Pathological Sinner (Rykov Sinners #1)

Prologue

SLADE

Iknew when I first saw her walk through the busy streets of New York, her head in a book, that she was going to play an important role in my plan to get the crown.

Some might say my task is easy, but I prefer the missions where I can shut off my mind and not think. The ones where I can take a line and blackout before shooting up an entire office building.

This one, this one is a little bit tricky.

It’s a Friday night in Manhattan.

The city is alive per usual.

College students are out partying, friends are watching the game, couples are out on a date night, and tourists are in Times Square getting lost.

I’ve always liked watching, it’s been my thing since I was a kid. Being the quiet one in my family had its benefits.

I’d learn as I watched and that always gave me an advantage.

Tonight, I have to kill a club owner near Times Square. I’m getting paid $200K for this, which honestly means nothing to me since I’ve had more than that to my name since I was a baby.

I just like killing for the rush. The need to feel something when I don’t.

I could kill for my family, but I try to avoid them as much as possible.

Currently, I’m sitting on top of a building, waiting for the owner of the club to arrive. It’s pretty early in the night, around 10 p.m. so nothing much is happening.

The club is called 2nd Floor and the owner’s name is Mitch Heck. He runs a women’s trafficking organization under the club so I’m excited to have a little bit of fun killing him.

Most of the people I eliminate are bad but every once in a while, I do have to kill an innocent. They either get in the way, or they just frustrate me so I end up acting on impulse and going for the kill.

While waiting for Mitch to show up, I’m watching the streets, looking at the city line, and also keeping my eyes on who enters the club.

My phone starts buzzing in my pocket. I take it out and roll my eyes at the caller ID.

“Yea?” My ski mask muffles my voice.

“What are you doing, mladshiy brat?” my older brother Landon asks.

He doesn’t call me as much as my other older brother, Ryker.

But Landon gets off on annoying me.

“What do you think I’m doing? It’s a Friday night. I’m working,” I say while staring at the door.

“Same shit, different day with you. Don’t you ever get bored?”

“I don’t know. Don’t you get bored stalking your ex on Instagram?”

Landon Rykov has been obsessed with his ex from high school for more than six years. He doesn’t know when to give up. He hasn’t even touched a girl since her because he’s that fucking dedicated to her.

He’s more pussy whipped than he was when he was in high school dating her.

“Don’t talk about her,” Landon says in a low, almost threatening tone, but none of my family scares me.

There’s only one person who did and he’s dead now.

“Yea, whatever,” I say as I notice a guy following a girl on the street as she walks past the club.

The guy is wearing a baseball cap and a hood to cover his features so I can’t see his face. The girl has long brown wavy hair. She is wearing a leather jacket and blue jeans, her eyes stuck on a page in the book she’s reading.

How stupid can someone be, walking around the streets of New York with their head in a book while a man is following them?

“Did you hear a single thing I said?” Landon asks in an annoyed tone.

“Got to go, Lan. My target just arrived.” I hang up and stuff the phone in my pocket before throwing my hood up.

I jog across the top of the building, stalking the guy who’s following the idiot with her nose stuck in a book. She has no fucking clue that’s she’s about to become someone’s target.

The guy pushes the girl into the alleyway, and she screams. He cuts her off with a palm to her mouth as he pulls her deeper into the alleyway.

Her book drops while she tries her best to push him off and fight but it’s no use.

She is very slim and he has muscle packed onto him. I search for a way down. There’s a ladder at the very end of the alleyway.

I can hear her struggling against him, begging him to let her go but he just laughs.

After I get down the ladder, I take my gun out while walking towards them in unhurried steps. When I stand behind the guy, the girl's eyes widen as she stares at me.

She stares at me as if I’m the one who’s the real danger instead of her tormentor.

Maybe because she can only see my eyes.

My mom always said that my eyes were the scariest thing about me.

They are like a dark void with nothing in them and the scar I have doesn’t help either.

I strike the gun against the guy's head. He winces, letting go of the girl before turning around.

He raises a hand to fight but I slam my gun against the side of his face. He falls limp to the floor.

He lies unconscious while the girl has a petrified look in her eyes and breathes heavily.

I tower over her as she stares up at me with those innocent doe eyes. She’s probably around 5’6 while I’m 6’2. Her face is dotted with freckles and she has long eyelashes along with plump lips.

I step closer to her, and she flinches before pressing her back against the wall. I’m towering over her, tilting my chin down as I keep eye contact with her.

She’s pretty.

Really fucking pretty.

She’s the kind of pretty that makes you want to stop in your tracks and worship her.

She opens her mouth slightly and takes a deep breath again before saying, “Please don’t hurt me.” Her voice is soft and she sounds younger than I expected.

I lean in closer to breathe in her scent.

She smells sweet like vanilla, and all of a sudden, I want to get on my knees in front of her and find out what she tastes like.

My dick twitches and I refrain from groaning.

“I’ll give you money or anything you want.

I don’t want any issues, please just let me go,” she begs with tears forming in her eyes and now I’m starting to think about ways to make her beg for other things.

“I’ll give you anything please just let me go.

” A tear falls and I can’t help but reach out and wipe her cheek.

She flinches and keeps her eyes on me as I tilt her head up, inspecting every little freckle on her face.

They are like stars decorating her skin.

An alarm sounds on my phone, letting me know that there's movement in Mitch’s office.

I need to go.

I almost forgot about the main objective of tonight when her eyes catch mine.

I hold back a groan before backing away from her.

I grab her book from the ground.

Unrecognizable is the title and there is a vine wrapped about a broken concrete heart. If I had to guess, I would assume it is some sort of fiction book.

Thriller? Romance? Historical? Mystery?

I wish I could just say fuck it to this mission and follow her to find out more about her.

I hand her the book, and her fingers graze mine, shocks denoting beneath my skin as she clenches onto the book and pulls away.

She watches me as I back away from her. I motion my head for her to leave, and she takes it as her cue to run like her life depends on it.

Doesn’t matter though because I’ll get to her again.

I’ll find out who she is and all her likes and dislikes.

I’ll figure out who her family is and what they do.

I will know everything there is to know about the little book worm before making her the perfect role in my plan.