Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“Bethany. My contact is Bethany.” He pants. “My target is Adelaide Belov. The wife of Andrei Belov. I was to kill her today.”
I drop the pliers.
Pulling out the knife I always have on my person, I slide it across his neck, watching as the life slowly leaves his eyes, and I step back.
I’d made a mess. If Adelaide hadn’t come when she had, I had every intention of doing that to Nathan, killing him.
Bethany had sent a man to kill my wife, and it wasn’t Nathan.
Anger consumed me.
I stepped back.
The warehouse was silent.
I’m covered in blood.
I reach for the cleanest part of the man’s clothing and wipe my blade before moving away.
“Sir?” Terrance asked.
“Get his body disposed of. I’m going to the hospital.”
“You need to change,” Leo said.
I look down at my shirt, covered in more blood, and I’m ashamed of it mingling with my wife’s. This piece of shit didn’t even deserve to be in the same room as her, but now his blood was mixed with hers, and I hated it. I removed my shirt and threw it on top of him, to be disposed of. Leo, like so many times before, removed his shirt.
My hands were covered with blood, and there was a small bucket on the floor, as there always is because my men know what is required. I wash the blood off my hands, and even as it turns the bucket red, it doesn’t bother me. Not compared to Adelaide’s blood on my hands. With clean hands, I take Leo’s shirt and slide it on over my body. Without another word, I turn away and head back to the car.
Leo follows me, shirtless. Neither of us talk as I climb behind the wheel. Words are completely unnecessary.
All I want to do is kill. Bethany is responsible for the hit taken out on my wife. I’m a little disappointed in the hit man. He’d cut my fun early. When it came to Bethany, though, I had no choice but to go to Ivan.
Gripping the steering wheel tightly, I drive through the streets heading straight back to the hospital. Leo remains silent, which is exactly how he should fucking be. My thirst isn’t quenched yet.
Arriving at the hospital, I leave the parking to Leo, then I head inside and go straight to Adelaide’s room.
I’m aware of the nurses and doctors, all stepping out of my way, clearly afraid to do something that would make them a target. I couldn’t give a fuck what they’re afraid of. To survive, they better stay away from my wife, and to keep this hospital running smoothly, my wife better not die.
Ivan’s sitting in the chair I had been in when I arrive back at the room. There was no change in Adelaide. I step toward the bed, hoping to see some sign of life. Anything. There’s nothing.
The machines are making their sterile noises and it pisses me off. All of this pisses me off. Adelaide is hooked up to a machine, and Bethany is…
“It’s Bethany,” I said, cutting through the silence that was starting to make me angry.
Ivan’s brows go up. “You’re sure?”
“It’s her. I’m clear. After what I put him through, I believe it’s her.”
“You were gone for an hour and a half.”
“I didn’t waste any time.”
I touch Adelaide’s hand. There’s no response.
“Interesting,” Ivan said.
“There is nothing interesting about it.”
“Not to you, but I’ve been keeping an eye on her. She doesn’t have the means to hire a hit man, or even know how to contact one.” Ivan runs a finger over his lips.
“Do you think someone is playing her?” I asked. I didn’t care either way. I was going to kill her.
“We could pretend Adelaide is dead,” Ivan said.
“No. You did the whole dead thing and rising up, and look what shit that gave us. Not happening.”
I wasn’t going to allow Adelaide to die. She would wake up soon, and I wasn’t going to live with her being somewhere else. Not happening. I would fight Ivan on this.
He chuckled. “And you were pissed at me for making her marry you. Please, you should be thanking me.”
“She could have died,” I said, losing myself. “Fuck, shit, I’m sorry.”
Ivan held his hand up. “It’s fine. I always find it refreshing being spoken back to. Kind of a turn-on.”
I roll my eyes, knowing he’s doing it to get yet another rise out of me. This is what Ivan did. He was a master at manipulation.
“I expected him to name Demon or Oleg,” I said. “It was Bethany.”
“She has the jealousy, Andrei, just not the means, and certainly not the funds to pay for someone.”
“I can find out.”
I tense and look toward the door to see Nathan. One of his eyes is swollen shut, and his mouth looks too big for his face, but he’s standing there as if I’d not put him through the fucking ringer.