And he caressed her back as if she were every of his prayer answered.
I chugged the rest of the whiskey down my throat and stared at the empty cup. My fingers clenched, and I could easily break it. Under the pressure of my hold, I felt the glass crackle. So fragile. Just like them, the lovers under my roof.
My hand reached for the single dart that was on my desk. Taking it between my fingers, I felt the sharp tip on my thumb and then I threw the dart across the room, without taking my eyes off them. Watching them fuck on my screen.
Without looking, I knew the dart had hit its spot…the target…my victim.
You see, I was no fool. Not like Viktor thought I was.
But these games, I had been playing them for many years. Way longer than Viktor and Alessio Ivanshov.
Although this one game, especially, started thirty years ago.
And soon…it would end.
I started it.
I planned to finish it.
I knew where Viktor’s loyalty lay. But I also knew Valerie was his biggest distraction. She was his game changer, and his loyalty was now hazy. And I knew exactly how to make him blur the lines for her.
Taking the whiskey bottle in my hand, I tossed the remaining liquid down my throat. After swallowing, I couldn’t help it. My eyes found the screen again. Their fuck fest was now over, but Konstantin still laid lazily between her legs, his hips keeping her spread open, his chest against her stomach and his head laid almost sweetly on her tits as they both caught their breaths.
I stared…and then I laughed.
I am no fool, Viktor. If only you’d remembered that.
When I finally spoke, I said the words to the screen.
“Checkmate.”
Chapter 21
Viktor
Hate.
Hate was a strong word.
And hate was exactly what I’d been living on. I’d been surviving on one emotion only: hate. Pure loathing.
I continued this fucked-up game while hating the man who started it.
I continued to play by Valentin’s rules…knowing I’d be the one to end it.
“I think this is a bad idea. Last night—”
“Your opinion is not needed,” I repeated once again.
“Viktor—”
I cut Yegor off before he could continue. “Do as you’re told and we won’t have a fucking problem.”
I heard his jaw snap shut, and from my position in the backseat, I watched as he glared at the darkened streets. “Is that understood?” I snarled, kicking the back of his seat.
Anger filled my chest. Rage clouded my thoughts. Fury bled through my veins.
Yegor hissed from under his breath, and I fought the urge to pummel my own man to the ground. He was a friend.
Though right now…my mind viewed everyone with hatred. An enemy.
Except her.
My Valerie.
Thinking of her was both a balm to my soul and a torture to my heart. My fists clenched and I felt my knuckles starting to ache.
“Understood, sir.”
I stayed silent as he stepped out of the car, and I waited for a second before he opened my own door. My skin pricked with a dangerous need to fight. To maim. To watch blood spill. To rid me of the throbbing adrenaline coursing in my body.
And that was exactly what I was about to do.
Yegor was against it. But fuck him.
He didn’t understand.
Nobody understood me.
The pain. The anger. The hatred. The hostile need to fight someone, to watch them bleed by my own bare hands before I could hurt those I cared about.
The self-inflicted pain in my chest every time I breathed knowing I had somewhat failed the woman I loved.
He didn’t understand why I needed to do this.
So his opinions didn’t matter.
He could shut the fuck up and follow me like the puppet he was.
Yegor was a friend. But I was also the fucking Alpha.
Stepping out of the car, I walked past him. He silently followed behind me. Close enough I could feel the heat of his body, but far enough to avoid walking ahead of me by even a step.
Right now, we weren’t brothers.
Right now, he was my soldier and he’d do my bidding.
The deeper I walked into the dark alley, the closer I got to my destination. I felt it call my name, felt it down to my bones. The air was cold and musky. It also smelled like garbage and shit. The long alley was so dark we could barely see anything, but I knew my way around.
One after another, I continued to step forward.
Beat. Thump. Beat. Thump.
When I was close enough to hear the roars and the loud cheering coming at the end of the alley, I blew out a loud shuddering breath.
This place was a shit-hole, yet right now, it almost felt like home.
This fucked-up place was on the opposite side of Moscow from where Valentin’s estate was. Deserted from civilization. I was far away from him…and from her.
And here, I could be anything I wanted.