Page 114 of Bratva Butcher

To my right, there were huge, glass double doors that led to an outdoor balcony.Perfect. Rushing forward, I used both hands to push them open wide. Cold night air smacked me in the face, and I sucked in a deep, shaky breath.

Fairy lights were strung up all along the walls, casting the space in a beautiful, calming light. Various forms of furniture were laid out evenly, a couch on one side and three chairs on theother, surrounding a glass table. On that table were numerous packets of cigarettes and lighters.

This must be where they all come to smoke.

I eyed one of the packets. “Fuck it,” I grumbled, picking it up.

I wasn’t a full-time smoker. More of a stress smoker, and right then, I was pretty fucking stressed.

Pulling one out, I placed it between my lips and lit it. Taking a deep breath in, I let the smoke fill my lungs before exhaling heavily. A sense of calm washed over me…for all of three seconds. I took another drag. Then another. And another. That calm never returned.

“I need some fucking weed,” I muttered under my breath, smoke escaping from my mouth with each word.

My mind was a jumbled mess. Part of me didn’t regret what had happened between Dimitri and I, despite the preverbal diss I’d received afterwards. It meant I at least got to have him once, so how could I regret that? Got to experience what it was like to be ruthlessly fucked and owned by Dimitri Volkov.

Another part of me, though, did regret it, and it was for the exact same reason: having himoncewould never be enough.

Even then, I craved his touch again. Craved to have his lips on me, his teeth biting into my skin. Craved that closeness with him.

An ache quickly built up in the centre of my chest. I rubbed my sternum, a frown on my face.This feeling… I’d never felt it before. I had no idea what it was…except that it hurt. It hurt so fucking badly every time I thought of him.

I didn’t like it. I wanted it to go away-

“Lovely evening we’re having tonight, aren’t we, Miss DeValos?”

I spun around quickly at the sound of a deep voice coming from behind me. A man stood in the doorway, the top half of his face shrouded in darkness.

My heart slammed into my chest.Jesus Christ.I’d been so distracted by my thoughts that I hadn’t even heard him approach.

Wait, did he just call me Miss DeValos? Fuck, that means he knows who I really am.

“I know you?” I asked, throwing out an air of indifference.

“Not personally, no. But you did business with an associate of mine who was operating on behalf of me.”

I frowned in thought. The only contract I’d taken recently where I didn’t deal directly with the client was—

Dominik’s.

Releasing a sigh, I flicked my finished cigarette over the balcony and crossed my arms over my chest. “Look, if this is about the deposit, you’re not getting it back. I didn’t kill him directly, which was why I didn’t charge you the outstanding amount of your bill. But Iearnedthat deposit. I put in a month’s worth of work, and ended up getting kidnapped and nearly killed for my trouble. That money ismine. I’m not giving it back.”

I expected him to fight me on it. Most clients would have, but he just frowned.

“He’s…dead?” he asked, confused.

“Saw the blade go through his heart with my own eyes,” I said, smiling at the memory.

His frown deepened. He glanced over his shoulder, staring back into the house and then turned back, studying me closely. He moved, crossing the small distance to look over the railing and down into the ballroom below. “If he’s dead, how is it that I’m looking at him right now?”

What?

“That’s impossible,” I whispered under my breath. I rushed forward, joining him at his side. I stared down into the sea of people below, searching and searching. I didn’t see Dominik, but I did see—

Dimitri.

I whipped around to face him, eyes wide. “The contract I received was forDominikVolkov, not Dimitri Volkov.”

“Was it? Huh.” Then he threw his head back and laughed. I didn’t see what was remotely funny about the situation. “I used to always get my sons mixed up when they were children, but this is the first time it’s ever happened as adults. How humorous.”

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