Page 6 of Shadow

His hand snapped up, and his tattooed fingers wrapped around my throat. Before I could even retaliate, he had me on my knees again, the back of my knees throbbing from the force of his kick to drop me. My upper lip curled, and I spat into his face. He calmly wiped it away with his free hand, seemingly unbothered.

Always sofucking calm. I hated it.

“Your obedience starts here, Malik,” he warned me. “And if you choose to continue being a pain in my ass… well, you’re deciding how difficult this will all be.” He abruptly released me, then adjusted the sleeves of his suit jacket. “Pack a bag and meet me out by the SUV. You have exactly five minutes starting…” he looked at his watch, “now.”

With that, he turned on his heel and left the chapel. I pushed myself to my feet and looked at Hyram. He sighed and scrubbed his hands down his face. “This is out of my hands, Malik,” he told me quietly. I gritted my teeth. “Shaw has given me the order as well, and he ranks above me.”

I had to physically bite my tongue to keep from lashing out at Hyram. Without a word, I stalked from the room and headed toward my apartment in the back of the clubhouse to pack a bag. I was backed into a corner.

Well, if they all wanted to treat me like a fucking dog, I’d show them what happened when a hit dog was cornered.

4

Rurik

Malik stalked out of that clubhouse looking like he wanted to murder me, and fuck if that didn’t get my dick hard. I’d never made him come to heel in front of his club brothers before, but it had to happen today. He needed a reminder of who was in charge, and I also didn’t have time to stand around and argue with him, even if I would’ve liked to just to watch him get all fired up and out of control.

Malik was a force to be reckoned with, and if I could teach him to control that rage, harness it, and use it properly, he’d be un-fucking-stoppable.

That was what I wanted to make him: a beautiful machine that only bowed tome.

And Ialwaysgot what I wanted.

“Ready?” I asked as he neared me. He scowled, his lips twisting into a sneer. One of my men opened his door, and his scowl only deepened. But instead of arguing, no doubt wanting to tell Denisthat he could open his own door, he just tossed his bag onto the floorboard and slid inside onto the plush leather seat.

Denis frowned. “Mr. Carter, I can take your bag?—”

“Touch my shit, and I’ll break all ten of your fucking fingers,” Malik growled.

Denis inclined his head respectfully. “Understood, sir.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Malik muttered. Reaching out, he grabbed the door and slammed it shut, yanking the handle out of Denis’s hand.

I patted Denis’s shoulder as I walked around him to get in on the other side, where Abram was waiting to open my door for me. “He’s an acquired taste,” I told him quietly. “And he’s quite furious with me. I apologize for his behavior.”

Denis nodded. “It is no problem, Mr. Tarasov.”

It was a problem because my men had done nothing to Malik. They were only doing their jobs. I’d make it clear to Malik that treating my men with anything but respect would not be tolerated. Unless my men fucked up, they did not get yelled at or cussed at. Loyalty was earned, not given. It was a lesson Malik needed to learn—and quickly.

Abram inclined his head to me as he opened the back driver’s side door, and I slid inside. Once the door was shut, I turned to Malik. He was stewing, practically vibrating with rage.

“Malik,” I said calmly. When he didn’t turn to look at me, I drew in a deep, calming breath. He was surely working my nerves, but when it came to him, I had endless patience. If he was hoping I would snap and stoop to his level, he was sorely mistaken.

Reaching out, I gripped his jaw and dug my fingers into his cheek. He fought me for a second when I tried to turn his head, but finally, he gave in, narrowing his eyes at me once we were face-to-face.

“When I call your name, you give me your attention,” I warned him. If his lips weren’t puckered from me squeezing his cheeks, I just knew that top lip of his would be curled up into a look of disgust. “The next time you treat my men with disrespect when they’ve done nothing to earn it, I’ll lay you out on your back, do you understand me? And not in the fun, kinky way.”

“Fuck you and your men,” he snarled when I released his jaw.

I arched a brow at him. “I suggest you get over yourself, Malik. You’re stuck with me for the foreseeable future, which means you’re stuck with my men, too. Learning to get along with us will make our time together go by much smoother. But if you want to be difficult…” I let the threat hang in the air.

“This won’t last that long,” Malik snapped. “You’ll be lucky if I stick around for a day.”

I smirked, highly amused. “You really think you can escape me, Shadow?” I leaned in close to him. When he tried to press himself closer to the door in an effort to create distance between us, I gripped the front of his shirt and twisted it in my fist, bringing him so close, our noses brushed. “I will chase you to the ends of the fucking earth if youevertry to escape me. Iownyou.”

“Nobodyowns me,” Malik snarled.

“Wrong,” I breathed. “I’m the reason you’re a free man. I’m the reason you stay out of prison. I’m the reason your parole officer never comes around to check on you.” He clenched hisjaw because he knew I was right. “Don’t ever think you have the upper hand with me, Malik. Because if I truly wanted, it would only take one single phone call to tear your world to pieces.”

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