“There you are, my pet,” Alexei croons.
I suppose my homicidal tendencies are on hold for the time being. My eyes review his latest venture. No doubt he heard the thud of the woman who weighs 80 pounds soaking wet. He likes them skinny and will use whatever tactics necessary to achieve it in his women.
I toss my coat to the chair as I enter the bedroom. “And there you are,” I retort, surveying the newly gifted hickey on his chest. Classy.
“Where’ve you been?” His eyes slice into me like daggers, though, beautiful ones.
Shit, I forgot to sharpen mine.
Alexei cocks his head and watches me before sliding down the bed until his feet rest on the elite carpet. “Mishka?”
I peruse the room and notice his two bodyguards hang at the entry.
“I met a contact,” I advise, slipping off my black heels. My aching feet are minimal compared to the way my head reels when Alexei’s mouth fastens on my neck. I don’t like sloppy seconds. I’ll screw him, but only after he showers the last woman’s filth away.
“The family appreciates your dedication.” He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me against him. “As do I.”
From the corner of my eye, I watch his men clear the room which means one thing: sex. Yay me! The lock echoes in the vast expanse. I’m going to get pulverized, so I stand as a reflex.
“I have a job I need to finish today.”
Alexei hauls me down as his rejection. “I’ll make it fast,” he guarantees, tugging at my shirt.
When I pull back, he sinks his teeth into my neck. “Don’t resist. You know what’ll happen to him if you do.”
I sigh, yielding to his touch. How he manages to be so virile is beyond me. He’s relentless. Hell, every man in my life is unyielding.
I don’t notice when he unclothes me. It’s a common occurrence. I’m just glad the time I spent in a chemical wasteland destroyed any option of kids. Alexei would be a hellish father.
My arm jerks suddenly, and I snap my eyes to the red mark over my ribs. An angry pinch mark stares back at me. Lovely. I’ll have a bruise soon enough.
Alexei’s tongue drifts over my breasts. I bruise like a peach, especially under his prolific care. It’s like my body knows he’s evil and wants to display it as a reminder.
He hoists me to the stack of pillows at the head of the bed, his tongue drifting along my body peppered with tattoos. They’re there for two reasons: to hide his art, and to express myself.
His hands trace the serpent tattoo on my hip. Each one resembles a slice of me I buried for my own survival. Like any assassin, I keep kills tallied on my ribs. Suffice to say, I’m running out of ribs. The skhodka mark of ‘x’s’ resides on my left shoulder blade. Despite all the group put me through, the characters are my favorite. They connect me to my mother.
Another jab, this time my leg. If not for muscles, I’d be an endless discolouration. I close my eyes and think onto something better. Such as killing him. It graces my interest, but is foolhardy.
I gasp when he bites my nipple. That, I can get into almost as much as him. I’ll play the dutiful fiancée. Until I don’t.
***
I watch Alexei sleep from my corner of the room. I could crawl into bed and warm myself, but I prefer to sit shivering. His shallow breathing entices me to hold a pillow over his mouth until he stops altogether. At what point did I go from loving him to despising him? I press my hands to my forehead, but nothing pops up. If I’m being honest, I never loved him. I lusted after him, hell fucking yeah, but love? Nah.
Alexei shifts on the bed and rustles the satin sheets. Thankfully, his goons haven’t come for me. They do so often, but it’s like they sense when he pummels me. They leave me alone when I need it the most. I don’t scream anymore, not unless it’s demanded.
I raise the bottle of vodka to my lips. My arms and legs are freckled with fresh bruising. That’s what the vodka is for. I take another gulp and wince as I tuck my legs beneath me.
Until recently, he didn’t hold back his marks para aficionado, as he calls them. A doctor is kept on staff to correct the ‘mistakes’ my indulgent fiancé produces.
The floor creaks from the other side of the door and I catch my breath. A man’s shadow appears then vanishes. I release an anxious lungful. They stay away, but for how long, I don’t know.
Cautiously standing, I tiptoe to my purse and rummage through it. I can’t see anything in the darkness, so I crawl to the bathroom. Careful not to wake Alexei, I slip inside and bolt the door.
