Page 60 of Trapping His Assassin

I hung a U-turn like the robotic voice directed.

“Where?” I demanded with my hand, banging on the steering wheel for emphasis.

Alexie chuckled softly. “I need to hunt. It’s been months since I sensed the heartbeat of something living, before I struck and slit its throat.”

I guess there was nowhere to kill animals during his stay at a luxury IVF treatment center.

I signed, “I can’t be gone for long.”

I wanted to get back to Valentina as fast as possible.

“That pretty little thing will still be waiting for you when you get home. It’s not like you can’t access the camera feed if you want to see her,” Alexie pointed out.

I grinned, remembering I had her every move on camera.

I signed. “You’re right. I could use a bit of release.”

I wasn’t talking about hunting, though. I had shit I wanted to say to Alexie. What better time to do that, than when he has a loaded weapon with him?

We made it to The Range with a ton of time to spare. I could get back to Valentina before dark. This facility was run by the Bratva. It was a huge property with a ton of fun toys of torture.

The pen was full of animals who’d gone against The Brotherhood. We also kept or killed those who were enemies to our allies. We had to protect them so that we could rule with an iron fist.

After strapping on weapons, the buzzer went off, indicating that the hunt had begun. Alexie and I always sparred here, and the objective was every man for himself. Whoever collected the most villains was the winner.

I broke into a sprint, my feet pounding against the pavement, as I scanned the street for potential targets. A runner caught my eye, but I bypassed them without a second thought. Easy prey wasn’t my style. I preferred a challenge, someone with intelligence and determination.

My veins pumped with adrenaline as I sprinted through the dense forest, scanning my surroundings for any signs of movement. The timer on my watch was counting down, and I had to find my target before time ran out. Suddenly, a flash of white caught my eye in the distance; my elusive prey. With determination fueling my steps, I raced towards it, but it bolted away before I could catch up.

Undeterred, I changed direction and circled back around, using the element of surprise to my advantage. Bursting onto the opposite side of my prey, they froze in shock; an unknown person, another target. It was my job to take them down by whatever means necessary.

Without hesitation, I hurled my knife towards them with closed eyes, and heard a satisfying yelp, as it landed in their gut. But they were still alive, desperately reaching for me with pleading eyes. Disgusted by their weakness, I clicked my tongue and moved closer, ready to finish them off. But before I could pull the trigger on my gun, an arrow appeared out of nowhere, and pierced them between their eyes.

Raging with anger at Alexie’s interference, I slammed my knife to the ground and pounced on him, tackling him to the hard dirt. He had taken the kill that was rightfully mine, and now he would pay for it.

I shoved him hard before signing. “That was my kill.” A choppy snarl left my lips as I punched him in the face.

“What is wrong with you, kid?” Alexie tried to fight me off, but for the first time, he was weaker than me.

Every time we’d trained, Lex had overpowered me. He would gloat that he was the strongest, and that was why he should’ve been the heir. Now that his father was long gone, he’d started to see that Viktor was the better leader.

Alexie built his little army here, and has been happy for the most part. Hence his obsession with getting Sloane pregnant, which reminded me of the words that came out of Alexie’s mouth.

I signed. “I know I should be grateful to you for saving my life–” Alexie cut me off.

“That’s not how I think at all. I don’t need you to fucking thank me.” He scoffed.

I didn’t believe him. I mean, he was in a weird relationship with his woman. It was almost like she had no consent 24/7. It was why I was so paranoid about ending up like Alexie.

My hand motions grew bigger as my frustration mounted. “Where were you during the moments she needed you?”

I signed. “Why throw your need for a real heir in my face?” I couldn’t help it if my body language showed my aggravation.

Alexie used to be my hero. Yes, I wanted him to go back to Russia, but that was because he was scaring the men. He needed someone with an iron fist who could keep him in line.

That was Viktor.

“That’s not what I’m doing. Or at least I don’t think I am.” His unsure tone stopped me.

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