Page 56 of My Hunger, Your Soul

“I’m not qualified for this, Ivan. Maybe talk to Seb or Kai. This is not in my payscale.”

“You’re the boss, you don’t have a payscale.”

“You’re right. I am the boss and I’m telling you to talk to someone else about this. You’re giving me a migraine.”

The heavy black door to the pen opens and in walks Jules and Lev, followed by three dudes and a cuffed Kane. What kind of fucking name is Kane? I watch as they bring him over to the center of the room and use cable ties to tie him to the chair that awaits him. Kane doesn’t appear bothered though, with a stupid grin on his face like this is a game.

“Thanks boys. You can leave,” Dima says, and they nod in return and walk out of the pen. No questions asked, as it should be.

“Oooh, I’m tied to a chair. You know how pathetic this looks, right? Old wannabe gangsters,” Kane spews, before Lev blows a hard hit across his face.

“Who the fuck you calling old? Little shit.”

Kane wiggles his jaw before looking directly up at Lev.

“You know you don’t need to be doing all this, all you have to do is ask? I ain’t loyal to anyone but myself.”

Dima and Lev look at each other, having one of their weird voiceless chats.

“Okay. Answer me this, why have you been following our architect?” Dima says, and Kane turns to face him, his cut lip bleeds a little as his lower lip shows signs of swelling.

“I was paid to. By a cop. Tim.”

“Tim? How the fuck do you know him and what did he want?” Lev asks.

“I know him from back home, he’s arrested me a few times for possession. I had nowhere to go, so he offered me money if I followed the pretty boy and tried to get some evidence of him with you guys. Leverage, he said. That's all I know.”

“Did you get any evidence?” I ask, and he grins at me. The arrogant little fuck needs putting in his place.

“Yeah. You and him. I’m straight, but I have to admit you look pretty hot together.”

“When?”

“In the gym. I managed to blend in as one of the workmen here and snuck in through the back, but after I got the footage, Tim said he also wanted footage of you together outside of the house, so I stalked his work, hoping you'd turn up there.”

“I’m gonna kill that fucking Timmy,” I say to Lev, ready to end this fucker.

“We’ll deal with him, but in time. Patience, Ivan,” Dima says.

“I don’t have the fucking patience to play games, D. You can’t let him continue this plot against us.”

“And we won’t. We’ve already got the ball rolling tonight with his daughter and Simon. You won’t have to wait long. I’m just as pissed and eager for revenge as you, Ivan. We all are.”

I walk over to the smug asshole in the chair and punch him in the stomach as hard as I can, and the chair rocks back, nearly taking him with it. He wheezes and coughs from the hit, but it’ll have to do for now.

I grab his skanky blond hair until his neck strains, looking up at me.

“Tomorrow, I’m gonna take my time with you. I’m gonna open your body up and remove every disgusting part of your insides while you're alive. I promise.”

Kane is still sputtering from the hit, but I mean what I say. He and Tim are dead. Come for me, yes. But coming for my family and dragging Ty into this…that's a hardline that nobody will cross alive.

29

TYLER

I sit here in my empty living room, staring out at the pretty night skyline of New York, dressed in my dark jeans and pink shirt that makes my eyes pop, tossing my phone around in my hand, still deliberating whether to call Ivan to tell him about Tim. Would he come get me if I did? Is that what I want, to be rescued like a maiden? My life, I swear, is one screwed up romance story. As I continue to question my life, my phone rings and it's Chase.

“Hey, have you landed?” I ask.

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