Suddenly, a phone rings.
Viktor jumps out of bed to grab his pants, pulling the cell phone from his pocket. “Yeah?”
He turns around to face me, but his eyes grow wider with every passing second. He scowls and shouts. “Why? What’s he doing here? Fuck.” He runs his fingers through his hair. “Fine.”
He stops the conversation and tucks the phone back into his pocket. “I gotta go.”
“Who was that?” I ask.
“Winston,” he says, pulling on his clothes hastily.
“What’s it about?” I frown, wondering why he seems so agitated all of a sudden.
The look on his face says it all. “We’ve got a visitor.”
Chapter 20
Viktor
I can’t believe he’s here.
Is he here to lecture me? Probably.
I don’t have time for his bullshit, but I can’t ignore him either.
So I put my clothes on and grab a spare mask from my closet, covering my face again.
Alexis leans against the doorpost behind me, dressed in a skimpy dress that still sets me on fire as I look at her. I’ll die before I lose someone like her.
“How do I look?” I ask her.
She folds her arms. “Charming.” The smile on her face tells me she thinks I’m messing around, but I’m not. I’m dead serious.
I walk past her and say, “Stay here.”
“Why?”
“Because I said so.”
“Wrong answer,” she says, walking behind me in her brown boots that click on the floor.
“Why don’t you ever listen?” I ask.
“Because I’m a rebel girl.” She starts singing, making me a little less nervous. Doesn’t mean I want her there, though.
“You really have to stay in the room,” I say.
“What’s so important about it that I can’t be there? You wanna keep more secrets from me?”
“It’s … complicated,” I say, cringing when I think about him.
“But not dangerous …” she says, still clinging to me.
“Don’t know, don’t wanna find out. Stay here,” I growl, walking through the corridor.
“I’m not some fucking damsel in distress. I can take care of myself,” she says, still following me.
I sigh. “Don’t you ever take a hint?”
“Want me to leave?”
When I glance over my shoulder, she has her brows up high, taunting the ever-living shit out of me. I don’t answer, I just growl again.
“Didn’t think so,” she adds. “So if you expect me not to leave this place, you’ll let me in on your dirty business.”
I sigh as I go downstairs. “Just stay out of my way.”
“Well, hello, Viktor.”
The moment I hear his voice, my eyes shoot up, and I freeze.
“Marcus.” It’s been a long time since I last spoke his name. And since I last saw him. Jesus Christ, he looks bad … Sick, even.
Winston’s just outside the kitchen door. “Ah, there you are.”
“You didn’t tell me he was already here,” I whisper-yell at him.
Winston makes a face. “I tried. Too late. Couldn’t stop him from—”
“Is that how you say hello to an old friend?” Marcus asks.
“When that friend shows up uninvited … hell, yeah,” I say. “You couldn’t even fucking wait at the door?”
“It’s chilly outside.” He rubs his arms.
“I’ll go make some coffee,” Winston says, scurrying off into the kitchen.
“Fine, coward,” I say to him, but of course, he doesn’t hear me. I don’t need a second eavesdropper telling me what to do anyway. One is enough.
“Oh … and who’s this?” Marcus asks, his eyes falling onto something … or rather someone behind me.
“Alexis,” I say, looking at her over my shoulder. She seems a bit unsure whether she should come closer.
“C’mon,” I say, beckoning her.
“He’s not …”
“No, I’m not that old dog Vladim,” Marcus says, laughing a bit. “Name’s Marcus Knight. I’m an old friend.”
“Old friend?” She folds her arms. “Right.”
“It’s true,” Marcus says, raising a brow. “I might not look it, but I’m quite friendly.”
“Jesus …” I roll my eyes. “Just tell her. She already knows about the company.”
“Really? Well, let me introduce myself then.” He makes a short bow. “Marcus Knight, head of the Tribunal.”
“The Division where all the crooks get punished,” I add.
“Crooks?” she says.
“The company’s men. If they do anything out of line, the tribunal punishes them. Keeps them in line.”
“Oh …” I don’t think she understands, but that’s okay.
“Right,” he says. “We just make sure everyone in the company follows the rules.”
“Okay,” she says with a sarcastic undertone. “Sounds very interesting.”
“Hmm …” I roll my eyes, hoping she won’t ask too many questions.
“And who are you, Alexis?” he asks.
She folds her arms. “Just a friend.”
God, I’m so fucking grateful for her sass.
Marcus laughs again. “Another one of yours.”
“She’s different,” I say.
“Good for you.” Marcus’s face darkens. “But I’m not here for a chat.”
“Thought as much.” I shrug. “It’s not like you have anything positive to say whenever you’re here.”
“Hey, you owe it to me,” he says, frowning. “Remember this house, which you bought using my money?”
“I bought this myself,” I snarl.
“By using my money to start a gambling scheme. Yeah, I know what you’ve been doing behind that computer of yours.”
I throw Winston a glance who gives me a useless apologetic face.
