Page 6 of Deadly Hands

And Reuben was next in line to play.

Reuben’s stomach heaved. This couldn’t be happening. This morning he’d been reading rejection emails in his apartment.Now he was watching his college roommate get tortured by the Russian mob.

“Fascinating technique.”

The words, spoken so casually, drew Reuben’s attention back to Nikon. The elder Matvei had moved closer, close enough that Reuben caught the subtle scent of his cologne - something expensive with notes of whiskey and leather that made his head swim. The man carried himself with the fluid grace of a fighter, his muscular frame evident even beneath the perfect cut of his suit.

“Most people.” Nikon gestured at Corey with his scarred hand. “They try to dissociate. Look away. But you...” Those blue eyes studied Reuben’s face. “You’re analyzing. Calculating. Even now.”

Heat crept up Reuben’s neck. He hadn’t realized he’d been doing it—that instinctive need to read people, to understand the dynamics at play. The same skill that had served him so well at the poker table now felt like a curse.

“Please.” The word scraped past Reuben’s dry throat. “He made a mistake—”

“Don’t waste your breath,” Nikon murmured, and then his hand was on Reuben’s face. Those scarred fingers were surprisingly gentle as they cupped his jaw, turning him away from Corey’s torture. “Corey is, as I said, my brother’s concern now.”

Up this close, Reuben could see the faint lines at the corners of Nikon’s eyes, marks of experience that only enhanced his rugged appeal. His touch was warm, almost tender, creating a dizzying contrast with the violence Reuben guessed those hands were capable of inflicting.

Behind them, Corey whimpered as Andrey murmured something in Russian.

“You, however.” Nikon’s hand tightened on Reuben’s jaw, keeping his face firmly turned away from the scene behind him. Nikon’s voice rumbled low in his chest as his thumb traced over Reuben’s jawline. “You aremyproblem to solve.”

The touch should have horrified him. This man had just watched the torture without flinching. Had orchestrated who knows how many similar scenes in this basement. But there was something in the way those fingers moved along his jawline—something almost tender that made Reuben’s pulse jump for entirely different reasons.

“I’m not—” Reuben swallowed hard. “I didn’t know about the money.”

“I believe you.” Nikon’s thumb brushed across his bottom lip. “But you still usedourmoney to winourmoney. That’s like taking a loan.” A dangerous smile curved his lips. “And we always charge interest.”

Fresh terror coiled in Reuben’s gut, warring with the unwanted heat Nikon’s touch sparked under his skin. In any other setting, this surprising attention from the handsome older man would have been flattering. But here, with blood on the concrete and Corey’s pained gasps filling the air, it felt like another form of torture.

“What do you want from me?”

The words were barely audible, but Nikon’s smile widened as if Reuben had shouted them.

“What do I want?” Those blue eyes darkened. “Now, that is an interesting question.”

Another scream from Corey made Reuben flinch, but Nikon’s hand kept his face turned away from the violence.

“For fuck’s sake, Nikon.” Andrey’s voice carried equal parts exasperation and rage. “Are you going to make him your bitch or make him pay?”

Nikon’s thumb stilled against Reuben’s lip. Those blue eyes continued to study his face with an intensity that made his skin prickle. The silence stretched, broken only by Corey’s ragged breathing and the soft tap of water dripping somewhere in the shadows.

“Why limit ourselves?” Nikon’s voice carried a dark promise that sent shivers down Reuben’s spine. “When we could have both?”

The words hung in the air like a noose.

Reuben’s mind raced through the implications, each possibility worse than the last. The guards still held his arms, but it was Nikon’s touch that truly trapped him—that firm grip on his jaw that somehow felt more binding than steel.

“Your poker skills are... exceptional.” Nikon’s hand finally dropped away, leaving Reuben’s skin burning where those fingers had been. “It would be a waste to simply punish you.”

Nikon began to pace. “You spotted tells my best dealers missed. Reads that even I hadn’t caught.” A slight smile played at his lips. “And you did it all while maintaining perfect control. No obvious tells of your own. No ego plays. Just...” His hand gestured elegantly. “Pure talent.”

The praise shouldn’t have warmed something in Reuben’s chest. Not here. Not now. Not from this man.

But it did.

“So, I have a proposition for you.” Nikon stopped directly in front of him. “One that could benefit us both.”

A pained laugh bubbled up in Reuben’s throat. “Like Corey’s proposition benefited me?”

---