Page 18 of Vitaly

How?

How could I have been so unprepared?

When I speed up to the gate, I blare the horn and roll down my window, urgently waving my arm so the guards will let me through. Vitaly’s scent clings to me from his T-shirt, and if it wasn’t the only thing I was wearing, I’d rip it off.

I hate the scent.

Hate it.

It’s the musty scent of arrogance and greed, and the moment I get the chance, I’ll burn it along with this SUV he thinks he rescued me with.

Rescuedme.

Him.

As soon as the gate opens, I speed through. The SUV screeches to a halt when I reach the front patio and slam on the break, ripping it into park and throwing open the door.

It’s early morning, so Nikita should still be home, but if he isn’t, he’ll hurry back. He’ll want to hear what I have to say.

Today is the day Vitaly Petrov finally stops breathing.

My ribs hurt as I storm through the front door, not giving my injury any care. I welcome the pain. It fuels my steps to Nikita’s office where I find him with his underboss, Alik.

The door slams into the wall when I throw it open. I stomp to stand in front of Nikita who’s sitting across from Alik with the gold serpent head of his cane cupped loosely in his hand.

“He’s alive,” I say, as if it’s new information to either man.

Nikita’s face is pinched in a scowl that makes me want to drop to my knees, but for once, I don’t falter. I tighten my fists.

“You told me Vitaly was dead,” I sneer, taking angry inhales through my flared nostrils.

Not a flicker of guilt crosses Nikita’s expression. He pins me with an icy glare, like he’s waiting for me to remember my place, but as far as I’m concerned, I survived his test last night. I even survived the devil.

If I’m not good enough to be a soldier now, maybe I’ll never be.

“Who told you he was alive?” Nikita finally asks.

I bark out a dry laugh. “Hedid. He’s here, Nikita. Last night, when you sent your goons tokillme, he kidnapped me before they could finish.”

“Vitaly’s alive?!” Alik asks, rising from his chair. When I turn to him, his eyes are wide and furious, pointed at Nikita.

He didn’t know either.

Instead of answering, Nikita stands, not taking his eyes off me. His lips are set in a thin line, his eyes clouded with violence.

“He took you?” Nikita asks, limping to me.

I nod. “I barely escaped. He’s dangerous. And armed. We’ll need to assemble a?—”

My words cut off at the sharp crack against my cheek from Nikita’s palm. I bend over, my hand cupping my face. When his cane swings next, the metal handle connects with my jaw and knocks me to the floor.

I curl onto my side, my ribs and jaw aching as I cower with my hand over my face.

Too strong. I came in way too strong.

“You were with him, in the same room, and youran away?!” Nikita roars before slamming his cane down on my side. My body stiffens, uncurling on instinct as he digs it into my kidney. My mouth is clamped shut, but shameful whines escape as I close my eyes and wait for it to stop.

“All that training I let you do, and for what? So you can botch the one opportunity you have to make yourself useful?” He letsup on my kidney but kicks my stomach, knocking away what little air I had left. “Worthless fucking whore.”

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