“Ty nesnosnaya zhenshchina!” Insufferable woman!
“Uh-oh,” she sang playfully, her brows rising. “That didn’t sound very nice.”
“Odnazhdy ya pererezhu tebe gorlo i iskupayus’ v tvoyey krov.” One of these days, I’m going to slit your throat and bathe in your blood, I spat out and before I lost what little control I had left, I turned, choosing to face the wall instead of continuing that ridiculous conversation any longer.
I prided myself on my ability to stay in control. Mastering my emotions was a necessity after the death of my wife. I needed to be strong for our children. Give them the best chance I could to succeed and survive in the harsh, cruel, fucked up world that didn’t give a shit about them.
That meant always being in control. Never losing my shit over small, miniscule things. People who let their emotions rule them and dictate their actions made mistakes. Mistakes that cost lives.
I’d vowed to never let that happen again.
But that woman… She tested my fucking patience more than anyone I’d ever met in my life.
She knew damn well that I wasn’t making a move on her. She was just trying to deter me. Distract me. Confuse me.
What annoyed me the most was that it fucking worked.
Under normal circumstances, a tactic like that would have never worked on me. But the idea of seeing her in a romantic way… Even her just uttering those words was like a punch to the gut.
Never.
In the ten years since my Yekaterina’s murder, I’d never touched another woman. Never even looked at another person like that.
The opportunity had presented itself, sure. Several times, in fact. The title I held as leader of the Bratva in America had a certain appeal to it, to those both in the USA and in Russia. The power of my position drew others in. Women and men threw themselves at me all the time.
Well…at first.
They hoped to take my late wife’s place. By the time I’d killed the fourth person to make advances towards me, word caught on and the advances drastically declined. The lingering looks from those hoping to get a seat on the throne never faded, though. Hoping that one day, I’d be ready to marry again.
Never.
Yekaterina was—and always would be—the only one for me.
Autumn’s comments about me showing interest in her were enough to throw me completely off balance.
The tight hold I had over my emotions all but vanished.
Frustration mounted inside me. I clenched my fists to refrain from lashing out. The fact that I’d allowed myself to be manipulated in such a way was making me angrier and angrier with each passing second.
For the next few hours, I kept my back to her, not moving even though the position inevitably grew uncomfortable. I knew that if I looked at her, my control would slip yet again, and I would attempt to take her life.
Not that killing her bothered me in the slightest.
It didn’t.
It was more that I would likely injure myself trying to strangle her to death. And at a time like that, where my future lay in the hands of someone other than myself, it was imperative to be in the best condition possible. That meant not hurting myself just to kill someone who annoyed me. No matter how much killing her would please me.
Surprisingly, Autumn didn’t say a word. Didn’t sing any stupid, incessant songs or quote any ridiculous lines from a television show. She sat in complete silence until the moment my brother returned with the person I least expected.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I hissed under my breath, glaring daggers at the man walking towards me.
Talon Scardo.
Out of all the fucking people Dominik could have called, he called Talon fucking Scardo. The one man on Earth who probably hated me more than he did.
Our history was a long, dark one, going all the way back to when I was just a teenager attending boarding school. It was filled with anger, backstabbing, jealousy and attempted murder.
You know, just the usual, everyday stuff.
“Well, well, well. You were actually telling the truth, Doiminik.” Ugh, his voice is just as irritating as I remember. “The great Dimitri Volkov, chained up like a dog. I never thought I’d live to see the day.”
Talon stepped completely into the light, shadowed by four hulking bodyguards who looked like they could have been linebackers in another life.
Despite the fact that it had been forty years since I last laid eyes on him, I still saw that desperate little boy who was determined to be someone of importance when I looked at him.
I couldn’t see that from the exterior, though. On the outside, he looked like he had it all in his Armani suit, Graff Diamonds Hallucination watch and Testoni shoes. His hair was perfect, not a single blonde strand out of place. His face was clear of any possible blemish, any wrinkle a man his age should possess.
But the eyes? Those were something he couldn’t change. Something he couldn’t just throw money at to hide what he didn’t want others to see.
I could see it, though. The insecurities. The desperation. The self worthlessness.
I had always seen it.
Talon pouted. “What, I don’t get a ’hi’? Now, is that any way to treat an old friend, Dimitri?”
“You’re not a friend. You weren’t then, and you’re certainly not now.”
“Oh, you wound me,” he said in mock hurt, clutching his chest. “What about all those good times we had? Taking apart the headmaster’s car and reassembling it in the natatorium so we could push it in the water? Or how about the time—”
“You tried to burn me to death?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.
He flashed me a big, broad smile. “Ah, yes. What can I say? I had a bit of a temper back then.”
“What are you doing here, Talon? Don’t tell me you finally left that little island of yours for the first time in years just to see little old me?”
“Keeping tabs on me, are you, Dimitri?”
