Page 103 of Wicked Villain

“I can’t, but with our Armenian friend’s help, we have a way.”

“Tell me.”

“You need to set a trap. They communicate through an encrypted platform and deposit payments through escrow. They’ve never actually seen Petr, but for the next part of the job, you can set things up so one of them has to meet him and hand him the drive with the access key. Petr gave them a location for a drop-off. I suggest you send Aleksandr to liaise with my Armenian contact.”

She’s right. The Armenians don’t like me much. It’s due to past run-ins when I killed one of their beloved guards. Didn’t realize he was the family pet. They haven’t forgiven me since, so Aleksandr was the best person to send.

“You got the Armenians to agree to this?”

She smirks. “Everyone has their price. Let’s just say they accepted mine when I threatened to expose their little operation to their rivals.”

I chuckle. “Impressive. I’ll send Aleksandr to Boston today.”

“Good. You need to work fast with these guys. And this hacker… he’s top notch.”

“I know.” I tap the envelope. “Thanks for this. I’ll let you know what happens. There’s one more thing I need to talk to you about.”

“I hope that thing involves you and me spending the rest of the day naked in bed at the nearest hotel. If it does, I’m saying yes in advance.”

This is what she’s been like since she’s been back. As if she can just slip back in time to how we used to be. Every refusal falls on deaf ears, and she won’t take no for an answer.

She’ll have to today.

Last night, while we were in the corridor, before we went in the room to talk, she really ramped up the seduction. Like she was putting on a show. I suspect she was.

“Did you know my wife was watching us last night?” With her special set of skills, I can almost count on it. I should have been more observant, but I was too eager to find out what she’d learned about Petr to notice anything, or anyone else.

Korrina gives me a stiff smile and holds up her hands. “Busted.”

My jaw tightens. “Don’t do that again.”

“Oh, please, Lev.” She rolls her eyes. “That little girl is just a tool. I know why you married her.”

I won’t ask how she found that out. When it comes to getting information, she’s not that different from Cassian.

“Why I married her is none of your concern. She is my wife and you will respect her as such.”

Her sea-green eyes widen with disbelief. “Since when did you become such a wet blanket? I even noticed you have Roman and Konstantin guarding her like she’s some great treasure.”

She’s bitching at me because she knows exactly why I have Roman and Konstantin watching Gabrielle. They’re the best of the best. If anything should happen, they’re the people I trust most, apart from my family, to protect Gabrielle the way I would.

They’d probably protect her more than my brothers would because they know not to disappoint me.

“You need to be with a real woman. You need to be with me.” Korrina stands and moves closer, resting her hands on my shoulders and lowering herself so that she’s a breath away from my lips.

As I look at her, I see something I don’t want anymore.

She doesn’t have the ethereal beauty that Gabrielle possesses. She doesn’t have that warm look in her eyes that still carries hope, even in the dark. And she doesn’t affect me the way my wife does.

Hades could have gone for any other goddess, but he picked the sweet little goddess of spring, because she was everything he shouldn’t have.

I understand him well now.

I catch her face. She thinks I’m going to kiss her.

Little does she know I couldn’t fuck her even if she pumped me full of a year’s supply of Viagra.

The only woman who seems to own my cock is the wife I never planned to have.