Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 125368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
With my favorite dagger in my hand, I crouched down next to Valentin. He sniffled and coughed, blood spilling from his mouth. Yeah, the poison was doing its job well.
I probably already gave him some internal injuries too after the beating he took from me.
I only needed five minutes to torture someone and rip all their goddamn organs out of their body.
Valentin had been helplessly at my mercy for fifty minutes now. Lucky him. Ha. Ha. Ha.
Slowly, I dragged the dagger across his stomach. The blade was so fucking sharp, I barely had to put pressure for it to slice him open. More blood oozed from his body until Valentin was practically bathing in it.
Slice. Cut. Slice. Cut.
I didn’t stop until his stomach was a mangled mess of bones and flesh. I could almost see his intestines. Blood pooled at my feet, and the stench of death laid heavy in the air.
I breathed it in. Inhale, exhale. Fucking heaven.
With agony etched on his face, Valentin’s eyes rolled back in his head. I backhanded his face and he winced. His eyes fluttered open, his breathing labored, and he struggled to stay conscious…alive.
I only had minutes now, and I wasn’t done yet.
Yegor handed me another bottle of whiskey. I twisted the cap open and tipped the bottle over Valentin’s body, pouring the whole shit on his open wounds, and I watched as his flesh seemed to sizzle. His body twitched and convulsed in pain. He could barely make a sound, his cries now muffled from the agony that coursed through his system.
Leaning forward so my lips were next to his ear, I whispered roughly, “Do you want to know a secret?”
Solonik made a choking sound, and I laughed, cold and cruel. “I’m not Konstantin.”
I had his arm crushed under my knee and drove my dagger down into the back of his hand, pinning it into the ground. I heard the sickening crunch of bones and the sound of blade meeting flesh soothed the dangerous beast I held inside me.
“My name is Viktor Ivanshov. Brother of Alessio Ivanshov. Loyalty means sacrifice. You can never break the trust between brothers. Blood makes you related, but loyalty…it makes you family. You and I might have been connected through blood, but Alessio and I are tied together through life and death. I don’t need to be Boss. I do what I do for my King. I am a soldier to the Pakhan and you…you were my target. You were just another piece on the chess board. The perfect game. Perfect betrayal. Perfect lie. Perfect revenge. Check-fucking-mate.”
I straightened to my full height. The old bastard tried to shake his head, as if in denial.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Solonik gasped to breathe. He was still alive, barely…but still breathing. Good. I had one last thing to do.
Taking the lighter out from the pocket of my pants, I clicked it open. I watched the flame dance around. Valentin’s lips parted and an ugly gurgling sound came through.
Our eyes met. “You lost,” I said. Simple words with greater meaning.
I threw the lighter on his body and took a step back, watching as the flames came to life, dancing around his corpse. The smell of burning flesh filled my nostrils. His screams were weak and they drowned as another exploding sound vibrated through the estate. Valentin writhed on the ground as his skin started to melt away and his flesh disintegrated into his bones.
Burning a person alive…what a sweet fucking torture.
I swiped my dagger over my black pants and watched as the flames completely engulfed his body. It was a pretty mess.
“Game over, Solonik.”
Chapter 28
Viktor
Valentin’s death tasted sweet on my tongue, and it soothed my enraged soul. I wanted to stay and watch his body burn into ashes. I wanted to see the end of him. Another exploding sound resonated through the walls of the estate, and I knew time was running out.
I backtracked, taking two steps away from the corpse in front of me. He’d never be able to hurt my Valerie again. I have avenged my woman in the only way I knew how.
Deep inside, I wished Valerie could see what I’d done to Solonik. She’d see his body burning, and maybe that would give her peace. But there was no way I’d put her in the path of danger.
“Viktor, we need to go.” Yegor’s urgent voice broke through my thoughts.
I nodded, giving Valentin’s flaming body a final glance. “Let’s go. I need to get the girls.”
They were probably worried and scared shitless. I should have told them what to expect, but I didn’t want to take any risk. It was easier leaving them in the dark till the end.
“I have your back,” Yegor said reverently.
I clapped his shoulders in gratitude without actually saying the words. I knew he had my back, and he knew I was fucking thankful for it. None of this would have been possible if I didn’t have Yegor walking side by side with me.