Chapter Fifteen
Kreos
“OK, since you’re not going to tell me where we’re going, at least tell me what I should wear.” Alora stood in just her bra and panties, holding up a black strapless dress in one hand and a red one-piece silk bodysuit in the other.
“You’ll look beautiful in anything.” I grinned as she scowled at me. “But for this evening, black may be the better option.”
Only because I would have easier access in case I needed to fuck her again. We’d been holed up in our bedroom for the last four days. The need to constantly claim her clawed at my sanity. How could I get anything else done when she invaded every corner of my mind?
When she’d told me I had been her first lover, it was as if time stood still. It only cemented in my mind that we were meant to be together all along. Every deal with darkness that I’d made had led me right back to her. And now that I had her, I would burn down the whole fucking world to keep her.
I’d thought I’d be satiated after the first few times, finally able to get her out of my system. But I had only been lying to myself. I knew now that it would never be enough with her. This need that burned inside me like a poison would stay with me until death. Coming inside my wife felt like heaven, and my sole focus had been to ensure that by the time she left this room, she would be pregnant.
The thought of her belly round with our child made me growl low in my throat. Her head snapped to mine, her eyes widening.
“Oh, no, you don’t, mister. You said we were going on a date.” She stood with her hands on her bare hips.
I stalked toward her, pushing her backwards until her legs hit the bed and she sat. “We are going on a date. But I need you first.”
She scrambled backwards toward the headboard with a laugh, the sound a melody in my ears. She reached under the pillow, my eyes narrowing on her. “I’m not going to let you ruin my hair. It took over an hour to do,” she scolded, but her lips were turning up into a grin.
I crawled toward her until I was between her legs. Her hand came from under the pillow, the dagger gleaming in her hand as she pressed the tip to my chest. My laughter was low and dark as I held perfectly still. My little kitten liked to think she had control over me, but I knew every move she was going to make even before she did.
“Using my own present against me?” I quirked my eyebrow. I’d had the dagger custom-made, since she had an affinity for knives. It was Damascus steel engraved with flowers and my Bratva wolf symbol, its eyes made from two emerald stones, the exact color of her eyes. Inscribed in silver script was simply “Until Death.” I’d strapped it on to her thigh with the leather sheath, then fucked her without mercy right after. At least now I knew where it had ended up .
A sly smile formed on her face as she traced the dagger down my shirt, a button falling off a second later. “Oops.” She bit her bottom lip.
“ Milaya , you are playing with fire.” My voice was controlled, but I was anything but. The beast inside of me was aching to come out and claim her, and a silly little dagger would not stop me.
Her hand moved lower, another button cut off and falling between her legs. “Oh, no.” She feigned shock. “Whatever will we do if we ruin the billionaire’s shirt? Oh, I know, we’ll grab one of the thousand other ones from his closet.” Her giggle turned into a gasp when I snatched the dagger out of her hand in one fluid motion and tossed it on the floor.
“Hey, you cheated,” she cried, laughter in her voice.
“I will never play fair when it comes to you.” I threaded my fingers through her hair, yanking her head back roughly. “Now get on your hands and knees and show me how well you can take this cock.”
*** ***
An hour and a half later the car glided to a stop at the museum steps, where the Met loomed above us. Tonight, though, there weren’t the usual crowds and buzz of tourists standing around in awe of the magnificent building. It was just for us. For her.
The bronze doors stood open; a red carpet was rolled out just for us. I took Alora’s hand as she stepped out of the car, her eyes wide.
“What are we doing here?” There was a bit of excitement in her tone.
“I thought we’d have dinner.” I pulled her hand to my mouth, kissing her knuckles .
“At the Metropolitan Museum of Art? I didn’t think they did that here.”
“They do for me. For us. Come.” We walked up the steps to meet the curator.
He greeted us with a nod, a smile on his face. “Welcome to the Met, Mr. Zokrov, Mrs. Zokrova. The museum is yours and yours only tonight. Right this way.” He waved his hand, and we followed behind him.
