Page 64 of Captured Solace

Without thinking, I pulled my phone from my purse and took a picture of the screen. Then, with shaking fingers, I slipped my phone into the bottom of my pocket and shifted into the corner. As I closed my eyes and evened my breathing, pretending to be asleep, I heard Viktor open the car door. He said something to his bodyguard and the car purred to life.

My stomach churned. How could he do this to us? How could he put everyone I loved in danger? How could he deceive us all and lead us into a war? And for what? More ports so he could run even more drugs than he was already pushing through the territories Lucien had just given him?

Fuck, this hurt like I’d been struck from behind. I shifted, letting my hair fall over my face to hide the angry tears slipping from my eyes. He wasn’t any different than the cold-blooded mafia men I was used to. He was just as much of a snake as the rest of them.

Rage swept through me, coupled with sadness, and I fought the desire to sit up and scream at him. To beat his chest and beg him to tell me if any of it had meant anything to him. Did he feel anything at all for me or was he just trying to keep his precious alliance secure so he could fill his coffers?

Was I nothing more than security to him? Just a piece in his ruinous plan? Had it meant anything to him at all when he’d laid beside me and held me in his arms while I slept? Had all the whispered words of praise, the tender kisses beneath the sheets, the little caress of the back of his hand against my cheek, had it all been an act?

The pit of my stomach was icy, heavy with devastation.

Fuck him, he was a dirty lair and a traitor. Not even Lucien would have done something that underhanded, especially not something that would put so many people in danger. People would die as a result of his war. Had he even thought of that or was he too focused on his drug money to care?

I couldn’t face him so I kept my eyes shut, pretending to be asleep for the rest of the ride home. His strong, warm hands slid beneath my body and I felt him carry me up the staircase. Behind my eyelids, the world was hazy from drink and inside my chest, my heart was tender and painful. Then he laid me down in our bed and undressed me with hands so gentle I thought I might break down and cry.

This changed everything.

He went in the bathroom and shut the door. A rush of blinding anger moved through me and, without thinking, I grabbed my phone from the desk and sent the photo of Viktor’s conversation to Lucien. Maybe I was ruining the alliance, and perhaps my relationship with Viktor, but I was too drunk to care.

Fuck these men and their never-ending bloodlust.

Let them tear each other apart.

I deleted all evidence of the picture from my phone and fell into an intoxicated slumber.

Chapter Fourteen

Viktor

Something felt off when I woke the next morning and found Sienna curled on the far end of the bed. When I reached for her, she tensed and pulled the covers closer. Confused, I got up and called the housekeeper to make her a plate of waffles, orange juice, coffee, and sausages. A few minutes later, she got up and showered without speaking. I leaned on the sink and watched her wash her long, dark hair. God, even hungover she was so beautiful it made my chest hurt. I needed to tell her how I felt or it was going to kill me.

She walked past me and pulled aside the window curtain without looking at me. I lingered in the doorway, watching as she rubbed lotion into her skin in the pale morning light, her hands skimming over her body. She looked like an angel, every movement like music as she pulled on her lace panties and bra.

“Are you alright, baby?” I asked.

She glanced up. “I’m fine. Just hungover.”

“Alright,” I said, sighing. I went to the closet and got dressed. When I returned, she was sipping her coffee and staring out the window. I moved up behind her and brushed her hair aside, kissing the back of her neck. Her body jolted and she pulled away.

“Sorry, I’m just not feeling well, Viktor,” she said. “I’m fine, it’s just hormones and I’m pretty hungover. I’m going to eat and go back to bed, okay?”

I studied her, unconvinced. “Alright,” I said finally. “I’ll come check on you at lunch.”

She nodded and I touched her elbow, but she didn’t respond. Deeply confused, I left the bedroom and headed downstairs. As soon as I set foot in the hall, I could tell something was wrong outside of the bedroom as well. The front door was wide open, and although it was significantly warmer than it had been yesterday, it struck me as odd.

I moved to close it and noticed Lucien pacing back and forth in the lawn with a cigarette in his fingers. He wore dress pants and good shoes, but his shirt was halfway unbuttoned and he wore no coat. Like he’d gotten dressed in a hurry. Duran stood beside him, his hands on his hips, looking down at the ground. From where I stood, I could hear Lucien speaking rapidly in angry French, although I couldn’t make out what he was saying.

He looked up and noticed me and his jaw tightened, his icy eyes burning. The expression on his face was murderous. I took a step back, all my alarms going off. The world stilled as my brain acknowledged the danger and I moved back up the stairs. In the bedroom, Sienna jumped as I burst through the door, pulling her dressing gown around her body and sitting up against the headboard.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Stay here,” I ordered.

She stared at me, her mouth ajar. I went to the bedside table where I kept my pistol and checked the magazine and put it in the holster at my thigh. I hadn’t worn it for the last few days, but my survival instincts were kicking in. I’d been in too many situations like this to ignore my intuition. Shrugging out of my jacket, I went to the door in my shirtsleeves. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I didn’t want to be constrained if things got physical.

“Viktor, what’s happening?” she said, her voice rising.

Her dark eyes glittered with fear and I paused to study her pale face. She was more alarmed than I’d expected her to be and that bothered me. Had she seen Lucien through the window? Or was she just scared because I’d come back to grab my gun? Or did she know something I didn’t?

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