Chapter Sixteen
Igor
“You think my death will have any impact on Dmitry?” Yuri laughed, his bloody smile at odds with the damage on his face. “He might mourn me for a moment or two, we have been friends for many decades after all. But this will not stop him.”
“I have no doubt about that.” I don’t need Dmitry to stop, in fact I fully expect that this will just piss him off.
“Your death just means one more loss.” My hand balled into a fist, and I struck him across the face again.
I lost track of how many times I’d hit him tonight.
With my gun, my fists, my feet. A bat. “One less person he can trust around him.”
Yuri spat out a tooth with a laugh. “You are smarter than Dmitry gives you credit for.”
I smiled. “It is his greatest weakness, thinking he is the smartest person in the room.” And it would be the reason for his downfall. I would be the reason.
“It is almost a pity I won’t be around to see it.”
I frowned. “You want to see your boss, your friend get taken down?”
“Ah, no. Not exactly. But watching it play out would have been quite interesting. On with it, Igor. Stop dawdling.”
He was right. I’d gotten all the information from Yuri that I could at this point, except for what I really wanted to know. He was bloody and broken and close to death. “Anything else you want to tell me, like who told you about Maria? How did you get into her house?”
“Unfortunately, it was not me who was able to take dear Maria from his world. Imagine having Ivanova blood on these hands,” he said with a reverent smile.
“Who did it then?”
Yuri shrugged as best he could with his hands bound to the bench. “No clue. As I’ve told you, I only knew she was here in Georgia and protected by you. Dmitry took care of the details himself.”
Fuck. He wasn’t willing to tell me anything other than what he’d already divulged which wasn’t a hell of a lot. “Anything else?”
“Yes,” he growled. “You better keep that pretty little plaything very close because Dmitry wants her. To possess her, to ruin her and then to cut your baby from her lifeless body.”
My blood ran cold at those words, and I pulled the gun from the holster I kept at my back and pressed it to his forehead. “Thanks for the warning.” I pulled the trigger once and put a bullet in the middle of his forehead and two more in his chest.
Yuri’s head fell forward, and his lifeless body strained against the bonds around his wrists, fighting against gravity as blood dripped and pooled on the floor.
“He was an old man,” Maxim said, appearing at my side. “He lived a long life.”
“He was probably the one who killed Boris.” There was no love lost between me and any of Voronov’s men. “He is where he belongs.”
“Hell,” Maxim groaned with a satisfied nod.
“If only such a place existed. He’s dead and no longer a problem and that is good enough for me.”
Maxim murmured a quick prayer under his breath and then rolled up his sleeves. We removed the ties at his wrists and ankles and got rid of all traces of our presence in his home, while leaving the body for Dmitry to discover.
A little over an hour later everything was perfectly settled. “Let’s get out of here.”
Maxim nodded and fell into step beside me. “Are you sure you don’t want to get a team here to clean the place?”
I shook my head. “No. Something feels off. Let’s just leave this between us.”
“Of course.” The drive home was quiet and contemplative. Yuri’s murder would be a shock to Voronov. The fool walked around with his own personal security detail as if his men were nothing more than disposable bodies. “Everyone needs to be careful and aware of the threat.”
Maxim nodded. “Without knowing why.”
“Exactly.” It felt like there might be a rat among my men, but I had no proof, just a gut feeling that rarely steered me wrong.
“You have any suspects,” Maxim asked as if he could read my mind.
“Suspects? No but I do have some suspicions. I’ll say more when I know more. In the meantime keep an eye on everyone.”
There was still plenty of nighttime to be had when we made it home and all I wanted was a shower and drink. “I will check the perimeter and secure the house.”
I nodded at Maxim. “Thank you, Maxim. When you have done that, go home.”
His brows dipped into a confused frown. “You sure?”
“Yes. Go have some fun.”
He snorted. “Sure thing, Igor. Good night.”
The house was quiet. The staff were all gone for the night or asleep in their quarters on the other side of the property, so I made it to my room without interruption where I stripped out of my clothes and stepped into the shower.
The hot spray relaxed my tense muscles, and I watched the dark red blood fade to pink before it swirled down the drain.
One down, many more to go. I was under no illusion that more men would have to die.
In fact it was all part of my plan. This was no longer about simple revenge.
Killing Maria and then coming after April, after my child was unforgiveable.
