Viktor
“Ayla?” My voice was loud in panic. I sounded frantic. I was frantic.
“Baby girl, why are you calling me? What’s wrong? Did something happen?” I shot the questions before she could have a chance to answer.
“Huh? Oh no, everything is fine,” she quickly replied.
I sagged against the wall, my heart thumping hard. She didn’t sound scared, but even then, the panic didn’t lessen.
“Then why are you calling, baby girl?” I asked quietly. Shit, didn’t Alessio tell her not to call me?
“I wanted to check if you were okay. Are you okay?” her sweet voice replied.
Ah, for fuck’s sake! This was bad. Very bad.
I wasn’t supposed to have any communication with the Ivanshov like this. It would look too suspicious. Ayla just messed up big time.
Taking a deep breath, I replied. “Don’t worry about me, baby girl. I know you’re worrying, but please don’t. Remember, no stress during your pregnancy.”
I could feel her nodding, and I almost smiled. “I know, but Alessio won’t tell me anything. If you promise you are okay, then I won’t worry anymore. I need to hear you say it instead of Alessio.”
Instead of replying with what she wanted me to, I quickly spoke. “Ayla, you can’t call me again. What you just did is very dangerous.”
There was silence on the other side until I heard her whisper, her voice now masked with fear. “Did I just mess up?”
I shook my head. “No, baby girl. You didn’t.”
“But…”
“You just can’t do that again. That’s all. Hang up and go tell Alessio that you called me. He will handle it from there.”
“Is he going to be angry at me?” she muttered. I could almost imagine her chewing on her bottom lip nervously.
Chuckling quietly, I shook my head. “No, Ayla. Alessio can never be mad at you. Now go.”
“Okay.”
Before she could hang up, I whispered the words for her to hear. “I am okay, baby girl.”
And then I hung up.
Throwing the phone on the bed, I released a frustrated growl. Fucking shit! I couldn’t even talk to her properly. Instead, the mere thought of Valentin catching me left me feeling cold and sick.
Only three days since I came back and I was already suffocating.
A small ping from the second phone brought my attention back. Walking toward the bed, I picked it up to see a message.
I am here.
Ah. Everything was forgotten when I read the message. Instead, I could feel myself smirking.
How perfect.
It was true that I was suffocating here…but there was something—or someone—who could make me feel differently.
A few minutes with her was enough to make me forget everything. All the mess and how fucked up my life was, in her presence—everything was gone except her.
But I couldn’t have her until something important was done.
I didn’t reply to the text. Instead, I placed the phone in my pocket and walked out of my room. My steps faltered on the top of the stairs, my gaze drifting toward Valerie’s wing of the estate.
Her room was at the end of the hall. Several steps and I could be with her.
But business came first.
Wait for me, myshka.
With a final look, I walked away. The car was already waiting for me. In the darkness of the night, the ride toward my destination was quick and silent.
When the car finally stopped, I stepped out and faced the dark alley. I walked forward, step after step, until I reached the mouth of the back alley.
There was no one in the streets, and at this time, everyone was mostly sleeping. There was only darkness, me and him.
I walked forward and then stopped when I saw the figure standing against the wall.
“Hello, Igor.”
He moved away quickly, his body defensive and ready for attack. I saw him reaching behind his back, probably for his gun.
Tsk tsk. Poor guy. Too bad, he already fell in my trap.
“Konstantin?” he asked quietly.
I walked forward under the single lamplight. His eyes widened at the sight of me.
“Surprised?” I asked instead.
“Wh—at? What are you doing here? I thought I was meeting…” he stuttered.
I chuckled and then shook my head. “Nope. You are meeting me.”
“But…” He paused and then straightened. “What do you want, Konstantin?”
I sighed and leaned against the wall. I removed a small box from my pocket and placed a cigarette between my lips. Igor swallowed and watched as I lighted the end.
It was done slowly, dragging out the suspense. When he trembled slightly, I knew I had him right where I wanted.
“Do you really want to know?”
He didn’t answer, so I just shrugged.
“Simple. I want you dead.”
“You can’t. Valentin…will know. And…”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” I said before blowing out a puff of smoke.
I didn’t give him a chance to answer. In a swift movement, I took the knife out and threw it at him. Bullseye.
It pierced his leg, and he yelped before falling to his knees. Igor groaned in pain, his chest heaving. He was an old guy, younger than Valentin, but still old.
Maybe I’ll go gentle on him.
He was silent for a second. “Why are you doing this?”
Igor already knew the answer, yet he still asked. But considering what I was about to do, the poor guy deserved an answer.
“Here is something you need to know about me,” I said, my voice quiet in the darkness of the night.
My words were only for his ears. He trembled, his eyes widening with fear when I took a menacing step closer.
“I always get what I want. It doesn’t matter how or what I need to do to get it. In the end, it’s mine if I want it,” I continued. “I don’t give a fuck about the consequences.”
He shook his head, trying to beg for his life, but I ignored his desperate plea.
“And I want her.”
I saw his throat working as he tried to speak, but he stopped when I crowded his space. Crouching down to his level, I smiled. I pulled the knife out, and he fell to his side, his face twisting in agony.
His eyes went to my knife as I twirled it around my fingers. The blade whispered over my skin but never cut through.
I brought the knife closer to his face, dragging the tip of the blade down his face and then his neck, until I held him captive. One wrong movement…and his death would be signed.
I made a tsking sound at the back of my throat before speaking again. “Unfortunately for you, you are in my way. To get her, I will need to get rid of you. Sadly.”
“When…Valentin finds out that you have taken an interest in Valerie…it will be war,” Igor whispered through clenched teeth. “Don’t do this. Remember, you and Valentin need to be one to bring down the Ivanshov. If you go against him…”
I laughed—because little did he know.
Leaning closer, I muttered in his ear. “Oh, I can’t wait for this…war.”
He opened his mouth, but no words came through as I dug my knife into his neck, breaking through his artery. Blood sprayed around us. It wasn’t a clean kill—it was rather messy as he choked on his blood, the gurgling sound of his impending death music to my ears.
I dragged my knife out of his gouged throat and wiped it with my handkerchief. My suit was drenched with his dirty blood, but that was thing about black—it hid all the messiness of this beautifully fucked-up life.
Well, that was gentle enough.
Standing up, I gave him a final look and couldn’t stop the smirk that pulled up across my lips.
With my gaze on the bloody gorgeous artwork, I watched the life drain out of him, his body convulsing and slowly going still.
I turned my back to him, but not before whispering words that he heard as his life left him completely.
“I will send my sincere condolences to your wife and kids.”