Page 99 of Lord of Debauchery

Even my beautiful wife made no sound.

“What a pity, American prick. But you always told me to take advantage of every situation.” He spit on the dead man, cursing in Russian. But there was a strange wavering moment as he peered down at his daughter. “I did love you, Anastasia. I truly did and I’m sorry.”

“Keep your apologies, Daddy. I have what I need now in Beckham.”

Boris glanced at me from head to toe, obviously sizing me up.

Unfortunately, the aging Russian made the mistake of attempting to turn the weapon toward me. From what little I knew about the man, it could be nothing more than a suicide mission of his own, but I wasn’t a fool, nor did I take those kinds of chances.

“Pozabot’tes’ o moyey docheri,” were his last words.

Take care of my daughter.

With a single bullet driven into his brain, I was now free to turn my attention to the woman I loved.

I knew that after I’d killed her father, she might hate me but I’d had no other choice. It was clear the man had wanted to die.

I didn’t need to ask Camden to untie her. He did so immediately and she bolted up from her chair, staring at me as if I was the Antichrist.

It was an odd moment, more so than any other. We had dead bodies, enemy soldiers being hunted and trapped, an entire world placed on edge given the information that had gone out and likely near madness. Yet here we were, the entire room remaining quiet, waiting for her reaction.

When she finally took several steps closer, still in her now filthy wedding dress, her hair a complete mess and dirt covering her face, I held my breath.

The brutal crack of her hand was just forceful enough that my head was moved to the side. I shifted my jaw, rubbing my chin as I accepted the blow. Sure, it was well deserved.

And there wasn’t a sound in the room. Not one. Not sucking in air or cursing under their breath. Just… silence.

“You bastard.” Her hiss was more powerful than her strike.

“I did what I had to do.”

She inched closer, her eyes piercing mine. Goddamn, I loved this woman. Her spunk. Her intelligence. Her verve for life. And her take no shit attitude.

“Yeah? Well, what took you so long? We have a honeymoon to get to.” When she threw her arms around my neck, I almost felt as if I’d been dropped into a twisted gameshow. Survival in the Wild. Hell, it might work.

As she crushed her mouth over mine, the entire group of men broke into applause.

I’d lived the kind of life so many people would dream of. I’d been allowed to enjoy all those finer things, toys, and treats that in the end wouldn’t matter. Heaven and hell. I wasn’t certain where I stood but I knew I wanted to become a better man.

For my wife.

For my children and grandchildren.

And for the men and women I was lucky enough to have gained respect from.

Today was a good day.

Okay, so it was one for the history books and by God, it had better not be repeated, but I still considered it one of the best days of my life.

Because I had the woman of my dreams in my arms.

The rest of the shit could wait.

EPILOGUE

Three months later

Kenya

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