Smoothing my hair, I review my reflection. I didn’t have a chance to remove any makeup. My black eyeliner is smudged and mascara clumpy. It’s not uncommon for the five out of seven nights spent with Alexei. If I’m fortunate, I get two whole days alone at night. It doesn’t happen often, but I relish when it does.
“Mishka, come to bed,” Alexei requests from the other side of the door. His voice is a mixture of sultry and sleepy. After coitus, he’s a tamed beast. His after-glow is spectacular. It’s the lone time I like being around him.
“I’ll be right out.” I flush the toilet and feign washing my hands.
Quietly, I crack open the door and search the darkness. It’s difficult not to spot him waiting in the window seat. My heart seizes at the sight of his muscular physique. If he wasn’t a brute, there’s no doubt in my mind I would love him. His striking green eyes glow and his black hair seems a shade darker.
All he wears is a grin. We would make dastardly beautiful children if we liked each other more than sex-craved soldiers. But that’s all we are. It’s all I ever expect to be. Judging from the hint of moisture between my legs, it’s all I crave.
Crossing to him, I slide my fingers through his thick locks and press his back to the window. Other than the moonlight, all I can see is him. His body awakens as I lean into him. The knowledge I excite him more than any of his other women entices me to kiss his neck. I sure as hell won’t give him a damned hickey like the whore earlier.
Untangling from his scalp, I glide my hand down his body, memorizing the facets of his muscles. He clenches beneath my caress, but doesn’t utter a word. It would ruin it. Finally reaching the jutting length between us, I capture his lips with mine as I grip him. Meticulously, I stroke him as I tangle my tongue with his. These are the only times I don’t have to imagine someone else when I fuck Alexei.
Detaching from his mouth, I travel down his body until I squat before him. Skilfully, I lift my eyes to meet his. If I could capture his trance-like gaze, I’d store it for a rainy day. I enclose him between my lips and his fingers delve into my hair. I’m going to need a few of those memories to keep me company soon.
Chapter Three
I peruse the barren room, no doubt manufactured for today’s meeting. It lacks décor and everything comfortable. A ghost wouldn’t call this place home, let alone haunt anyone.
I don’t like being here. It’s risky and the second time this week I’ve been exposed to an opposing force. I’d much rather waltz out the front door and slither beneath my well-protected rock, but I’ve come to a fork in the road. I need to know who was behind my mother’s death. If this place is how I’ll achieve it then great.
A shuffle of feet meets my ears, but I ignore the sound. It’s too familiar to be a surprise attack. I’ll kill anyone who attempts to harm me. For the time being, they’ll let me live, and I won’t fling my knife into the man beside me who’s been eyeballing my boobs.
The agency can chisel up the bedrock of Russian ties in the States with me and Nickolas as their jackhammer. My services in exchange for immunity isn’t a bad deal. I get what I want by doing their dirty work. Government sanctioned kills aren’t the usual for the States. It’s why entrepreneurs such as myself exist. To help the tied hands of powerful men.
A phone rings from a corner desk, catching my attention. The receptionist answers the call, and I drift back to the present.
My reflection stares back at me when I swivel towards th
e window. My straight nose curls at the end, but manages to make my cylinder face envy-worthy despite the flaw. Snow gracefully falls outside as I tap my fingers to my thigh.
“Ms Vald, we’re ready for you.” A man sporting a business suit calls.
I raise my impeccably sculpted eyebrows and can’t help but judge his taste in clothing. It’s hard not to when his pants are too short and sleeves too long.
The agent gawks at my towering height. I’m more than used to this response from men. Seeing a woman over six feet tall is a rarity, and one I own with confidence. I shove my phone into my back pocket then follow the short man.
My involvement with this place could turn me into someone I can be proud of. For Eddie’s sake, I hope so. If I can detach from a certain someone, his life will no longer be in jeopardy.
One thing is solidified: I’ll show the skhodka how much I matter. They’ll beg for me to stop by the time I’m through. It’s vengeance. They dismembered my family, so I’m butchering their group. Slowly and meticulously until they’re forced to face me.