She buzzed with anticipation as we walked through the grand entrance. The place was breathtaking, with a warm glow emanating from the twinkling lights and reflecting off the polished marble floors. We passed through the Greek and Roman galleries, Alora squeezing my hand as we stood in front of a statue.
“Aphrodite.” The curator waved his hand. “The goddess of beauty and love. Irresistible to all, even the gods.” He gave us a knowing look, leading us onward.
“Like you,” I whispered in her ear, biting down softly. She gasped, smacking me playfully on my chest.
We spent some time walking around, Alora fascinated by every piece of art. Dove had mentioned it had been Alora’s favorite place when they were younger. It was one of the few places they’d been unable to sneak into, so Alora would save up so she could take her siblings there.
The European Paintings gallery held masterpieces she fawned over, particularly the pieces by Monet and Van Gogh. Although I appreciated the rare and beautiful pieces in the gallery, in my eyes, Alora was the rarest and most exquisite beauty here.
We continued until we reached the American Wing, where dinner was set up in the Charles Engelhard Court. The room was filled with classical sculptures and nineteenth-century stained glass. In the center of the room was a dining table, flowers and twinkling lights surrounding the space. A harpist off to the side began to play a sweet tune.
I led Alora to her seat and pulled out her chair. A sommelier stood by, waiting to serve us. Alora leaned forward, her eyes bright with happiness.
“This is insanity. How did you know I would love this?”
“Dove may have helped me out a bit.” I’d converted one of the empty rooms near Alora’s darkroom into a tattoo area so that Dove could practice. It was Gavriil’s idea. According to him, if we kept Dove happy, Alora would stay happy as well. Truthfully, though, I thought he was smitten by the little bird. Ever since I’d shown Dove the room, she was more than willing to give me clues about how to break down the walls around Alora’s heart.
“Oh, great, both of you are going to be ganging up on me now?” She chuckled, taking a sip of her wine. An odd look passed over her face briefly, and then it was gone.
“What is it, kotic ?” I leaned forward, placing my hand on hers.
“Nothing, I just… that just made me think about Dylan and Dove ganging up on me when they were kids. I just…” Her voice trailed off, a hint of worry in her tone. “I haven’t heard from Dylan. You haven’t done anything to him, have you?”
My jaw ticked, but I shook my head no. He was lucky I was willing to show him mercy because of Alora. If he had been anyone else, he would have been six feet under by now. “No, I promised you I wouldn’t, and I always keep my promises. Do you want me to find him for you?”
Her eyes widened and she quickly shook her head. I chuckled, nodding at the chef as he approached the table with the first course.
Dinner was a seven-course affair. Alora paled at the thought of eating oysters, but after a bit, she begged for more. She refused to try the foie gras, but loved the lobster and saffron risotto. Our main course was wagyu beef tenderloins, during which I sat her in my lap and fed the delicate pieces to her. She melted into me, moaning around the fork with each bite. If the harpist hadn’t been in the corner playing, I would have shoved up her dress and fucked her right in the middle of the room. But I knew I needed to control myself. Alora deserved a memorable evening.
Following dessert, the curator met us for the night’s last event. My heart raced. I wasn’t sure of how she would react. We walked into a small side gallery, and Alora gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth.
The room was filled with carefully curated photographs, elegantly framed and displayed. They blended seamlessly with the museum’s classic architecture, looking like part of an official exhibit. Yet again, Dove had helped me pick out Alora’s favorite pieces.
“It’s just for tonight, kotic . Your work belongs among these great masterpieces.”
She turned to me, her eyes glistening, and threw her arms around my neck. “I’m at a loss for words,” she murmured, her voice thick with emotion. “This night has been absolutely magical, Kreos. I don’t even know what to say except thank you.”
I lifted her chin up with my fingers, staring deeply into her eyes. “You don’t have to thank me, kotic . I’m your husband. And you are my queen. My goddess. My sole purpose for existing is to make sure you smile like this every single day.”