“Don’t worry,” Marcus says. “I won’t rat you out. Besides, I wanted to help you get back on your feet. I’m already glad you’ve found something … useful to do.”
“Right.” Why do I find it hard to believe he actually cares?
“I also know you’re up to something.”
I make a face at him. “Up to what? I haven’t done anything. What are you talking about?”
“Let’s have some coffee first,” Marcus says as Winston comes back with a tray in his hand.
I roll my eyes as we all go into the living room area and sit down for coffee like we’re one big goddamn family.
I sit down and grudgingly take a cup, spilling a bit on my pants as I take a sip. Marcus has a sarcastic smile on his face, so I slurp to annoy him. Suddenly, I feel Alexis’s hand on my leg, and I flinch as her hand slides up and down, softly caressing me. I’ve never been calmed like that. It’s different. Nice.
“I see you two are getting along quite well. Girlfriend?” Marcus asks.
Alexis’s face completely turns red, and she quickly removes her hand. “No.”
“Whatever,” he says, laughing a bit.
“Why’d you come here?” I ask.
“All right. Straight to the point, I see.” He puts down his mug carefully as if he’s still thinking about what he’s going to say. “I’m here because Vladim asked me to come.”
“I knew it.” I smack down my cup too. “Of course, he’d try it through you.”
“It’s not what you think.” He holds up his hand. “I’m not on his side.”
“And how do I know for sure, huh? You’re always talking with him and the other company leaders. You’re still playing their game.”
“I am, yes, but you know as well as I do that I have bigger plans than that.” He looks me straight in the eye. “Nothing has changed about that.”
“Then why are you here, huh? He told you I quit, didn’t he?”
“Yes, well, he was screaming that he never wanted to see your face again, or he’d chop off your head.”
“Do
I look like I give a shit?” I point at my face. “I’m done doing his dirty work.”
“You can’t stop,” Marcus says. “You have to stay at his side. Too much is dependent on this.”
“Why the hell would I do that? Give me one good reason,” I shout. “The motherfucker has only caused me shit from day one. Joining his Division was the worst mistake I ever made. No, scratch that, dealing with this entire company you’re just as much a part of has made my life a living hell.”
I grab the cup again and contemplate for a second whether to throw it at his head, but I compose myself after taking a big breath and a big gulp of coffee.
“You need to keep working for him,” Marcus says. “It’s the only way to keep Vladim in line. He’s losing it, Viktor. He’s on the verge of declaring war with the other Divisions, and the only way to get him to relax is for you to stop this now.”
“Dammit, Marcus!” I smack my coffee cup down again, and this time, it shatters into bits.
Alexis growls, “Jesus, why do you have to lose your temper like that?”
Winston gets up and walks out, probably to grab something to clean up my mess. But right now, I don’t care about anything other than getting my point across.
“I’m not working for Vladim ever again, do you hear me?” I scream.
“Why? Because of her?”
My jaw drops and Alexis’s eyes widen.
“How did you—”
“He told me you were preoccupied with a girl,” Marcus says. “I presumed she was the reason you stopped doing his bidding.”
“Damn right, I did. And you wanna know why? Because he wants her. That’s why he’s so upset. Not because I quit. It’s because I have her.”
His eyes narrow. “So … she’s the one?”
I nod. “She escaped, and now, he wants her back.”
“Is it really that bad?” Alexis asks.
“Hell, yeah,” I spit. “I told you what he does for a living.”
“But you did it too. And look how you turned out to be,” she says, smiling.
“Ha-ha, very funny.” I hate ironic jokes.
“I can see now why you’re suddenly so adamant about fighting him on this, but I don’t think it’s a good idea, Viktor,” Marcus interjects.
“What?” I spit. “Are you even hearing yourself?”
He leans forward. “I need you on this. You’re the only one I can trust, who hates them as much as I do. There’s too much at stake here.”
“Fuck the stakes. I’m doing this to protect her.”
Alexis sinks back into the couch, her lips slammed together, but I need to deal with Marcus first.
“This is dangerous, Viktor. You don’t know what you’re doing.” He gets up. “If you don’t rectify the situation quickly, someone could get hurt.”
“I don’t care as long as she’s safe,” I growl. “I’ve risked too much already.”
He yells in my face. “Then why did you invite her into your home in the first place?”
I jump up from the couch. “She came into my home! To steal!”
“Hey! That wasn’t me. My sister had that brilliant idea,” Alexis scoffs. “I just came to save her.”
“Whatever. The point is she came to me. Not the other way around.”
“What a coincidence,” Marcus hisses, “but it doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t have kept her here.”
“What else was I supposed to do? Send her back out there? His men are on every fucking corner of the streets. It’s a fucking wonder she hasn’t been snatched yet.”
He paces around my living room. “Why did you have to do this? Why now? I was this close.” He makes a gesture with his fingers. “If you knew anything about this … goddammit!” he growls.
“No, I don’t because you don’t fucking tell me anything.”
“Because it’s supposed to stay under wraps! Because it’s a fucking secret none of them are supposed to know, not even you.”
