Page 98 of Crimson Tears

Damien insisted on doing renovations to the torture chamber in their building and said that they will have to keep the prisoners at his new sex club in the city that will be a front for a lot of newer operations.

“My apologies, I will speak with Nessa about it today. She has said she would like to get back to work. I will see if torture is something she feels ready for tomorrow.”

There is a bout of silence. “You know I will ensure they are breathing until she is ready, even if that is not tomorrow.”

My son may be particular, and he may have a lot of hard edges, but like me, there is nothing he would not do for his family.

“I know that, thank you.”

“You are welcome. Now, why did you really call?”

Just like Alexi to get straight to the point.

“She would like to speak with Dr. K.”

The words are like a weight off of my shoulders. I knew she needed this, but I did not realize just how much I needed this for her.

“I will inform her. As far as I know her schedule is open later today.”

“Just tell her to call Nessa when she is ready. For now, plan for us to be at the club tomorrow. I have a strong feeling my little fox will be ready to play, even if she has to have others help her.”

“You are aware tomorrow night is the club’s opening, correct?”

“What better way to test out your sound system. After all, you need to know if it is up to par for the opening anyway. Do you think it can handle the job of covering our guests’ screams?”

He huffs a laugh, which is a big deal for him.

“That is true. I will have Evie contact Havoc. He really knows how to make them cry out. He booked a room for Laney, Arrow,and himself, but I think we can make this quick. One of the men will not last long, and the other will likely give us everything we want without having to lay a finger on him.”

I grit my teeth. “He laid a finger on her. He aided in burning her feet so that she could hardly walk. I plan to do much more than that to him.”

Alexi understands what happens to men who touch what is ours. It has always been the Bratva way that we do not cause harm to our women, and those who touch them pay for it with their life. We may be bad men, but even we have standards.

“I will have everything properly arranged.”

I down the last of my espresso and set the cup on the counter. “Thank you, Son. See you tomorrow.”

Over the next few hours, I busy myself in my office, wanting to let Nessa sleep and rest as much as possible. It’s coming up on tax season, and all of my legitimate businesses actually need to pay up. Getting all of that paperwork started now is important.

We still funnel a large portion into the Bratva, but we pay enough so that the government stays off of our backs. They say they use our tax money to give back to our country, but I call bullshit. Alexi and his family help those in need. They are the reason the homeless shelters in the area are no longer crowded.

Damien helped set up a recovery center for those with addiction while Alexi offers incentives to businesses that help fund it. In short, they found a way to motivate the community to take care of each other without taking away from anyone's hard earned money.

Don’t get me wrong, we still take portions of their money in order to protect their businesses. Crime is heavy here, especially in the city, but Damien tortured enough people publicly that once the Bratva name is covering a business, very few will dare to touch it. And those that do are made examples of.

I get so lost in my work that the next time I look up, I realize it’s nearly ten in the morning. I need a shower, but I need to talk to Nessa first.

When I reach our room, I find her cuddled up next to Cillian as he plays a game on his phone. She seems to be sleeping peacefully.

“How long have you been awake?” I ask him, sitting on the other side of the bed at our girl’s back.

Setting his phone down, he turns slightly towards me.

“A little over an hour. This woman sleeps like the dead.”

I chuckle. “That will happen after orgasms and pain medication.”

“Or just orgasms if you’re doing it right.” Cillian winks at me and I roll my eyes. “Do we need to talk?”

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