Page 8 of Beautiful Beast

“Good job, boss,” James says, nodding at the bodies. “I’ll call Charlie to come clean them up.”

“You know what? I think I want a part of that.”

“But, sir, you can’t be caught disposing of a body. You could get in trouble. The police know your name.”

“Oh, I know they know my name. That’s why I want to do this. I want a little bit of fun.”

I slip my hands under the arms of the youngest one and drag his body toward the door. A blood smear is left behind on the ground. Charlie can clean that part up.

I stop near the entrance and spy a rusty chainsaw in the corner. Hmm. That could be fun.

I pick it up and give it a rev. Miraculously, it works.

“Boss, your suit.”

I laugh as I cut through the man’s body. Blood sprays everywhere, including landing on my white, crisp suit. But I don’t fucking care. I just saw through the rest of his body, cutting him into pieces. Once I’m done, there’s not a limb attached to any part of him.

I set the chainsaw down and turn to James. “That was fun.”

“You’re fucking crazy, boss,” he says with a laugh.

“I know.” I right my jacket. “But I’ve had enough. Call Charlie to finish up the rest. I need to change.”

It’s all covered in blood now. The red looks extra crimson against the white.

“Where you going?” James asks.

“I have a wedding to plan.”

Sergei Belov approached me at my private, exclusive bar. Only members could get in.

A lot of the Bratva men in the city are members.

I know Sergei. Everyone knows Sergei. From his thin, pinched lips to his constant frown, he isn’t exactly a fun man to work with.

But he’s a man who commands respect. He’s been in the game much longer than me, with his sixty years to my thirty-five. He built out a space within the Bratva world, and I want a piece of it.

So, I was glad when he sat down across from me.

I was even more glad when he told me he wanted to create an alliance.

“How so?” I asked, steepling my fingers together and staring across the table at him. I’ve been told my stare is one of my best qualities as a Bratva man—intimidating yet handsome. It draws people in, which I can use to then fuck them over.

There are a lot of rumors about me. How I eat babies or how I saw puppies and put them in a blender. None of that’s fucking true, of course. I only ever go after men who try to fuck me over.

I never go after innocent people.

Unless, of course, I have to. Sometimes, you have to use people to get other people to stay in line. It’s how I’ve grown my business. It’s how I’ve gained power.

First, I gained loyalty from my closest men.

Then, I showed how fucking terrifying I can be if you don’t comply.

But Sergei is a different beast. He has his own business. He has no reason to be loyal to me.

But that evening, he told me, “I’m getting old, and I have no desire to go to war with anyone. You’re making your way in this city. I want a part of it. We should combine our forces and become the most powerful duo in this entire fucking city. No one would ever think of touching us.”

“I do like that idea. But you know, Sergei, that forming an alliance means we need to trust each other. How do I know I can trust you? How do I know you’re not just trying to take me down from within?”

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