Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 79781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
I pull him into a hungry kiss, and something about it feels final.
I may not die tonight.
It’s unlikely, but still. No matter what happens, I know that I can’t pull Tate any deeper into this world.
If he is saying he wants me… not my cock, but me…
And if he is falling for me?
Then I have failed. Failed in my duty to protect him. He can never be truly safe with someone who comes from a family like mine, and I will never put him through that pain.
Because I need to keep you around, beauty.
Living.
A luxury some people I’ve loved didn’t get to keep.
Maks takes out his Makarov in the passenger seat, loading it and stuffing it back into his pocket.
The high-beams of my car illuminate the small portion of the forested road ahead of us, as we soar down the winding lanes toward Yegor.
I know I am driving too fast. But I don’t stop.
The sky is inky black overhead, a moonless night, and every raincloud has passed, leaving the air humid but clear.
“We need to be ready for the worst,” Maks tells me in Russian.
“I always am.”
“Mm. Are you… are you thinking of him?”
I know immediately that Maks means Tate, not Yegor.
“Yes.”
“He is safe, with Hunter. You’ve told me what Hunter is capable of.”
“Safe with Hunter, right now, yes. Safe with how he wants me… no.”
I can feel Maks staring at me from the passenger seat, but I keep my eyes on the road ahead, and I don’t glance over at him.
“You cannot control everything,” Maks eventually says. “Even the things you think you can.”
“When it comes to protecting him, I can control everything I fucking want. I will never let him into this life, Maks.”
“You already have.”
“Shut your mouth,” I tell him, my words coming out in English.
“Then face the fucking truth. You can’t block yourself from the world because you were born with our last name.”
“I’ve been doing it my whole life. I assure you, I can.”
“You are so fucking lucky to have someone like Tate who wants you,” Maks tells me, and when I finally do glance over at him, I see pure rage in his eyes. “You don’t know how much some people want that. How much I want that, from someone as good as Tate.”
“Stop talking about him. We are close to Yegor’s house.”
“I know exactly where we fucking are.”
“You want it to be like this?” I ask him. “Our last conversation before we may be massacred, we fight?”
“If I am going to be killed, I will be happy knowing my last words were telling the cousin I love the truth.”
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath.
My chest is as tight as a drum.
I can see the turn-off onto Yegor’s property up ahead, and I bite down so hard on my cheek I taste blood.
I pull the vehicle into the long gravel driveway, cutting the headlights the moment we pull up outside Yegor’s house.
“Look. The cars.”
Maks nods as we look over and see that there are three other vehicles pulled up on the side of the driveway.
Yegor does have company.
“Did we need to bring more people?” Maks murmurs. “I don’t like this.”
“I don’t like it either. But we’re here. Yegor’s already seen our arrival on his cameras.”
I cut the engine and its roar dissipates into silence.
We get out of the car, our boots crunching softly on the gravel as we step toward the front door of the house.
I check for shadows behind every tree. Yegor’s property is well lit, though, with tiny glowing lamps dotted all along the walkway and under the trees. There could be men circling the perimeter, but I see nothing as we walk up to the front.
Lights are on inside. I step up to the front door and knock three times.
Gun in the left pocket, and in the back right.
Three knives.
And the rope.
The front door swings open and Yegor is there, holding a cocktail glass in one hand with a cigar between his lips.
His eyes widen as he nods at me.
“Roman! Maks! What a pleasure. What brings you here?”
I can hear jazz music playing in the house and the sound of chatter. There are multiple guys inside, but I can’t see who.
Yegor clearly wasn’t expecting us. He goes in for a hug, for me and then for Maks, and invites us inside.
My heart is slamming in my chest. I have no clue how much Yegor knows. Is he aware of the information we’ve found yet? Are we walking into a trap, or are we setting one?
“We were in the area,” Maks tells him.
I remain silent.
Observing.
I need to focus on every small detail.
“Come, come. I have a few friends over.”
Yegor leads us down a couple of shallow steps into the lower area of his front living room. Tall windows look out over the stately forested backyard, and the fireplace is roaring in the center of the wall.