling thrumming through me isn’t one I can control. It’s untameable rage, hot and pure.“Don’t fucking put your hands on her,” I grit out. I charge forward to grab the man by the front of his shirt. His stupid chain gets caught around my hand. I wind my fingers in it and pull it tight like a noose. The man starts to sputter and turn blue.Belle grabs my arm and tries to pull me away. “Nikolai, stop! He isn’t worth it.”I can hear what she’s saying, but the words

More Chapters

You may also like

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status