Page 181 of Sinful Games

Camera 13 flickered, the feed warping into a grotesque vision. A twisted face appeared on the screen, lips stretched into an unnatural, almost predatory grin. Her eyes—wide, black, and gleaming with something feral—locked onto mine through the lens. Then, as quickly as she appeared, the image vanished, leaving nothing but darkness.

What the hell?

The feed snapped back on. There she was, standing in the stairwell, bathed in the harsh, fluorescent light. Her tiny red dress clung to her like a second skin, her smile wide, obscene, and dripping with malice. She waved at the camera before blowing a kiss.

Her steps were deliberate, echoing in the silence, until she reached the door. She turned once more, her grin wider, more deranged, and motioned for the camera to follow her. Then, she slipped through the door and disappeared into the darkness.

The feed went black again. One by one, the rest of the cameras followed, the ballroom, the hallways, all swallowed in darkness, leaving only the hiss of static.

Lazzio leapt from his chair, sending it crashing to the floor. “What the fuck just happened?” He was typing frantically, trying to bring the screens back, but they stayed dead.

I felt a slow grin spreading across my face. “Looks like this bitch hacked your whole system. I’ll give her credit—she’s sharper than I thought. Guess Sadiek did a hell of a job teaching her.”

I headed for the door, adrenaline kicking in as I walked toward the elevator. The hallway lights flickered above, casting shadows that only made the tension worse.

Angelo hurried after me. “Where the hell are you going?”

I grabbed his arm, squeezing hard. “I know where Sadiek’s bitch is hiding. Stay with Caia. She needs you. I’ll handle this.”

The elevator finally opened, and I stepped in.

“Alexsei—”

“Now, Lazzio. Keep my wife safe. I’ll take care of the rest.”

He didn’t argue. He knew better.

The doors slid shut, and I stood there, the hum of the elevator the only sound. My blood was fucking boiling,anticipation building with each floor we passed. The elevator finally stopped, and the doors opened to the rooftop. Cool air hit me instantly, and there she was, standing in the middle of the X-marked landing zone.

She looked like a demon in red, every detail down to the tattoos on her arms screaming danger. High heels, slicked-back hair, and that same damn grin. She was waiting for me, savoring this moment, knowing she had me right where she wanted.

She smiled. “Hi, Alexsei.”

“Hello, Leila.”

Chapter

Sixty

“The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.”

?Joe Klaas

Alexsei

“How’s life treating you, Leila? Last time we met, you were practically begging to suck my dick, but only in my damn car because you were too scared shitless Sadiek would find out. So, forgive me if I’m a little surprised to see youhere—no offense, of course.”

She frowned, stepping closer, her hands hidden behind her back. Leila was the missing piece in the wreckage of my life. She killed my son and shattered my marriage, and for what?

When Caia told me the last thing she remembered before being knocked out, I knew who she was talking about. Only one woman could be that pissed Sadiek disappeared in ashes:his wife or his whore. And since he had no wife, I knew it had to be Leila.

She was our only link before Caia walked into my life.

“I cared about you, Alexsei,” she said, her voice tinged with some bullshit emotion. “That’s why I was scared of Sadiek—I didn’t want him to kill you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Spare me your dramatics, Leila. Sadiek said you were living in Poland, all cozy with two kids and a husband. But I guess, like everything else he spewed, it was all fucking lies.”

She smiled, inching even closer, her high heels doing nothing to level the distance between us. “Please, Alexsei. You know me better than that,” she laughed, low and dark. “I could never be a wife, let alone a mother. I love my freedom way too much for that.”

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