CharlesThe study smelled faintly of cigar smoke and expensive whiskey.Neither of which I had touched.The room was so tense filled with male testosterones that were high on anger.Nikolai sat behind the massive oak desk like he owned the world, which, in many ways, he did. The dim lighting cast sharp shadows across his face, making his already severe expression look even darker.Viktor stood near the window, arms folded behind his back, staring out at the city lights below like they personally offended him.And I stood in the middle of the room like a man on trial, which, in a way, I was.I made a mistake and they were about to have my head for it and I fear this time it might be in a literal sense.Neither of them had spoken for the last thirty seconds.That silence was worse than shouting.When Nikolai finally lifted his gaze to me, the temperature in the room seemed to drop.“What,” he asked slowly, “were you thinking?”There it was.The storm breaking.I held his gaze.“I handle
Last Updated : 2026-03-10 Read more