Page 41 of His Grip

"You feel that?" he growled, his voice hoarse. "That's me, inside you. That's what you get for defying me."

Sofia's eyes flashed with defiance, even as her body still trembled from the aftershocks of pleasure. "I wanted you," she whispered, her voice laced with both challenge and surrender.

Viktor's hand cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing away a stray tear she hadn't even realized had fallen. "And I wanted you," he admitted, his anger dissipating into something softer, something they both knew they couldn't deny.

For a long moment, neither of them moved. They simply lay there, bodies pressed together, tangled in the sheets, breathing in time. It was the first moment of peace they had shared since everything had spiraled out of hand.

Viktor’s hand found hers, and he held it gently as if this moment—this brief, fragile silence—was all they could afford. And for the first time in a long time, Sofia felt safe, not because she was invulnerable, but because she was held.

His lips brushed against her forehead, his words low and almost tender. “You can’t leave, Sofia. Don’t ever forget that.”

Sofia didn’t respond with words. Instead, she let the silence fill the room. She didn’t need to say anything. Her body, her heart, already belonged to him.

CHAPTER 15

Sofia

Redwod.

A single word, spoken in the heat of sleep, sent shivers down Sofia’s spine. It wasn’t the first time they had shared a room, but it was the first time she’d heard him call that name. She stumbled out of bed and tiptoed to the chair in the corner, watching him sleep, too torn to climb back into the sheets with him. It didn’t mean anything, right? Perhaps the name was just a coincidence, something he’d learned from some half-forgotten intel. But still, the chances of two operations being named Redwood were slim to none. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

The truth was, Sofia had heard her father mention the operation before, in hushed whispers. She had seen documents and receipts tucked away in his office and had confronted him about it. That had been the first time she heard her father confess to something as terrible as being in league with people capable of wiping out an entire family. If Viktor knew about Redwood, didn’t it mean he was involved? Didn’t it mean it was his family they had murdered?

It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be, right?

As daybreak found her settled in the chair, she decided she’d had enough of dissecting right from wrong. She was going to confront Konstantin.

The ride to her father’s townhouse felt suffocating. Sofia’s fingers dug into the seatbelt, gripping it like a lifeline as she stared out the window, the city lights blurring into streaks. Each passing moment solidified her resolve. This couldn’t wait.

Sofia burst into the foyer, her heels clicking sharply on the marble floors. Konstantin’s startled expression met hers from where he sat at the dining table, a whiskey glass halfway to his lips. The soft shuffle of papers around him told her he had been working late—a habit she used to find endearing. Now, it only deepened her suspicion.

“Sofia? What on earth—” Konstantin began, rising.

“You’re going to tell me the truth right now,” she interrupted, sharper than she intended.

“The truth?” He placed his glass down, a bemused look crossing his face. “What are you talking about?”

“About Viktor, his family—about Redwood. Don’t think I don’t know what it is now, because I do.”

His expression faltered for a split second, just enough to confirm her fears. He recovered quickly, the mask slipping back into place, but it was too late.

Sofia strode closer, the heat of her anger barely contained. “I know you’re not innocent in what happened to him. Tell me the truth, Dad. What did you do?”

He let out a deep sigh, running a hand down his face. “Sofia, this isn’t something you should involve yourself in. Viktor’s past is complicated?—”

“Don’t patronize me!” she snapped, her tone cracking under the weight of her emotions. “You’ve been lying to me my wholelife, haven’t you? And now you expect me to just look the other way?”

Konstantin walked around the table, his footsteps deliberate. His eyes softened as he approached her, but Sofia didn’t back down.

“I kept you safe, Sofia,” he said, his tone low. “Everything I did was to protect you.”

“Protect me? Is that what you tell yourself to sleep at night?” she fired back, her chest heaving. “What about Viktor? What about his family?”

The softness in his demeanor hardened. “Viktor’s family was collateral damage in a war much bigger than him. I had no choice.”

The words felt like a slap. Sofia recoiled, the bile of betrayal rising in her throat. “No choice?” she echoed bitterly. “You’re telling me you played a part in their deaths, and you’re justifying it as ‘no choice’?”

“They were a threat, Sofia!” he barked. “Viktor’s father was reckless, and his ambition endangered us all. If I hadn’t acted, our entire network would’ve crumbled. Do you think I wanted that blood on my hands?”

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