Page 60 of Shattered Empire (Shattered World)

The woman’s eyes were hooded, pupils blown open with lust as she gazed up at me from underneath her lashes. It was bold and brazen. At one point, I would have taken her up on her offer and brought her up, fucked her, and dismissed her. But not anymore. The only woman who made my cock twitch was currently mourning my death on the other side of the world.

“Well…” Dima smirked and moved to push past me, but I wasn’t having it.

“You just fucked our stewardess,” I reminded him, watching the woman’s face fall in disgust. “I think your dick needs some recovery time first.”

“But…”

“Nyet,” I hissed before dragging him along after me. “Stop acting like a boy and thinking with your damn dick before I castrate you to solve the problem.”

Dima didn’t say anything, but it was hard to miss the pull of his lips.

Fucker was messing with me.

“Come.” My voice was less harsh as we stepped into the elevator. “We have work to do.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“I’m not as stupid as you think I am.”

A snort escaped my lips at the insinuation. “I never said you were,” I placated. “I simply wanted to be sure that the pretty brunette at the service desk wouldn’t be a distraction for you.”

Dima blew out his lips in frustration, and I couldn’t help the chuckle I released. Here I was sitting like a fucking creeper in the middle of a blacked-out apartment, stalking my target. It was long past midnight, and the fucker still hadn’t shown his face. We’d come here for Kirill, but he wasn’t the only one I was after.

My backup man was currently pouting outside in the car like a dejected puppy. I made sure to crack a window for him. Maksim had been the holder of Dima’s leash for as long as I could remember. I would say it was something kinky, but while my young associate might flex and bend with gender, Maksim had no such flexibility.

“I know when to take my balls out of the game.”

Wasn’t quite how the American phrase went, but I would let it slide.

For now.

“Then prove it,” I commanded him. “Prove that you can be a reliable asset,brat, and maybe I will think about allowing you more freedom in the future.”

Should have brought fucking Leon or Roman with me.

Problem was that both were easily recognizable as being associated with me.

Dima was my ghost man. My thief in the shadows.

“Got him,” Dima informed me. Hacking into the hotels Wi-Fi had been horrifyingly easy. “He’s heading into the elevator with two security guards.”

My hand clenched on the gun in my lap.

“Security got off on the floor below him.”

Rookie mistake. I smirked darkly. Never leave yourself open without easily accessible backup. I waited patiently, the soft pad of footsteps my reward some minutes later. Rolling my shoulders back, I tilted my head up and prepared. The lock beeped, and the door handle clicked. Moments later, it closed, and the snick of the lock sounded.

Time for business.

“Privet,dvoyurodnaya brat,” I greeted my cousin coldly, the muzzle of my baretta aimed at his chest. Ivan, the man who paraded himself as Jonathan Archer, froze in his tracks. Flipping on the lamp, I expected to see fear creeping into his silver eyes. Instead, his own gun was aimed at my head, a smarmy smirk goading his lips.

Pizdets.

“Matthias.” I wanted to punch that smirk off his face and watch that smug glint in his eye fade to nothing as I choked the life from him.

“Archer.” I nodded my head at him, my eyes never leaving his face. “Or should I call you Ivan?”

“Took you long enough.” Again, the man showed no fear, only expectance. “I thought you would have found me sooner, honestly.”

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