The plan now was to fuck with Dmitry until he begged for death.
Killing Yuri was easy and despite what some people will tell you, not every life taken leaves with a piece of your soul. I felt nothing for ending Yuri’s life and I would feel nothing when it was finally Dmitry’s blood staining my flesh. That was the job.
That was the life.
I was too wired for sleep, so I stepped into a pair of silk pajama pants and went in search of a drink. There would be vodka in the freezer, but I needed something stronger. Something dark and strong like a rye whiskey or perhaps one of the few American bourbons that are not trash.
My feet came to an abrupt stop just inside the kitchen.
April was bent over in front of the fridge.
What she was looking for I had no fucking clue because she wore the tiniest pair of shorts that just barely covered her ass, leaving miles of shapely honeyed legs on display.
The hot pink color highlighted her slightly bronzed skin and when she stood, a strip of skin around her middle teased me.
Taunted me.
She looked good. Too fucking good and tonight that pissed me off. “While you’re staying here I’ll ask you not to traipse around the house naked.”
She gasped, startled and turned to face me with hurt in her eyes that quickly turned to rage.
“You brought me here Igor, against my will and then you have the nerve to criticize what I wear?” she spat out.
“You can go straight to hell!” She tossed the ingredients to make a sandwich on the counter and stormed toward the exit.
I caught her arm before she could pass me, gripping her tight. “What did you say to me?”
Instead of cowering, April hitched her chin high in the air and leaned in close. “You heard me. Go. To. Hell.” She was defiant, fearless even though I could break her if I chose. “Get your hands off of me.”
“And if I don’t?” Sparring with her was more fun than flirting with anyone else. “What will you do?”
April licked her lips and shoved my chest with her free hand. “Let me go.”
“I wish I could,” I growled and pulled her against my chest before I fixed my mouth over hers. Her lips were as soft and as full as I remembered but the shock of the kiss rendered her pliant. A hint of chocolate lingered on her tongue, and I couldn’t get enough.
One flick of her tongue against mine and I let out a low growl and backed her up to the nearest flat surface, pressing our bodies together completely.
She was all soft curves and silky skin. My hands roamed the length of her body, enjoying every curve, savoring every gasp and cry she let out when I touched her.
Her body vibrated when my hand slid over her hips and across her stomach.
Her breath hitched when my fingertips grazed the swell of her breasts and a low growl escaped when my palm found one of her hard nipples.
She tore her mouth from mine, gasping and panting.
And smiling. When her smile faded my hard cock was ready for disappointment but then attacked my mouth once again.
I kissed her back, enjoying the way she practically climbed my body and wrapped her legs around my waist, nestling my cock between warm, silky thighs.
Our mouths were fused together while she ground against me, driving me crazy.
“April,” I groaned but she was lost with her head tossed back and her hips grinding against me.
Neither of us spoke as our bodies came together. She was so wet she dripped down my cock as I perched at her opening and teased her with quick, shallow thrusts.
She let out a frustrated sigh when I held her hips to prevent her from impaling herself on my cock and I couldn’t help but smile.
She didn’t want to be here, didn’t like me much either.
But she wanted me. April gripped my hair in her hands and tugged, pulling my head back before she licked a trail of heat up my neck and punctuated the move by nibbling my bottom lip.
My grip loosened and she sank down on my cock with a low, almost feral moan of pleasure. Her head fell back with a sigh, a sexy little smile curved her lips up as she moved her hips.
Beautiful. It perfectly described her in that moment, hot and needy and lost to pleasure.
She was exactly what I needed. Better than any alcohol on the planet.
I held her and pumped my hips, hard and fast as she gripped my cock with her greedy pussy.
Wet and hot and possessive, she rode me faster and faster until she found her pleasure in a quick and powerful orgasm that triggered my own.
April clung to me for several long seconds, gasping for air as her fingertips dug into my shoulders. She dotted soft kisses up and down the column of my neck before she pressed a chaste kiss to my lips before she wiggled free and slid down my body. Her feet hit the floor and her legs wobbled.
I hooked my arm around her waist and picked her up.
“What are you doing?” Her question was breathless and confused.
“I’m not done with you yet,” I whispered in her ear. “So I’m taking you to my room so I can have my way with you.”
She shivered in response, but she didn’t refuse.