She weaved her fingers into my hair, her lips crashing into mine. I wanted her to be as obsessed with me as I was with her. And tonight, I’d definitely evened the playing field. Soon she would know how deeply I cared for her, how everything I did from now on was for her and our future family. She was my everything.
My possession.
My obsession.
Not even death would keep us apart.
We spent the next half hour admiring each piece in her collection. The biggest photo was of her with Jameson and their mother. The photo captured a moment of pure joy and love.
Alora blamed herself for his death, but there was something she didn’t know. Gavriil had done some digging and Alora’s story wasn’t adding up. Someone was covering something up. The question was, who?
There were also pictures of her and Dove, and then more of her gothic pieces she’d captured at abandoned buildings and churches. There was no doubt in my mind that she had talent. She just hadn’t had the right doors open for her yet, but I would kick them down if needed. Because everyone deserved to see what a treasure she was.
She practically dragged me back to the car and pushed me against the door. Her lips trailed along my jaw and down my neck. “Take me home,” she whispered breathlessly.
“As you wish, milaya .” Once inside the car, I reached over and buckled her seatbelt for her.
Less than five minutes later, my watch pinged with a text. My back tensed, and I gripped the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turned white.
“ Kotic , I don’t want you to be alarmed,” I murmured.
“What?” Her head snapped in my direction. “Is there something wrong?”
“We’re being followed. But there’s nothing to worry about.”
As soon as the words left my lips, a shot was fired into the back windshield, making her gasp. The car was completely armored, so no matter how many bullets they shot, none could hit us.
“Kreos, that sounds like we need to be worried.” Her voice trembled as her hand went to the dagger sheathed at her thigh.
Something akin to pride burned in my chest as she pulled out the dagger, peering over her shoulder. The whole time I’d been terrified she would hate me for forcing her into this lifestyle, the same way my mother hated my father. But I couldn’t have been more wrong. She wasn’t panicking or crying. No, she was ready to fight. Not that she would need to. I’d told her many times before, I was always one step ahead of my enemies. Tonight was no different.
I turned into the entrance of an alley, navigating around the maze of trash and city dumpsters.
“This is a dead end.” Her face twisted with confusion. “Kreos, they can get to us much easier now.”
She was right, which was exactly what I wanted. I pressed a few buttons on my watch and spoke into it. “I want them alive.” Turning to her, I wrapped my hand around her neck and brought her toward me. “It’s all under control, milaya .” My lips pressed gently against hers just as headlights pulled up behind us.
They let off a stream of bullets, most likely with a machine gun. The noise was more of an irritation than anything else as I kissed her. Her hands fisted my shirt as her tongue danced with mine.
My watch pinged again, and I broke away from her, even though I didn’t want to. Her chest heaved as she stared at me with a question in her eyes.
“I’ll be right back.” I moved to open the door, but she reached out, stopping me.
“Wait,” she gasped. “You can’t go out there.”
“Trust me.” I brought her hand to my lips and kissed her knuckles. “Do not get out of this car, or I’ll spank your ass red when we get home. Understood?”
She nodded. I could see she didn’t want to behave, but I would not let her endanger herself over some thugs. I stepped out of the car and pressed the lock button. She wouldn’t be able to get out now even if she tried.
I straightened my suit jacket and marched over to the two men kneeling on the ground, their fingers laced behind their heads. Off to the side were Sago and Pyotr, two of my top men, holding guns to the backs of their heads. I never went anywhere without them, or at least four others. Alora didn’t know that because they blended into the background, undetectable. Which was exactly why these imbeciles on the concrete had thought I’d been alone tonight. Grig walked over from his car as well, waiting for my instructions .
“Gentlemen”—I towered over them, my gaze as cold as ice—“you’ve ruined my date night with my wife. Tell me why I shouldn’t cut off your heads and send them to your families.”
One man’s eyes widened, his lips trembling as he took me in. The other, though, you could tell he’d been in this lifestyle far too long.
“Fuck you, Zokrov.” He spat at my feet, which made Sago hit him in the back of the head with the butt of his pistol. “You and that whore wife. You’ll all be dead soon.”
