Chapter 24
GABE
Timbers still smolder. The smoke’s mostly gone, but steam still drifts from pieces of the house burning under the rubble. If I were smart, I wouldn’t be anywhere near this place, but I don’t have much of a choice.
I pick through the wreckage, kicking through burned wood, looking for something, anything at all.
I’m not even sure what. Electronics, laptops, hard drives, cell phone, anything like that would be nice.
Documents, maps, guns, drugs, hell, takeout food wrappers, any indication that this place was being used.
But there’s nothing.
“You know, when you talked about a honeymoon earlier, I didn’t think you’d mean this.” Nika comes stomping around the corner. She’s in black jeans and a black turtleneck, her hair up in a messy bun, long rubber gloves on both of her hands. Soot streaks her face and her mouth is set in a hard line.
“I told you, you didn’t have to help.”
“What was I going to do? Watch French TV?”
“There’s such a thing as streaming.”
“This is more fun.” She kicks through some rubble. “But there’s really not much here.”
“I know. It’s odd.” I walk into what I think was the kitchen, careful with each step. The floor seems solid but it’s hard to say.
“What were you expecting?”
I hesitate, running fingers through still-hot ash. This was the stove at one point. Now it’s mostly twisted, blackened metal. No pots, no pans, no dirty dishes. No indication of life.
“This was one of Artyom’s safe houses. I was hoping for—“ I wave a hand, not even sure how to answer that. “Bodies, ideally.”
“If there was anyone living here, they’re long gone now.”
I slam my fist on the counter. It splinters and cracks. The refrigerator tilts at an odd angle and a table is pressed in the corner, still surprisingly intact.
“Fucking frustrating,” I mutter, eyes on the floor, trying to envision my next move.
“It’ll be okay. We’re here. We’ll find them.” Nika touches my back and presses herself to my side.
If she weren’t here, I’d be tearing this place to pieces. I’d be destroying it, purely out of frustration, but she’s keeping me calm. There’s something about her, the way she seemed so excited to see the city, fascinated by every little detail. It’s hard to feel jaded and angry with her around.
But I can probably manage it anyway.
“I’ve got my entire force trying to figure out where Artyom’s staying. We need to find him soon.”
“Aren’t you in a better position than him?”
I shake my head, looking down at my hands. I swore not to lie, but I haven’t been able to tell her this part yet.
I’m too fucking angry and ashamed.
All this work and I still don’t have the backing of the Dragons.
Even now, they see me as nothing more than a usurper and an upstart, even though I’ve managed to take over a Bratva as a complete outsider, managed to ambush and take down a major Turkish warlord, managed to outflank and fight off dozens of other combatants to this point.
Artyom has eluded me so far, but if given more time, I’d get him eventually.
And they still don’t give a shit.
“When the vote happens, I’m going to lose.” I say it softly. I can’t bring myself to look at her.
“Why do you think that?”
“Lucy told me. My Dragon brother-in-law’s top lieutenant. If she says it’s true, then it’s true.”
She moves closer, mouth pressing against my arm. “Then you’re trying to make sure it won’t come to a vote at all.”
“Exactly. If Artyom’s dead, they have to choose me."
"No, it won’t matter. They’ll pick you. They’ll have to.”
“Nika—“
“No, Gabe.” She pulls my arm and makes me look at her. “Listen to me. I don’t care about their internal politics. Whatever my cousin’s doing to win them over, it doesn’t matter. You’re the better man. I know it and they’ll know it too.”
“That’s not how it works.”
“Then we’ll find him. We have time, right?”
“A week at most.”
“That’s enough.” She gets on her toes and kisses me. “We can do this. You know we can.”
“Nika…” I trail off, holding her wide, innocent eyes with mine.
This fucking girl. She’s talking about killing her own cousin like it’s nothing.
She’s practically acting like my cheerleader, and she really believes it too, like I can do anything.
It’s addictive and intoxicating, her sincerity right now, and maybe she’s right, maybe I really can do this.
“My confidence has never wavered before,” I say, pulling her to me, lacing my fingers through her hair. I lean against the burned kitchen counter as I bathe in her smell. Ash and perfume. “I’ve always been like this. Radical self-belief.”
“I noticed. You’re a cocky bastard.”
“It’s not even that, it’s more like I trust that I’m as good as I think I am, no matter what happens. If I fail a test, that doesn’t matter, because there will be other tests in the future, and I’ll pass all those. I’ve never slowed down, never stopped to think before, but now—“
“Don’t tell me you’re second-guessing.”
“We’re at the end, baby. If I don’t win this, Artyom becomes Dragon, and the thing about Dragon is, they love their revenge. We won’t live long once he’s in charge and given serious power. There’s no other option for us, no other path forward. It’s either win or die.”
“Gabe—“
“No, listen. You’re not going to like this, but it’s the truth.” I pull back so I can look her in the eye. “It’s your fault.”
Her lips tug downward. “Uh, yeah, I definitely don’t like that, you’re right.”
“It’s your fault,” I repeat, leaning in to kiss her neck as I tug her hair back. She gasps. “Before you, I was a machine. No hesitation. No feelings. Charge forward, always forward, and never look back. But you woke something in me. You made me want to care.”
“And it’s holding you back? Come on, that’s such bullshit.”
“It’s making me worry.”
“Then stop it.” She pushes me back roughly. “Don’t be pathetic.”
A flicker of anger in my stomach. “You think it’s pathetic that I care about you?”
“I think you’re using me as an excuse.”
“That’s not true.”
