Page 53 of Assassin: Part 1

“Wrong answer, Romanov.” He strains again, fingers working hard at the knot when I move to the head of his bed. I grip his neck tight, possession clear. “Every fucking thing you do is my business. Or did you miss the memo that you’re mine?”

His eyes flash with renewed desire and anger. “I belong to no one except the Bratva.”

“Ah, yes, the Bratva. But you see, pet, here’s the thing about the Bratva. They do not scare me. Neither do you. Do you know why? Because I know what I want, and I am very good at getting it. Nothing and no one is getting in the way. No syndicate or criminal organization. I’ve taken far more men out of them than you will ever dream of. And I’ve decided I want you. Every last bit of you. And that means no one else gets any other parts of you. Especially not your cock. I let that bitch live before because she never fucked you, but I will not show the same mercy to the whore you brought to your bed. Who got to feel your cock inside her.”

Each sentence is colder, harsher than the one before, and I don’t bother to hide the promise in my voice. A threat can be withdrawn, and this is not that. I release his throat, standing to my full height.

He stares at me until finally he rasps, “And what about you, lisichka? Will you be having other men in your bed? Or will I have to kill them?”

“There are no other men, pet. Or haven’t you figured out yet that I don’t have a high opinion of most men? Perhaps I should show you some more of my pictures?”

“So I’m just special, then? What about me makes you so sure you want me for yourself? That you don’t want to kill me?”

Again, territory I don’t want to get too deep into. Mostly because I’m not sure myself.

Instead, I simply say, “Chemistry is a bitch, and you’re one of the few men that doesn’t make me want to kill him as soon as he opens his mouth.”

He blinks, surprised.

“And I also know that once you found out about what child diddler did under your nose without you knowing, you culled your entire territory of anyone who was complicit.”

His face darkens. “I may be a lot of things, but allowing children to be raped and murdered is not one of them. And that’s enough to make you this obsessed?”

I shrug. “It’s one of the things.” I don’t elaborate when he looks at me expectantly. I’m still not fully sure of my own reasons. “And while I’d love to talk about this more, I have to be going.”

“Take one step outside of this room, and my men will kill you instantly,” he warns.

A small thrill shoots down my spine. A part of me wants to play, to burn off some of this edgy jealousy, but glancing at the bedside clock tells me I don’t have the time for that.

Too bad. Maybe another time.

“Scream all you want, pet. Actually, I think you should.” I pick up the bag and open the side pocket to pull out the small lighter stashed inside.

Ilya’s eyes widen as I light the blanket at the end of the bed. A tiny flame creeps up the fabric, a tinge of smoke filling the air between us. He thrashes and curses, pulling his legs up and rolling so he can get off the bed, still fully restrained.

“You crazy bitch!” he yells.

“Perhaps. Think of it as a cleansing, pet. I don’t want any other woman in your bed, and now, there definitely won’t be. I’ll be back soon, and we’ll finish this properly, don’t worry. I’ll see you soon, pet.” I blow him a kiss and head for the door.

Predictably, he hollers for his guards, who come flying into the room as the flames grow and overtake the bed, the smoke thickening.

Cursing, the guard’s heads swing wildly as they look for the culprit and anything to put the fire out with. I slip out of the room fast, making my way to the exit as more men come running from the other end of the hall.

A grin splits my face as he screams for his men to catch me, but I’m disappearing before they can figure out where I’ve gone.

21

ILYA

“What the fuck do you mean one of the planes is missing?” I stare at my brother, sure he’s joking. How the fuck does someone steal a plane?

“I’m telling you, it’s gone,” Zakhar snaps, exasperated. He thrusts a hand through his hair. “The guards were pulled off by a small fire, and during that time, the plane took off.”

“And no one fucking heard it?”

“Of course they heard it, but it was already going and there was no way to fucking stop it.” Zakhar shakes his head. “This is bad, Ilya. We can’t locate it either. All tracking is turned off. It was off before it got in the air.”

“You think it was Timur? Got wise to what’s been planned and this is his way of letting us know?”