***
“And so, my double life begins one kill at a time. I can’t deny I like it. The secretiveness is hot. Like I’ll track down Nickolas for a fast fuck hot.”
I let out a huff as my muscles strain. “Enough narrative?” I question the man, held tightly in my grip. He doesn’t move. As if he could with one blade in his gut and another hovering over his balls. “Because, I can continue.”
The man blinks furiously, his eyes wild. “Yes, I’ll bet you’d like me to.” I twist my knife into his groin. He squirms in pain as blood gushes. Balls. They get you every time.
“Nah, I think that’s sufficient insight for a dead man.” I swiftly twist the mobster’s neck until the thrilling crack of vertebrae resounds.
Rolling my shoulders back, I retrieve my daggers and wipe them on the deceased gentleman’s pants. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have another comrade to visit.”
I stand to my full height, a gorgeously towering one, and check my surroundings as my knee-high, heeled boots click on the cement slabs. A meat processing plant is a smart decoy for the skhodka. Unlimited meat and hacking. Fitting.
Eyeing the fallen foe, I digest the data he spewed. He said my mother was a traitor. She failed an assignment and so her death was necessary. I don’t know what to accept. Dead men mumble much sweeter when there’s a glimmer of life.
My phone pulsates in my pocket. Recovering it, I scan the cryptic message and type a scripted text. An immediate response gives the next objective on my endless list of mob members to dismember. I smirk. No, dismemberment is more Alexei’s style, but he doesn’t do it himself. He watches, though, and directs his men to carry out his perverted way of death.
I’m not thrilled to slit fellow pal’s throats, but it’s mandatory. Extracting their information before laying waste to their vileness is necessary if I’m to find whoever masterminded my mother’s murder. The agency doesn’t know that tidbit, so for now, I’ll keep it on the lowdown.
Another vibration emits from my pocket, this time from the Eddie phone. “Mother fucker!” He hasn’t given up and wants to meet. The chump doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Checking the time, I don’t have any to spare. “Sorry, Eddie.” My fingers fly over the keyboard. Short, sweet, and fuck off. I’ve got people to kill.
***
Each day for breakfast, I have the same thing. Two eggs over easy, a slice of bacon, and half of an English muffin. The top half, because the bottom is disgusting. I hope someone eats the other part because I hate to waste food. I’m earth friendly like that. I may not hold human life in very high regard, but I manage to save a few if the chance presents. Not every hit I’m issued goes as planned.
Alexei clears his throat from across the marble table. I raise my lashes and catch his gaze. Shit! He’s making the ‘I want to fuck you sideways’ look.
Inwardly cringing, I return to my smart phone. If I snub him long enough, he may seek out one of his bimbos. Sneaking a glance confirms it won’t work today.
Damn, but he demolished me last night. Must he do so in the morning as well? I hoped to meet up with Nickolas, but duty calls first. It’s part of our deal. If either of us wants sex with the other, it trumps any fling.
One of his men walks in, momentarily sparing me. He speaks to Alexei in a hushed tone. I cock my eyebrow as the Russian phrases slur together in rapid conversation. This piques my interest, so I skootch closer. My beloved raises his eyebrows at me, signifying a demand for distance.
I return to my breakfast. Hunger isn’t the sensation in the pit of my stomach this morning. A part of me feels guilty for joining a force meant to take down men such as the ones at the other end of the table. The solace I find in my work is that Nickolas won’t be dragged into a prison for all time. He’ll be content with a life on the run. Most likely with me.
A hand grazes up my thigh beneath my lace nightgown. I don’t know when he moved down the table, but I concede. Somehow this makes me feel better about the horrors I create. It’s a punishment above all else, one I deserve.
The American sliver of me deems my job as unspeakable, so I succumb to my dastardly assaultive betrothed. I earned it. For every drop of blood I shed, I pay for my sins with the kisses Alexei nibbles down my body. I don’t deserve a normal life. Perhaps, when I’ve desecrated our group, I’ll disappear to an island and live out my days in the sun. Wishful thinking at its best.
The bodyguards remove from the dining area and I push my plate away. So, it’s to be sex and eggs. I don’t mind. It’s a breakfast of champions. Skhodka champions.