I’d be an idiot not to. He had grown into a significant threat. He had endless money and quite a formidable force under his employ.
The truth of it was, I hadn’t bothered to think of him until that first invitation for his games arrived.
I’d stupidly assumed his silence over the years meant he’d died, not emassing his own private army and creating a completely self-sufficient island, entirely cut off from normal society.
These “games” were his way of showing off his wealth. The control he had not only over others but everything around him. He’d always been a power-hungry prick.
My eyes widened slightly as realisation kicked in.
“You’ve figured it out, haven’t you?” Talon whispered like it was some sort of big secret. “What I’m doing here. Why I left the comfort and safety of my home for the first time since its creation? Come on, Dimitri. Say it. I know you know.”
Of course I did. It was so obvious that he might as well have hit me over the head with it. But I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of doing what he asked.
Talon smiled. It was strained. Forced. A man in his position didn’t like to be disobeyed. I’d dealt with men like him all my life. My father was one of those men. “It’s no matter. We both know what your fate is. I don’t need you to admit it.”
Yes, he did. And it was driving him crazy that I wouldn’t.
During our time together at boarding school, he’d tried his hardest to get me under his thumb. It had started out small; just little things like trying to get me to backchat the teachers or bully other students he didn’t like. He, Mikhail and I had been almost inseparable those first few years. The best of friends. Then, during our final year, he tried exerting more force. Ordering us to do things instead of just suggesting.
When we wouldn’t, his personality had done a complete 180. He’d threatened to use the power his father had to destroy us before our lives even really began.
I’d been threatened by men so much more powerful than him. I’d actually laughed in his face when he tried to intimidate me into bowing down to him.
Being the son of the most ruthless man in the world made me immune to a person like Talon. I’d killed, burnt and flayed men twice his size. Watched them cry and beg for their life as I cut into them with my blade. And a little spoilt rich kid thought he could tell me what to do? Bend me to his will?
The idea was laughable.
“You want to hear something funny?” Not really. “When your brother called me and told me he had you, I didn’t believe him. The great Dimitri Volkov, finally bested? Who would have thought?”
“Is there a point to all of this, or do you just love the sound of your own voice?”
Talon looked thoughtful. “Both, actually,” he laughed. “Anyway, as I was saying, Dominik told me that if I wanted you, it was going to cost me a small fortune. The funny thing is, I would have paid that for this image alone. You, chained up and at my mercy.” His smirk was smugful. I would have given anything to punch it off his goddamn face.
“Looks like I missed out on an advantageous opportunity, then.” My brother strolled into the basement, stepping to Talon’s side. Deep satisfaction vibrated from him. He thinks he won.
We went to the same boarding school, so he knew Talon and I did not get along. Knew our history. He couldn’t possibly know that our animosity had continued to fester over the years, though, getting worse and worse like a deep, infected wound.
We weren’t close enough for him to be privy to such details, and yet he’d managed to figure out that out of all my enemies, Talon would be the one to enjoy my downfall the most.
“Well, here’s your chance to make up for it.” The arrogance fled from Talon’s face, replaced with the utmost seriousness. “Name your price.”
“Five million.”
“Done,” Talon answered with zero hesitation. He glanced over his shoulder to one of his guards. “Send the money.”
Anger thundered through me, but I said nothing. I would give neither of them the satisfaction of a reaction.
Dominik smiled widely. I couldn’t recall a time I’d ever seen him so happy. “Nothing to say, brother? Even now? You’re not going to beg me to save your life? Hmm?”
There would be no point, I thought to myself, still refusing to say a word. I was mildly surprised he’d decided to sell me instead of keeping me as his own personal punching bag. He hated me and loved causing me pain. It had shown with every single punch and slice he’d inflicted on my body. But the money must have been too good for him to pass up. With that kind of cash, he’d be able to hire more people to work for him and build his own empire, since he would never be given mine.
Talon’s eyes sliced to Autumn, who had remained quiet the entire time. Interest sparked in his gaze before he quickly shut it down. “How much for the woman?”
“You want her?” Dominik asked, surprised. His brows furrowed. “Why?”
“Why not?” Talon shrugged. He was trying to play off like he couldn’t care less if he got her or not. That this was simply an opportunity that had fallen into his lap. But I could see there was more to it than that.
I’d spent a lifetime learning how to read people. Catching those tiny micro-expressions that revealed what they were truly feeling. It was a…speciality of mine, you could say. A deeply trained skill.
Beneath the interest, there was something else there. Something…more. If I had to guess, I’d say it was recognition.
I glanced at Autumn. She didn’t look any different. It could very well be a façade, though. She’d already proved to be a devious woman.
“I’ll give you her for free under one condition.” He stood taller, puffing out his chest. “When the time comes, I want to be there to watch her die. To watch both of them die.”
Talon flashed his teeth in a broad smile. “Deal.”
