Page 105 of Twisted Little Game

“What is that?”

“It was a birthday gift Maks gave me a long time ago.”

I pocket the handgun and then reach for a short knife, sheathing it and sliding it into my front pocket.

I reach for my long metal Olight and hand it back to Tate, and his eyes go wide as he closes his fingers around it.

“I can’t hold a fucking weapon,” he says, letting it fall to the bed.

“It’s a flashlight, Tate. Pick it up.”

“Jesus. Okay. God, what the fuck are you doing?”

“I’m searching every inch of this property, and I need you to stay close to me,” I tell him, turning to him again and handing him a TDI knife this time. “And yes. You are going to hold a weapon.”

He looks like he’s going to puke.

“Okay. Okay… right,” he says.

Murderous impulse races through me in a way I haven’t felt in over a year.

“No one can speak to you like this. No one can fucking do this to you.”

“I’m sorry,” Tate whispers.

I drop the phone on my mattress and pull him close against my body, pressing a kiss to the top of his clean, wet hair. I tilt his head back, cradling my hand at the nape of his neck, and I kiss his lips, channeling all of my rage into claiming him.

“I will kill them,” I tell him in a low voice. “For making you scared. Do you understand the words I say, beauty? There’s no fucking way that he should be able to know that you were even staying in Onyx House, let alone sleeping in my bed. Your initials, on my pillowcase. And that disgusting fucking picture of his ugly cock, included for shock value.”

I get my phone and text Maks.

Roman

Any updates on what we talked about yesterday?

Maks Petrov

Not yet. Yegor gave me trouble last night, and I have been cleaning up his mess all day today. I will research the Farina boy now.

We need anything we can get. What the hell did Yegor do?

On a war path for more Maletti grunts. I stopped him from bringing explosives to a man’s house last night.

Fuck. I didn’t know.

Are you ok?

No. There is a problem here.

Do you need my help?

I chew on the inside of my cheek.

I have very, very rarely asked any of my cousins to come directly to Onyx House before. I took Kuzma to a party once, and only bad things happened.

I like to keep my two lives separate.

Entirely so.