“Alexei, we need to talk,” a strong voice interrupts as my fiancé slides my dress to no longer obscure his vision.
Ah, Nickolas. He’s my favorite mobster if I had to choose. I offer a grateful smile to my friend since childhood.
Alexei’s green eyes flash as his lips turn into a frown. “I told you not to interrupt me when I’m eating,” he barks, slipping both straps off my shoulders. The dress slinks to my elbows and I hold it in place, as good as naked from the waist up.
“I don’t give a damn who or what you’re eating,” Nickolas comebacks with a sneer.
I maintain Nickolas’s gaze. He has this uncanny way of protecting me. Almost like a weird brother relationship where I want to fuck his brains out and snuggle. Shit, I’m fucked up.
Alexei lets out a growl and pries away from my neck. “Fine. What do you want? Make it fast.” He turns his eyes to me. “Or I’ll make sure it’s drawn out for her.”
Nickolas stiffens. At a smidge taller than Alexei, he loves to reiterate it when he enters the room. He’s a son of a bitch, one who kills without regard, but he cares for me. What a sucker. He shouldn’t let himself get attached to his boss’s girl. We all know how it’ll end if he oversteps.
“There’s a situation in need of your delicate touch.”
I don’t bother covering up. It’s not as though Nickolas hasn’t seen it before. Plus, I don’t want to. I worship the way his vibrant blue eyes skitter across my body like skates on ice. It’s the reason I consistently send my body to the gym. Well, and Alexei insists upon a skinny woman. Diet pills and vodka only go so far.
As expected, Nickolas visually gropes me. Once upon a time, I thought we’d be together. Two killing machines. It’s cute as fuck, but then I met Eddie. I chose Eddie and Nickolas chose to go on a slaughter-fest as a result. It wasn’t like he asked me to be with him back then. It was a silent implication we both knew, and one I chose to ignore.
“What situation?” snarls Alexei, yanking me to my feet.
Screw you! I don’t dare resist. I’m quite aware of what happens if I fight. It’s not pretty and involves his less-than-gentle guards.
Nickolas’s eyelid twitches as he watches the interchange. “Your newest recruit fucked up. He killed a protected family.”
Alexei drops my arm. “I knew I should’ve killed him. He was a disgrace from the start.”
> If there’s one line Alexei doesn’t cross, it’s a family protected by Moscow. It’s a death wish if you lay a hand on one of their ideally placed agents.
I smirk, knowing this development will keep my fiancé away for a day or two. My eyes meet Nickolas’s and I swear a smile flickers over his stone-like features. He’s pleased with himself, and rightly so.
No doubt, Alexei’s recruit didn’t murder the chosen family by mistake. If Nickolas wants something bad enough, he breaks every rule until he gets it. I suppose it’s why we get along so well.
“I’ll deal with him,” Alexei advises, grabbing his jacket. He walks to the door and swivels towards me. “Don’t get into trouble. You know I’m watching you.”
I narrow my eyes. “And you know I lose every tail you put on me.”
Alexei chuckles and nods his head. It’s the truth. Try as he might, his guards fail to retrieve me. I’m only caught when I want it.
My fiancé crosses the room and places a feathery kiss on my cheek. “If you fuck him before I get back, I’ll make you pay.”
“I’ll do whatever I want.”
“I’m quite aware.” He pushes back my braid. “But you’ll come back to me eventually.”
Unfortunately, I will always return to Alexei’s arms. It keeps those I love safe.
I slide my eyes to Nickolas. Even he fits the bill. I’m a mess, but a woman can love more than one person. My heart has evolved to love, but I repress the emotion part. Weird, right? I swear I’m part vampire. I like killing, I like watching blood seep from bodies, I like sex, and I turn my emotions off faster than a speeding bullet. I need to stop watching so much television.
I press my lips to Alexei’s. His face flashes with lust, and I slip my hand under his shirt to caress the toned abs.
“I wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else.” I trace my hand down his body. Feeling the development my fingers create, I stop below his belt. “But if I want Nickolas, you know I’ll screw him until you walk in,” I murmur into his ear. “Again and again.”
Assassin by Day Page 3
