Page 18 of Kiss of Death
Boris pulled his cock out of his lifeless pet. There was blood everywhere, and she had passed out well before he was finished fucking her. The defiance that remained in her drove him madder with the need to break her. The harder he went, the stronger the defiance became. No matter how many times she screamed for him, he hadn’t been able to break her. His beautiful pet wished for a death that would be here soon enough, but not before he had his time with her.
It was such a shame she was going to be wasted in this war. Bruno had a purpose for her, and as much as Boris would hate to see this pet go, this was Bruno’s plan and his way to fix the mistake he made. Boris could, of course, just flex his power and tell him to get a new incentive—he really wanted to keep her for himself—but people needed to be hurt, and this little pet was part of Bruno’s grand finale.
Boris leaned in, grabbing her face. “Oh, the fun we could have if only we had forever.” He licked her lips, his cock already growing hard with the prospect of taking her again, but his cell phone rang, pulling his attention.
He picked it up. “They moved the bodies quickly. There hasn’t been any cops at the locations. Tres, Wolf’s, and Smoke seem to be up and running like nothing happened.”
Boris nodded, even though he knew the other person couldn’t see him. The dead bodies had been Bruno’s idea, and he went along with it because he actually liked the idea. It was something he himself would have done to issue the first blow.
“What do you want me to do with these new guys?”
Boris heard the tail end of the question, his mind already thinking of all the ways he was going to make Sofia bleed. “What was that?”
“There’s these Hispanic guys asking if we know where to score some sand storms.”
Sand storms had been Boris’s supply of heroin he sold on the streets of his section of Brooklyn. He cut it was talcum powder so he could sell more of it at a lesser expense to him. It was watered down shit, and his buyers had been too stupid or high to realize they weren’t getting the good shit. Without any real competition, it didn’t matter to Boris.
“You’ve seen these men before?” Boris asked, wondering why this was being brought to him.
“No. They said they just moved into the neighborhood.”
“Keep an eye on them and don’t sell to them yet.” It wasn’t unusual for people to approach his men about sand storms, but there weren’t many Hispanics in his neck of the woods. He wouldn’t put it past Sofia to have someone scoop out his products and try and push into his territory.
He knew that meeting with the families was just a matter of formality. He didn’t give a shit about Sofia Barbati nor he would allow her to sit in power. He wanted her eliminated, and after meeting her, he knew she was just another woman who could easily be subdued.
This was a man’s world, and once this war was over, he was going to reign supreme with Sofia Barbati on her fucking knees where she belonged.
IVY SAT ON THE BARSTOOLfeeling exhausted and rundown. This day and this job couldn’t be over quick enough for her.
Today was the first day since they allowed her to talk to her sister that she didn’t have access to her. It was strange not hearing Eve’s voice for their scheduled calls. Their fifteen-minute talks had been the only normalcy they were allowed to have. It made Ivy’s days a little easier. It was what she held onto on the rough days when she hurt so bad she thought she was dying.
Ivy’s heart ached, already missing her sister. She wondered if Bruno or whoever had her now even bothered to tell Eve what was going on. Probably not. They were no more than property, and the only reason Ivy was able to have certain privileges was due to her value. She just hated that Eve might think Ivy abandoned her or something worse happened, and if it was the latter, she wasn’t sure how strong Eve’s will to hold on would be. They kept each other going when they both probably would have tried to call it quits ages ago.
Ivy rubbed at her chest, hoping to ease the ache her worry for her sister caused. She was feeling anxious and had a nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen. That feeling had been chasing her the entire night, making it difficult to concentrate on pretty much anything, and yet again she danced like shit on that stage.
She was sure whatever meeting they called for the dancers after closing time had to do with Ivy and her bad performance. They were probably going to make some general statement about employee performances and give her a warning after everyone left. The only time in Tres she’d been on point with her dancing was when she knew Otto was watching her.
Mary plopped down next to her on a bar stool with a smile and nudged her shoulder. “You okay? You look a little tired.” Ivy nodded, tired didn’t even begin to describe what she felt. “You want to talk about it?”
Mary placed a warm hand on her arm and Ivy looked up at the woman. She had a motherly vibe about her and the kindest eyes. It made her want to wrap her arms around Mary and let her take all her worries away. This was the second time Mary had been nice to her, and it made her feel like the years she spent having to hide her emotions and tears suddenly had the freedom to flow freely. She blinked a few times trying her hardest to hold back her tears and not fall on this woman’s shoulder crying.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Was she so starved for human decency and kindness that when she experienced just a glimpse of it, it was like a battering ram against the iron wall she had to keep up for survival?
Ivy let out a breath doing her best to ignore the kindness that vibrated off of Mary. She went to say something when she felt Otto walk onto the main floor.
She felt a tug in her low belly and almost like a whisper of his voice calling her name. Her gaze shifted toward him, and her heart galloped in her chest as she took him in. His beard amplified his rugged look. She remembered how it felt against her skin and her core ached, mourning the loss of something she never had.
He strolled through the main floor stopping by his sister first. They talked in hush tones, while the bouncers cleared out the stragglers who hadn’t been ready to go home yet. Otto looked both at ease and alert as he discreetly scanned the room.
Their gazes quickly connected, and Ivy let out a gasp. Her lips tingled, remembering the kiss they shared the night before. She shifted in her seat as her body warmed, remembering the feel of him against her when he held her up against the door.
This was the very definition of insane.
She only met Otto a day ago, but her body seemed to remember him from a lifetime past. It was weird for her too, considering what she had endured at the hands of men she never wanted touching her. It was as if Otto was the balm to the cuts and bruises that ran deeper than her skin. His hungry gaze and touch were welcome. If it was anyone else, it would just be another on her list she hoped she’d be able to remove from her memory.
She was drawn to Otto in a way she wouldn’t be able to explain if she was asked, but in her mind, past all the bullshit of her life and Bruno, her and Otto made perfect sense.
