Page 134 of Inked Adonis

He’ll look at me and see a woman sliding a knife in his back.

And everything we might’ve had will be lost.

That pain hurts worse than anything the dog did to me. I double over, wincing, cheeks wet with tears. It’s one thing to be hopeless. It’s another thing to have a happy future right in the palm of your hand…

And then feel it all slither away.

“Save the waterworks for Samuil,” Ilya spits. “That’s where we’re headed, by the way—to see your boyfriend. Which, I’m pretty sure, means you’re about to die.” He winces like he actually cares. “Sorry about that. Tough break.”

I know there’s no point in it, but I can’t stop myself from sucking in as much air as I can and screaming. No one outside this car can hear me and no one inside cares, but I try.

I have to try.

Then there’s a sharp pain on my arm. A metallic jab, followed by a cold sensation in my bones, like Chicago winter creeping in from the inside out.

I stop screaming.

And the world goes dark.

47

SAMUIL

I’ve been in Moscow for six fucking days, and all I’ve done is bury good men and watch my empire hemorrhage money while breathing in the bitter winter air of my homeland.

The view from my office in the Litvinov Tower would impress most people. Floor-to-ceiling windows showcase Moscow’s skyline—a mix of harsh concrete architecture and the gleaming sculptures of new Russian money.

But I don’t see any of it. My focus keeps sliding to my dark phone screen, willing it to light up with Nova’s name.

Another dead soldier. Another torched warehouse. Another client jumping ship to the Andropovs.

None of it compares to the torture of Nova’s silence.

I knew she’d be angry. I prepared myself for her rage when I chose to leave without explanation. What I didn’t anticipate was how her absence would hollow me out, scraping away at my concentration until I can barely function.

Usually, Moscow is where I’m most focused. Where I come to get shit done without the distractions of Chicago drama. Without Ilya’s games or Katerina’s schemes or my father’s expectations crushing my throat.

But now? Now I fall into restless sleep thinking of Nova’s face. I wake reaching for her warmth. Every time I close my eyes, I see her devastated expression just before those elevator doors closed between us.

I shove away from my desk and look up at the ceiling.What the fuck is wrong with me?

Before my brain conjures up the long, long list needed to answer that question, my phone rings.

This time, it’s Myles’s name.

“I want good news,” I say in lieu of a real greeting.

“Then you should get another job,” he fires back. “Have you heard from Nova?”

I sit up, the chair squeaking under me. “Don’t pretend you don’t know she’s pissed at me.”

“That makes two of us, then. She won’t answer my calls. No sign on the cameras, either.”

Nervous energy zips and skitters under my skin. “Okay, so go to the penthouse and find her. I didn’t force her to stay there for nothing.”

I didn’t destroy everything we built for nothing.

Fuck, someone tell me I didn’t throw it all away for nothing.

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