A red haze flooded my vision at the mention of Alora. My hands clenched into fists, but I tried to contain my rage. Instead, I nodded to Sago and Pyotr. “Wrap them up and take them to Area C. Keep them breathing for now.” I motioned for Grig to follow me. “You’ll take Mrs. Zokrova home. Let me just talk to her for a moment.” He nodded, and I got back into the car.
“You locked me in here,” she seethed, glaring at me.
“What did I tell you would happen if you didn’t stay in the car?”
She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “I didn’t get out, because I couldn’t.”
“Exactly. So you tried. Which means you’ll be punished.” I reached over and dragged her into my lap. “But not now. I’ve got some business to attend to.” I kissed her gently, but I could feel her anger coming off her in waves. “Grig will take you home.”
“Wait.” She pulled back, staring into my eyes. “Is everything OK? Who are those men? Why are Pyotr and Sago here?”
I chuckled, pressing my forehead against hers. “ One day, you will learn to trust me. I told you I had everything under control. I’m just sorry they ruined our date night.”
She sighed, relaxing into my lap. “It was the best night, wasn’t it? Should I stab them for you?” She quirked her eyebrow playfully.
After thoroughly ensuring she knew how much I didn’t want to leave her, which entailed kissing her until she was breathless, I let Grig drive her home.
Gavriil pulled up, and we rode to the junkyard. I was more enraged that they’d ruined my night with Alora than that they were trying to kill me.
Stacks of crushed cars and trucks towered over us like mountains as we pulled in. The air smelt like oil, metal, and my favorite—fear. A hydraulic crusher took up a large amount of space in the center of the yard. Tonight wouldn’t be the first time I’d fed the metallic beast my enemies. And it certainly wouldn’t be the last.
Gavriil and I stood as Sago and Pyotr dragged the men through the mud toward us, their wrists and ankles bound. I lit a cigarette, blowing the smoke up into the darkness of the night. Piles of cubed cars and metal surrounded us. They could scream all they wanted. Nobody would hear them out here.
The older man sneered at me from the ground, his face twisted in anger. They were Russian, but not from any Bratva that I was aware of. No distinguishable tattoos or brands anywhere on their body.
“You see that?” I nodded toward the cube that used to be a car. “Such a fascinating machine. It takes something large and complicated and crushes it into a smaller version of itself.” I took a step forward, glaring down at him. “Essentially what I’m going to do with you.”
The younger man cried out through the gag in his mouth. Pyotr kicked him in the back so he landed in a heap in the mud. I could already tell he would be the one to give me the answers I needed. Just like a coward with no honor.
I turned back to the older man, his suit now caked with dirt. “We can do this quickly, or we can do it slowly. The machine doesn’t care either way. It’s quite patient. Tell me who you work for, and I’ll make it quick. Lie to me”—I gestured to a half-crushed car—“and we’ll see how many times I can put you through the machine before I get bored.”
Sago ripped his gag out so he could speak. “You don’t scare me,” the man spat, saliva building up in the corners of mouth. “You’re weak, just like your father. You’ll never be a real Pakhan.”
I tilted my head to the side, studying his face. Something about him was familiar. A blurry image was becoming clearer in my mind. I snapped my fingers, nodding at Gavriil.
“Moscow, 2005. The cargo ships.”
Gavriil narrowed his eyes at the man, recognition crossing his face. “Ah yes, I remember now. The one who urinated all over himself. Tomas something.” He glanced down at the man’s pants, smirking. “I can see you have a better hold on your bladder now.”
Tomas’ face flushed with anger, and he jerked in his restraints. He was one of the Cruel’s men. All I needed to know now was where he was hiding.
“You’ve been hiding out with the Cruel this entire time?” I made a tisking sound with my tongue. “ You should have stayed hidden, Tomas. Scum like you are always too easy to take out.”
“As easy as your wife, Alora?” he sneered. “Pretty thing. I got a good look up her dress when she got into the car. Nice ripe ass, perfect for fucking.”
