Page 51 of Delicious Prey

“I didn’t think you’d ever get out,” he admits.

“You should know me better than that.”

He surprises me by switching topics. “Rumor has it Lydia Moore has disappeared.”

“Is that so?” Unlike Ivan, I don’t have any tells. He’s not going to be getting any information from my face or tone or body.

“Does she know the truth about you?” His lips curl up in a smug grin. “You think she’ll still want you when she does?”

Easy, man. Just shoot him and get the fuck out. I hear Vadim’s voice in my ear, and I know I need to be quick and get my ass out of here, but Ivan’s gone and pissed me off, and I can’t just walk away now that he’s said that. When I slide my knife out of the sheath, he realizes his mistake.

“I’m sorry,” he quickly says.

I ignore him. “Remember what I said about not waking your family.” It’s the only warning I give him before I reach between his lips and pull out his tongue, cutting it off in one quick swipe so he can’t ever mention Lydia’s name again. Plus, I need to send a message. Whoever finds his body will know who killed him and why. People need to stop fucking with my life, and if carving up Ivan is going to get me some peace, then so be it.

By the time I leave his office, I’m covered in blood, and he’s missing a few body parts. I put his fingers, tongue, and dick in a nice little pile on his desk, but his balls are still shoved down his throat. I think it all sends a nice message of Stay the fuck out of Kirill Chernikov’s life or face the consequences.

I hadn’t lied to Lydia. I don’t torture. My kills are quick and efficient, but drastic times call for drastic measures and all that. I lock the door behind me and smear blood on the door handle as a warning about what they’re going to find on the other side. I don’t want his kids walking in on that. I may be a monster, but not even I am that cruel.

Are you fucking done yet? Vadim growls in my ear. All his guards are down, but others are going to show soon, and there’s no way Enzo doesn’t know about this already. I’m guessing he knew the second Ivan called off the hit.

“I’m leaving now,” I tell him, racing down the stairs and out the same door I came in at. I can’t go out the same way I came in because the tree limb is too high for me to reach on this side, so I race across the yard to where I know Vadim is hiding. He’s perched in a tall tree that gives him a clear view of the yard, and when he sees me, he throws a rope down. I grab it and start climbing. As soon as I hit the top of the fence, I swing over to the other side, but before I start my descent, I remember that Lydia is watching all this, so I turn to where I know the closest camera is and give her a smile and wave and then climb down. Vadim is only seconds behind me. He takes one look at my bloody appearance and groans.

“Fuck, man, you better hope like hell you don’t get pulled over.”

“I won’t.” I smack him on the back and grin. “Thanks for the backup.”

“Anytime.” He smiles back, because we both love the rush of adrenaline this job brings. He may not approve of every single decision I make, but Vadim loves this just as much as I do.

I run to my car while he disappears to his own. I’m more than ready to get back to my girl.

Chapter 14

Lydia

My eyes are glued to the separate video feeds being shown on the large monitor in front of me. I’ve stress eaten my way through half a bag of Twizzlers, and I’ll be very surprised if Peanut doesn’t develop a bald spot from my manic petting.

“Sorry, buddy,” I tell him, forcing my hand to be still.

I look up just in time to see Kirill scaling the security fence, stopping just long enough to smile and wave directly at the camera. The footage might be black and white, but there’s no denying he’s covered in blood.

Holy fuck, the man is absolutely insane.

“That’s who I’ve fallen in love with,” I whisper to Peanut with a shake of my head. He gives a sympathetic heavy sigh that makes me smile. I keep my eyes on the cameras, making sure everything stays the same, and when it’s obvious that Kirill’s really gone and that the place isn’t going to be immediately swamped with police, I decide to take advantage of the fact that the computer is unlocked. I know the drive back will be at least twenty minutes, so I quickly open a browser and type Kirill’s name into the search engine. I’ve avoided looking at the news, but I know his escape from prison must be everywhere. I’m expecting every news channel to have his gorgeous face front and center, but when nothing comes up, I’m so stunned by it that all I can do is sit there and stare for a few seconds. I try different phrases and even go straight to several news websites. Nothing, not a single mention of an escape from prison.

I’m still wondering what the hell is going on when movement catches my eye. I look at the other monitor and watch the black Porsche pull up the driveway. Putting aside my confusion, I set Peanut down and run for the door. I’d been scared to death something was going to happen to him, and when he’d disappeared inside the house and didn’t reappear for thirty goddamn minutes, I’d thought I was going to have a heart attack. That half-eaten Twizzlers bag is all on him. Throwing the door open, I run to him, catching him halfway to the house. I don’t slow down, just jump into his arms, knowing he’ll catch me and not giving a rat’s ass that he’s covered in another man’s blood. It’s not Kirill’s, and that’s all I care about right now.

“You scared the hell out of me,” I tell him.

He tightens his arms around me and laughs. “I told you it might be best if you didn’t watch.”

I pull back, cupping his face and running my eyes over him, convincing myself that he’s safe and unharmed. “He’s dead?” I ask.

“He’s dead.”

I look down at all the dried blood. “What the hell happened in there?”

He gives a small shrug. “I needed to send a message. He called off the hit before he died, so now there’s only Enzo to take care of.”

---