Page 20 of Kiss the Villain

I’d feel sorry for him if I knew how.

I thought I’d find him and kill him, but now, I have an upgraded plan—make him suffer.

In the most painful way possible.

I’ll make him wish he never met me.

Let alone touched me.

“This is so fucking boring.” My cousin Nikolai wraps an arm around Jeremy’s shoulders as we walk to campus. “Give me something, Jer. A battle, a war, a little toy to fuck with.”

“We have the initiation coming. Try to hold it in until then,” Jeremy speaks in a calm, unbothered tone.

He’s the Heathens’ leader, the son of the New York Bratva’s strategist, and has quite a few similarities with his father. Like me, he doesn’t act without a plan, but unlike me, he’s openly ruthless when need be.

“It’s not piss, Jer. I can’t just hold it in,” Nikolai grumbles out loud, drawing people’s attention due to his big frame and the full-sleeve tattoos peeking from beneath his T-shirt.

He’s my maternal cousin—our moms are identical twin sisters—and the most chaotic person I know. He’s the most violent among us and gets off on crunching people’s bones, but he’s also random as fuck.

While my mom is a Russian mafia princess, she separated from the organization long before I was born. Aunt Rai and her husband, however, are two of their leaders. That gives Nikolai, like Jeremy and Vaughn, a legacy to continue and his parents’ shoes to fill.

Kill and I are just here for the ride. A revival of our distant Russian roots, perhaps. In my case, I need a venting outlet, which I’m sure is the same for Kill.

“Just get your dick wet, Niko,” my brother says, walking on Niko’s left. “That usually takes care of the aggression, even if temporarily.”

“Satan’s heir, you evil genius.” Niko releases Jeremy and headlocks my brother.

“Stating the obvious, I see,” Kill says in his usual arrogant tone that will one day get him murdered decapitation style.

Niko keeps talking about his dick, and I’m glad we’re not in the house or he’d be indulging in exhibitionism.

I fall behind to match Jeremy’s steps. “Vaughn is coming to the initiation, right?”

“Is there a reason he wouldn’t?”

“Just checking.”

Jeremy glances at my bandage, then back at my face. “How about getting your hand properly checked? Kill said the wound is deep.”

“You know he likes to exaggerate things.”

“I saw the blood in the car. Didn’t seem exaggerated.”

“Just a little accident, Jer.”

“I expect Niko and Kill to get into little accidents. Hell, even Vaughn, but not you, Gaz.”

Jeremy stops and I’m forced to do the same. Since he’s the oldest among us, he annoyingly takes the leadership position seriously.

Waytoo seriously for my taste.

“Won’t happen again.”From now on, I’ll be the one inflicting pain.

“Better not. You’re the only levelheaded person I trust to keep things under control.”

“Don’t worry.”As long asI’munder control, that is.

“You won’t tell me what actually happened?”

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