His head whipped to the side as Gavriil punched him. My body trembled with barely controlled anger at Alora’s name on his foul lips. It was like a thunderous roar inside my chest that demanded I slaughter him immediately. I held out my hand, palm up. “Knife,” I said.
Pyotr handed me a blade. “You looked up my wife’s dress?” I stepped forward until I was an inch away from Tomas. His face paled as he looked into my eyes. Without waiting for him to answer, I flicked the blade open. “Hold him.”
Sago and Pyotr held the man still as I placed the tip of the knife at the center of his eye. “This won’t kill you, Tomas. It’ll just ensure you can’t see how many pieces the crusher turns you into.”
He screamed as I plunged the knife into his socket and twisted. He thrashed around, causing me to cut into the skin around his eye. Blood splattered across my hands as Pyotr forced his gag back into his mouth. Good, the sounds he was making were grating on my nerves. When I moved to the second eye, I took my time, ensuring I didn’t go too deep. He would die, but not quickly.
Sago dragged Tomas toward the crusher, his muffled sobs echoing around us. I turned toward the other man, narrowing my eyes. The second Gavriil removed his gag, he began whimpering.
“Listen…” I waved my hand, and he sobbed his na me. “Listen, Adrian, my bride is at home waiting for me, and now I’ll have to explain why I’m covered in Tomas’ blood. So let’s be quick. You work for the Cruel, yes?”
“Yes.” He nodded frantically. “He’s come out of hiding, him and some others. He said New York was his.”
“That’s good, Adrian. What else?”
“He’s got a cop doing all his dirty work. And some woman. I don’t know their names, but we met them at Hotel Argyle tonight. That’s how we knew you were at the Met. The woman… she’s been put in charge of…” His voice trailed off, and he looked everywhere but my face.
“C’mon now, Adrian, you were doing so well. In charge of what?”
He cleared his throat. “Of bringing your wife to him. Says a Pakhan’s bride will make him a fortune on the market.”
The world went entirely red as those words left his lips. My fists pounded into his face. For once, I couldn’t control the rage that had built up inside of me. Gavriil pulled me off him when there was nothing left of his face except wet, meaty pieces. So much for the quick death I had planned.
I let my men drag his body to the crusher as I washed my hands. For the first time in my life, I’d felt something I never thought I was capable of.
Fear.
Fear that someone might take her away from me.
But I would never let that happen. I would burn down the entire fucking world first.
“Well, that was a first.” Gavriil arched his eyebrow. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say you’re in love with her.” He shook his head as we walked back to the car. “You know they will try to use her to get to you now.”
I clenched my jaw, nodding. “I know. So we’ll need to destroy them all first. Call a meeting for tomorrow. This needs to be handled immediately.”
“You know she was taking photos, right? Of the men loading weapons into the vans?”
I squeezed my eyes shut, pinching the bridge of my nose as we rode back to my estate. “Yes, I’m aware. You don’t need to be concerned. I have it under control.”
“Everything that involves you and this organization is my concern, Kreos. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
I could tell my response aggravated him, but he didn’t know Alora the way I did. She loved me. She might not know it just yet, though. If I really thought for even a second that she would turn against me, I would have locked her up in her pretty little cage until she came to her senses. But I knew she wouldn’t.
“What happened with Aleksandr and the border agent? Was it handled?” I wanted to change the topic of conversation. I knew Gavriil, and if he thought Alora was detrimental to me or our organization, he might do something about it. I would hate to have to kill my best friend.
“The agent was replaced with someone more aligned with our interests. We’re all set for shipment now. Our Canadian friends are very happy so far.”
“Excellent.” I pulled out my phone, checked the tracker to make sure Alora was at home. My shoulders relaxed slightly when I saw she was.
“Speaking of Canadians, I have news about the text Alora received.” Gavriil pulled out his iPad and scrolled through the screen until he found what he needed. “Cheslav tracked the message. It came from a Canadian IP address.”
I narrowed my eyes at the iPad, a location marked near the New York-Canadian border. “Do we think our Canadian friends had anything to do with it?”
