Page 17 of Trapping His Darling

Even in death, my mother guided me.

“Destroy all who stand in your way, my son. Rise and overthrow your father, claim your rightful throne.”

Her words seared into my soul, and when the freezer doors finally swung open, and my father released me, I knew my time for revenge would come. I would bide my time, lurking like a venomous snake within the Bratva’s garden, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. They had no inkling of the ruthless adversary they had cultivated within their midst.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Viktor

“What doyou mean he’s dead?” I asked my head soldier, as he stood before my desk.

“We found Sasha in his flat, sitting on the couch, dick sliced off. Clean cut. He might have been robbed. We can’t find his wallet. But his jewelry is still there.”

Interesting.“Was he armed?”

“Yes. His gun was still holstered. He never removed it.”

“Cameras?”

The soldier pulled out his phone and leaned in to show me. “Nothing unusual from outside security. Just the girl he brought home from the bar. She didn’t stay long. Her friend picked her up from outside his flat. No blood splatter on her clothing.”

“And it didn’t occur to you, or your men, that you should track this girl down and interrogate her?”

“She’s just a woman. A whore, most likely. Sasha wasn’t tied up.”

“And?” I pressed.

“There were no signs of a struggle. His blood showed no drugs. His drink was not laced. We think it’s the Italians. They snuck in through the back after the whore left, then bled Sasha out to leave the Bratva a message.”

“And just what might that message be?”

The soldier shook his head sadly. “Fuckers took Sasha’s dick with them. Probably gave it to Don Ricci. You know how dramatic the Italians are. Since it was a dick that caused the rift, and they can’t find Alexie…”

I swallowed my rage. There was that Alexie fucking arrogance again, haunting the ranks even though he was half a fucking world away. The Bratva had more than one enemy, and some were more personal than organizational.

Leveling the soldier with a glare, I snatched the phone from his hand and zoomed in. I blinked hard. I had seen this woman recently.

Tossing the phone back to him, I searched through my piles of paperwork and pulled out a stack. I flipped through it until her passport photo appeared. Yes, this was where I’d seen her. Such a naughty little girl too. No work visa, and she was supposedly dead in her own country; having died in a fire with her parents.

I had requested the temp agency who was adding people to the serving staff to send me a list of employee names. I’d run a background check on every single one. We could not be too careful with the way things were with the Italians.

Her captivating eyes initially drew my attention. I examined her headshot more closely. The curve of her lips fascinated me. Her flawless dark skin radiated under the harsh camera light. I imagined how her curly locks would bounce as her soft, sensuous mouth moved up and down my cock.

The need to unravel her secrets consumed me, more so now that she might have killed one of my men. Her past concealedmysteries that beckoned me further. She had fled to this place, and that only piqued my curiosity. What kind of darkness flowed through her veins? What could the authorities want with a woman of her allure?

“Visit her,”my mother’s voice echoed in my head.

Her address was on the employee file.

This was an obsession I had no time for, yet I couldn’t get past that smile and those eyes; windows to the soul, as they were. I recognized a kindred spirit.

And in my heart, I knew she had killed my man.

???

Since my soldierswere seemingly incompetent to handle thisfemme fataleissue, I decided to do it alone. I parked outside Tiffany’s building. My understanding was that she had already left for work, but the landlord, after hearing my name, assured me it would be no issue to inspect the apartment.

I knocked on his door. The moment he opened it, I went straight to business. “Open apartment A3,” I growled. “Now.” I had no time for formalities.

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