“Bullshit. Gabe, you’re strong. You’ve come so far. Look at this place! You burned it down earlier today, and now we’re here kicking through it in the middle of the night like it’s no big deal! Come on, don’t talk to me about worrying or whatever.”
I turn and pin her back against the counter. She gasps when I wrap a hand around her throat, pressing hard enough that she knows it’s there. My forehead rests against hers. “I’m not dragging you to hell. Not if I can stop it.”
“Then win. Quit complaining.”
I tighten my grip on her throat. “You shouldn’t test me."
“Maybe that’s what you need.”
“Yeah? You think you know what I need, Nika?”
“I think I do.” She reaches forward. I let out a low growl of surprise as she unbuckles my belt. She shoves one hand down the front of my jeans and strokes my cock, the other holding on to a belt loop, pulling me closer. “I think you know too.”
I stiffen at her touch. My mouth opens at how fucking brazen she’s being. She grips my shaft as I pull her hair, drawing a whimper, but she doesn’t stop. Her eyes lock on mine, hand moving up and down my shaft.
“You’re playing a dangerous game.”
“Good. Play with me.”
I bury her mouth with mine. I do it rough, not caring if it hurts.
I kiss her hard and bite her, nibbling and sucking as she keeps on gripping my dick.
I swear I might explode in my god damn pants as I hold her throat harder, making her moan before releasing and moving my hands down her body.
I spin her around, pin her against the counter, and get her pants off.
“Fuck,” she moans when I drop to my knees, her ass in my face. I lick her pussy from behind, stroking her with my fingers as I do it. “Oh shit, Gabe, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind—“
“You think you’re the only one that gets to play?” She tries to twist around but I stand and shove her back down. I hold one wrist behind her back, my rock-hard cock grazing up and down her slit from behind.
“Looks like I got what I wanted.”
“You dirty fucking girl, teasing me, provoking me.” I grab her hair and kiss her roughly over her shoulder. “I’m not going to be nice.”
“Are you ever?”
I laugh and press myself inside of her.
She gasps, eyes widening, as I fuck her deep.
I’m not gentle or kind. I take her, filling her from behind with my thick cock, and I can tell it hurts at first. She’s still a tight virgin getting used to my size.
I should ease her into this, but I don’t give a shit about that.
I need her body, I need her soul, I need her hurt and every inch of her skin.
I need it all and right now. I fill her, stroking her hair, pulling her close and kissing her, devouring her, tongue in her mouth as my cock fills her tight pussy.
“Oh God,” she moans, wiggling her hips and pushing back against me as I slam into her again and again. Ash puffs into the air from the counter, blown by the motion of our bodies. The house creaks around us, unstable, on the verge of collapse, and I don’t care.
I take her, my fucking wife, over and over, fucking her in the burned-out husk of my enemy’s safehouse. I pull her hair and greedily suck her puffy, pretty lips, cock bottoming out as I fuck her roughly. She moans, animal, losing herself, bucking against me, wanting more.
I spank her bare ass pink. “Look at you, dirty fucking girl. You keep moaning like that and the walls are going to fall on us.”
“Like you care? All you want is to come inside me.”
I moan, unable to help myself. “You’re god damn right I do.”
“You want to fill me… fuck me… use me up… you’re going to make me a dirty girl, aren’t you? I was so good before you…”
Oh god damn it.
Where did she learn to talk like that?
I growl, losing myself as I fuck her harder, squeezing her tits, shoving my fingers into her mouth, gripping her hair.
“Nika, fuck baby, I can’t hold on…”
“You want to fill my pussy up?”
“God damn it…”
“I’m so close too. Keep going. Don’t fucking stop.”
“You dirty fucking girl… god you kill me… fuck, Nika…”
“Gabe!” She stiffens in my arms, moans going low, and that kills me.
I can’t control myself anymore. I finish, exploding between her legs, coming hard and deep inside her pussy.
She gasps for breath, her skin flushed from her own orgasm, her eyes rolled back until she collapses down against the counter, breathing hard.
Sweat rolls down my back as I pull her into my arms and hold her tight.
Ash gets everywhere. Soot stains our clothes. I don’t care. I kiss her, the taste of burned wood mingling with her tongue. I press my forehead to hers.
“Your faith in me… is invigorating.”
“Glad I can help.” Her mouth curves, heady and happy. “We should probably get out of here. I bet neighbors heard.”
“Probably.” I don’t move though. I hold her in the blackened, hellish pit, until I move to help her get her pants back on—
When the counter gives out with a crack.
We stumble and nearly go down. I grab her, steadying myself on the refrigerator. My pants are a tangle around my ankles, and she’s just as naked. Fortunately, I keep her from getting shards of wood shoved up her ass, and we stand there breathing hard for a beat before she starts laughing.
Fuck, her laughter’s infectious. I smile back and help her get dressed before pulling my own clothes back on. When I’m decent, I’m about to drag her out, when I notice something black and bright in the wreck of the collapsed counter.
I kneel down and pluck a simple phone wrapped in duct-tape off a piece of wood. I hold it up, eyebrows raised, while her eyes go wide.
“They must’ve hidden it under the counter.” I look from the phone back to her. “If we hadn’t just had sex right there—“
“Jesus…” She lets out a breath. “We should get out of here before our luck really runs out.”
I shove the phone into my pocket. “Good idea. But you know what this means, right?”
“Uh, not really.”
I take her by the hand and lead her toward the front door. “I’m going to fuck you whenever I need to find something.”
“Pretty sure that’ll be very inefficient…”