He scrunched up his face. “No, but it’s certainly an odd coincidence. I’m digging deeper.”
I nodded as we pulled up to my estate. Nadya was in the foyer, her eyes widening as I and my men marched inside.
“Oh, my goodness, Pakhan. Do you need a first-aid kit?” she asked, concern in her tone.
“No—yes. I don’t know. Just bring it. Where is my wife?” I barked just as Alora came from around the corner to where my office was.
“Kreos.” Her face paled when she saw the blood on me. “Are you hurt?” She rushed over, tugging at my bloodstained shirt. “You said you had it under control, you promised,” she ranted, her eyes glossy with unshed tears.
“Shh, milaya .” I gripped her face with my hands, bringing my lips to hers. “I am OK, as promised. It’s not my blood, my love.” She pressed her forehead to mine, her breath coming out in quick gasps. “It’s OK.”
“Don’t do that again.” She pulled back, smacking my chest. “We were literally just being shot at, and you show up with blood all over you?” Her voice rose with each word.
I chuckled, making her scowl even more. “I’m sorry. Come with me.” She gripped my hand tightly as I dragged her toward my office. “What were you doing down here anyway?”
She folded her arms over her chest when we got in the room. Gavriil followed behind and shut the door. He walked over to my desk and pressed the hidden button, the safe behind the hidden panel coming into view.
“I was walking around waiting for you to come back. And I thought I heard a noise in here.” She waved her hands around. “The door was cracked and the light was on, and it sounded like footsteps running down the hall too. I don’t know. Maybe I imagined the whole thing.” Her shoulders slumped as she sat down on the couch.
Gavriil pulled out a tablet from the safe, just as Nadya rushed in with a first-aid kit and a bowl, her eyes traveling around the room until they found me.
“Pakhan, let me get this cleaned up.” She limped over, placing the bowl down.
“I’ll do it, Nadya. Go back to bed. It’s OK.” Alora grabbed the kit, standing in front of me like a guard dog.
My chest swelled with pride at her obvious claim over me. I knew she didn’t want another woman touching me, and that included the staff.
“Yes, of course.” Nadya bowed her head, then rushed out, shutting the door behind her.
Gavriil turned on the large television, syncing the tablet to it. “I’ve got video of the hotel.”
Alora focused on peeling off my shirt and examining me for any injuries. She would find none, but I didn’t stop her. Having her fuss over me felt like the right thing to do. She didn’t ask what had happened, and that was probably for the best. I didn’t want to lie to her, but I also didn’t want to tell her I had to gouge out a traitor’s eyes for talking disrespectfully about her.
The footage from the hotel played on the screen, Gavriil fast-forwarding until we found what we were looking for. Sure enough, on the screen were Adrian and Tomas in the lobby. A woman walked up, but she was almost completely hidden from view, as if she knew she was being recorded. Gavriil zoomed in, yet her face remained hidden. There was no way to tell who it was.
After a while, a man joined them. This must have been the cop Adrian was referring to. Gavriil zoomed in on his face so it filled the screen.
“I don’t see any wounds,” Alora murmured, biting on her bottom lip. “But we’ll need to shower all this blood off to make sure.”
The thought of getting into the shower with her instantly improved my mood. She stood up from the ground, grabbing the bowl and bandages. When she turned toward the screen, her entire face went white, the bowl slipping from her hands.
“ Milaya , what is it?” I gripped her by her upper arms, searching her face.
“Why do you have that pulled up?” Her voice quivered as she pointed at the screen. “How do you know him, Kreos?”
My head snapped to the screen, the cop’s face looming over us. “He may have been involved in what happened tonight.” Her body was trembling under my fingers, making alarm bells go off in my head. “Do you know him?”
She nodded, visibly swallowing. “That’s the cop. The one I think murdered my brother. I’ll never forget his face,” she whispered.
Gavriil and I shared a look as I wrapped my arms tight around her.
If that cop was working for the Cruel, then Alora might have been right along.
Someone had murdered her brother.
And the Cruel might be the one responsible.