“Why? You said you trust me.”
He frowns. “I do, but this is too important to fuck up, and if you get caught, it goes down with you. I can’t let that happen.”
I narrow my eyes. “You think I’m a liability …”
He runs his fingers through his hair. “If Vladim gets his hands on you and finds out you know I’m planning something, everything will be ruined. Gone.”
I hold my hands up. “I’m not the problem.”
“Yes. You. Are.” He taps my chest. “You decided to go play hooky. You could’ve just … just …”
“Given her up? Told them I have her?” I hiss, facing him. “You’re out of your fucking mind.”
We’re in each other’s face now. “She’s not worth risking our fucking lives for.”
“She’s worth everything to me!” I yell, our foreheads touching. “And I’d die for her.”
He sneers at me and scowls but then retreats again. “Fine, if that’s how you feel about her.” He sighs, rubbing his forehead with his fingers. “If you won’t work for him and you refuse to help me, you know what that means, right?”
I nod.
“This is it, then. Our ways part here. But make no mistake … if you utter just one word about our conversations, I’ll hunt you down myself,” he says.
“I’m well aware of what you can do,” I say. “But make no mistake about me either; I’m a vicious, possessive bastard who’ll do anything to keep what’s his.”
A smile creeps onto his face. “I can admire that.”
He picks up his coffee and takes the last sip before letting out a sigh. “Guess this is good-bye then.”
“Thank you for helping me … with the house and everything,” I say.
“Don’t mention it. I mean you did help me all these years with my conniving plots, so I guess we’re equal. But … don’t think I’m gonna come here and save your ass when he’s out to get you.”
I smile. “Fuck, no. Don’t ever come back.”
He shakes his head, still smiling as he turns around. “Good luck.”
“Yeah, you too.” He waves at us without turning his head, and Winston goes after him to let him out.
I sit back down and let out a huge breath.
“What was that all about?”
“Oh, Marcus always had some crazy-ass ideas. Helped me get back up on my feet after …” I point at my face. “Well, we just go back a long time. He’s still working with the company, though. That’s why Vladim convinced him to come to me.”
“No …” she says, grabbing my arm while looking at me with confused eyes. “You said you’d die for me. No one’s ever said that. Not for me. Is it true?”
I think about it for a few seconds and then clear my throat after feeling the heat rise. She doesn’t even know how much I’ve been through, what I’d do for someone like her … Someone who accepts me with all my ugliness.
“Lexi … I wouldn’t just die for you. I’d kill for you.”
Chapter 21
Alexis
A week later
He’d kill for me.
The words repeat over and over in my head as I lie in bed next to him, wondering what it all means.
No one’s ever said that.
And it seriously means a lot to me. It’s like marking someone as your fucking spouse to me.
You don’t just kill for anyone, but he’d do it for me.
That means something. Something important.
And it hit me like a brick in the face.
The last couple of weeks have been so … intense. I never stood still. Always kept going, kept living for the moment when it was time to escape.
But now … there’s nothing.
Nothing in my heart but silence … and the rustling of his heartbeat under my ear.
Warmth fills me up as I wrap my arm farther around his chest but guilt flushes over me too. I shouldn’t like this, shouldn’t prefer lying in bed with him. My sister is waiting for me to come back home, yet I can’t bring myself to get up.
None of the doors are locked. The window is even open. I could jump out and run anytime I wanted. In the pitch-black night, no one would spot me.
But I don’t want to go.
And that’s just the thing … what keeps bothering me.
Have I really fallen head over heels for a man who calls himself a monster?
His scars go so much deeper than just his skin, and it scares the shit out of me, but at the same time, it’s making me want to know so much more about him. I want to unravel his brain and piece him back together like a puzzle waiting to be solved.
I can’t get enough of him.
Which brings me back to the same old confusion I’ve felt since I came here.
I knew I was attracted to him. I’ve known it since I met him. Something about us … just clicked. And now, it’s stuck, and I can’t get him out of my head.
Or keep him out of my heart.
I sigh as he rolls over on his side, and I spoon him softly, trying not to wake him in the middle of the night.
We’ve done nothing but talk for days, and the more I get to know him, the less I want to leave.
Is this really the right thing to do? No, of course not. It’s fucking selfish … but I need it.
I need to feel this.
Need to experience what it’s really like to feel loved. Wanted. Desired. Special.
What it’s like to actually be with someone.
Nobody knows this except my sister, but I’ve never actually been with a man. Of course, I had sex with a lot of them, but they were never … boyfriend material. Honestly, I never saw the point. I had too much on my plate to have the time to get a man. Hell, Deangelo was the closest thing I had to an actual boyfriend.
And now … now, I have Viktor, and for some reason, I don’t wanna lose that.
I can’t lose that feeling … the hope that someday I may be able to live a normal life without having to sell my body to random men … without feeling the need to run.
Closing my eyes, I take in his scent and smile.
I don’t want to run anymore.
For once … I’d like to stay.
***
Viktor Page 17
