He swallowed, his throat working nervously. His dark eyes slid to the side and then his focus was on me again. “I’m just worried, okay? It’s dangerous for all of us. You have to know that.”
Yegor was a good man, loyal and fierce. I trusted him, that was for sure. Over the last year, he had become a close confidant and a friend. There were very few men like him in our life. I knew his heart and thoughts were all in a good place.
We were on a mission, and he didn’t want anything to mess it up.
I nodded firmly. “I won’t fuck this up. Trust me.”
“Why does it feel like I am basically babysitting you so you don’t really fuck this up?” he immediately responded, with one of his single dark eyebrows raised. The look on his face was now relaxed, so I knew this conversation was behind us now.
I grinned at Yegor with unholy glee and shrugged. “Because that’s basically your job description.”
His lips curled and he huffed before pushing past me and walking away. Yeah, I was an asshole, for sure. Chuckling, I followed behind him to Valentin’s office.
We walked inside to find the bastard sitting behind his desk with a huge smile on his face. He was happy, and that was dangerous. The look on his face said he won a fucking lottery and I didn’t like it. Not at all. Not. One. Fucking. Bit.
“What’s up, old man?” I asked nonchalantly. Dropping on the seat in front of his desk, I lounged back, crossed my right ankle over my opposite knee, and waited for his story. Deep inside me, the boiling rage was subdued.
His face reminded me of my sweet Valerie’s torturous days. Every tear, every pain…every moment of terror. I had great restraint. If not, I would have already leaped off the chair and tore his fucking tongue out through his throat and then shoved it in again before wringing his neck with his own damn intestines.
I would have left him out to rot and the crows to feed on his carcass, a well and bloody reminder to anyone who dared touch my woman.
“I have a gift for you,” he started, snapping me out of my murderous thoughts.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “A gift? What exactly can you give me that I don’t already have?”
He grinned wider, wickedly, and then let out a small laugh. “This one is special.”
I cracked my knuckles as I watched him, waiting. I fingered the gun holstered at my hips, still waiting. The blood sang a song in my veins, itching for a fight.
Valentin pushed something forward on his desk. I leaned in and saw ten pictures. Each was of a different woman. They all looked young, maybe anywhere around eighteen to twenty. Two of them looked almost underage.
“What is this?” I asked, feeling my nostrils flaring, and for a moment I thought I would lose my shit. I didn’t like where this was going.
This was bad…very bad.
“Your future bride. You can to choose one, son. I have cut down the selection to make it easy for you. All ten of these are my favorites. They are beautiful, young, and fertile. I can assure you, they are the best candidates. Just choose one of your liking,” he explained, as if this were an everyday business.
Yegor hissed under his breath as we finally understood Valentin’s plan. My jaw clenched and cracked underneath the pressure as I ground my teeth. “Bride? What the fuck do you mean?”
Valentin tsked, suddenly looking very impatient. “Wife. Marriage. It is time, Konstantin. It is time for you to produce an heir. And you will need one of those women to help you with that.”
My breath was suddenly stuck in my throat. “No,” I said abruptly before I could stop myself.
Valentin’s expression changed, and now he looked unhappy, frustrated at my lack of cooperation. “They are all virgins, if that’s what you are worried about,” he responded easily. Leaning back into his chair, he regarded me with a raised eyebrow.
Konstantin made his appearance, bye bye Viktor. “Oh really? Untouched, you say. They better be. I don’t play with used holes. If one of them is to be my wife, I want someone untouched. Pure, so I can defile them my way.”
It was all a dark web of lies, and now there was no getting out. The words made me sick, and I forced back my urge to throw up.
Valentin smirked and then laughed. He looked satisfied again. “You might not be my real son by blood, but never for one second have I doubted you are my real heir.”
“I would have been offended if you doubted me,” I shot back, calmly.
He waved a hand up and then smiled. “Never, son. Now pick a bride. We don’t have all day. The sooner you choose one, the faster you will have a virgin in your bed. She will be all yours.”