Page 60 of Sweet Obsession
“Friend of yours?” she asked quietly.
“Enemy,” I said. “One you never speak to again.”
And I meant ever.
That Evening, at my estate.
The snow had turned to sleet, rattling against the windows like claws on glass. Inside the study, the fire crackled low, casting long shadows against the walls. Maps lay spread across the oak table, red lines bleeding across regions, routes, territories. My world.
I leaned over it, elbows braced, jaw tight.
But I wasn’t seeing the maps.
I was seeing him. The way Chernov looked at her. Like he already owned her. Like he thought I didn’t matter.
“Fucking bastard,” I muttered.
“You talking about Chernov or the docks?” Nikolai asked from the corner, casually sipping from a chipped glass.
“Both.”
Viktor stood stiff-backed. Nikolai leaned against the wall, spinning a knife between his fingers. Oleg scribbled notes in shorthand only I could read.
They were my circle. The ones who had bled beside me. Who’d die for me, no questions asked.
“Shipments from Colombia are slowing,” Oleg said. “If we don’t secure the Kharabrovsk port, we’re fucked in two weeks.”
“And the buyers?” I asked.
“Still waiting,” Viktor said. “But Chernov’s circling. Promising them better rates and protection.”
My jaw flexed. “If Chernov wants war, I’ll bury him.”
“But not until the Volograd estate is operational,” Nikolai said. “One war at a time.”
The fire snapped behind us like a warning shot.
I leaned closer over the table. “Double the guards. Send decoys through Irkutsk. We move quiet and fast.”
They nodded.
Until the door creaked. Soft. Slow.
Every head turned.
My hand went to my gun, until I saw her. Luna.
Barefoot. Wearing one of my old sweaters, sleeves dragging over her fingers. Hair messy from sleep. Too vulnerable. Too intimate.
A vision of innocence that did not belong here.
She stepped inside, blinking against the low firelight.
Maybe she came looking for something. Or maybe she just wanted to see if I was alone. She always noticed more than she let on.
Every man in the room stilled like wolves scenting something soft.
I stood fast.
