Page 179 of Dirty Damage

He’s justified in thinking that. I haven’t been coming to the office early very often ever since a certain blonde seductress fell across my path.

No—notfell.

Placed.

She was placed in my path.

And instead of kicking her back out of it and striding onward like I should have done, I invited her into my bed.

I’ll bet she laughed about that with that scumbag boyfriend of hers.Can you believe how easy it was to pull the wool over his eyes?

Drew fucking Anton.

To think, I was within strangling distance of the man and I let him live. I should have finished him off when I had the chance.

Now, I’m forced to fantasize about all the ways I would kill him just to get through the night.

Gelding him is the front-running fantasy. Maybe I’ll even make Sutton watch.

“Vlad,” I spit, glaring daggers at the young lieutenant, “make yourself scarce. I need to have words with Artem.”

“Something wrong, brother?” Artem asks casually, recovering fast.

“Right now, I’m not your brother.” I crack my knuckles. “I am yourpakhan,your leader, the man you swore fealty to.”

Artem nods curtly, all traces of familiarity disappearing from his face. “Understood, sir.”

“Good. If you don’t hand over any and all information you have on Sutton, then I will fire your ass right fucking now.”

Artem’s eyebrow flickers upwards. His eyes narrow. He surveys me studiously, his fingers twitching at his side.

“Listen—”

“You do have something on her?”

He sighs. “Vlad just showed up with it.”

“Then you should have informed me right away. It sounded more like you were trying to figure out how to conceal this information from me.”

“Oleg, we both know Sutton?—”

“Are you fucking stupid?” I growl. “Are you so deeply under that witch’s spell that you can’t see her for what she really is, even now?”

He hesitates before he says, “I think there’s more to the story than meets the eye.”

“Is this you talking?” I demand. “Or Faye?”

He bristles. “I’m speaking for myself here and no one else.”

“Boris handed me proof of what she is. When I confronted her, she didn’t deny it.”

“Shedid, actually,” Artem insists. “She told you why she was in contact with Anton. Isn’t it possible that she?—”

“—might be telling the truth? Jesus Christ, Artem, do you still believe in Santa Claus, too?”

“I’m trying tohelpyou, brother.”

There’s a small voice in the back of my head advising restraint. I need to put my anger aside and be a leader now.

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