Page 44 of Torn Souls

“Then why have you asked me no less than five times if I want coffee? Not only am I perfectly capable of communicating that I want a cup of coffee, but I’m able to get up and get it myself if I wanted it bad enough.”

“But I always bring you coffee,” Betty practically whines.

I’m unable to hold in my wince at how high her voice is. It grates on my nerves and by the way the amusement leaves Maxim’s eyes and Kirill stares Betty down, I’m not alone.

How the hell has this woman lasted this long with us? She’s a user and she thinks she’s capable of manipulating. Clearly, she thinks we’re the kind of men to be led around with our dicks.

“Betty,” my voice is low and deceptively calm, “do you believe any of us are stupid?”

Her wide eyes meet mine and she shakes her head. “Of course not, Mr. Cardenas.”

I stand up slowly and start to stalk toward the woman. I’m done with her bullshit. While we’ve all tried to rebuff her gently, for the most part, it’s clear to me that she’s just not getting it.

Now, with Oaklynn in the picture, she’s fighting even harder for a place that was never hers. I’m unable to sit back and watch it any longer.

“Then stop acting like it. You are the receptionist for this floor. Your job is important to the business,” she flashes me a huge smile, thinking I’m complimenting her, “but that doesn’t mean you are important. The role can be filled by anyone.”

“What?” Her eyes become glassy with unshed tears, but I don’t believe them for a moment. They’re fake, just like the rest of her.

“You heard me.” I tilt my head to the side as I look her over, my lip curling up in disgust. “Right now, you look more like a whore than the professional receptionist that we need.”

Her hands come up and she covers her bountiful cleavage as if she wasn’t the one who made the choice to put it all out there for anyone to see. A blush covers her cheeks, but I have a feeling it’s more from anger than anything else. It sure as fuck isn’t because of any innocence she may have.

She turns her puppy dog eyes toward Kirill who only gives her a cold stare in return. If she thinks that he’s going to save her from my words, which are the truth, she’s in for a rude awakening. Her entire demeanor crumples when Kirill doesn’t defend or placate her.

“I’m sorry,” she stutters out before turning and fleeing from the office.

Kirill relaxes back in his chair and lifts an eyebrow as he looks at me. I shrug, not even a little bit sorry.

“I was tired of avoiding looking at her tits. They’re not that great,” I tell him honestly.

Maxim chuckles and shakes his head with a grin on his face. The man loves stirring the pot or just watching drama unfold.

Kirill nods thoughtfully, “They’re nothing like the perfect breasts our woman has.”

Maxim glares at Kirill and growls, “Yes, we know you got to see our woman completely naked and even buried your cock inside of her. You don’t need to remind me.”

Maxim stands as if he’s going to leave the office and go to track down our woman, but Kirill’s voice stops him, “It’s time.”

I give a curt nod and sit back in my chair, ready to get this conversation over with. The man hasn’t contacted his daughter in the few days she’s been with us. It makes me wonder if he’s even noticed that she’s not at home.

From what Oaklynn has said, it wouldn’t surprise me if that was the case. Anger ignites in my gut, and I know it won’t be satisfied until Richard Chambers is dead and our woman is completely free.

Kirill dials Chambers and puts the call on speaker. It only rings twice before the dead man walking picks up, “Kirill, I had a feeling you would be calling me today.”

The chuckle that comes out of Kirill should serve as a warning to the man who doesn’t know his time is almost up. “I don’t recall giving you the liberty to address me by my first name, Richard,” his voice is cold and domineering.

“Of course, Mr. Volkov, I apologize.” Chambers clears his throat and tries a different approach. “What can I do for you? Have you considered my proposal?”

“Your proposal? You mean when you offered your daughter up on a silver platter without a single care?”

“No,” the shout that comes from Chambers is full of indignance, “that’s not what I did. I came to you to propose a partnership with my daughter’s hand in marriage strengthening our alliance.”

“Alliance,” Kirill chuckles the word like even the suggestion is amusing.

It kind of is. Alliance. What a fucking joke.

To pretend that he brings anything to the table besides his daughter, is comical. The man has nothing, and he knows it. He just doesn’t believe that we know.

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