Page 25 of The Wraith & Her Killer
I realize too late that I had let go of Adris when a slow, ominous clap reverberates around the room. My hair is grabbed a second later, my entire body screaming in pain when I’m jerked against a hard chest. A scream starts to burst free from my lungs, but is quickly halted when the cool barrel of a gun is pressed to my temple.
A deep, menacing voice vibrates me to my core and dread settles in my stomach when he speaks.
“Talk about a grand entrance. You really know how to put on quite the show,” he mocks, his tone dripping with malice. “Have I taught you nothing of stealth and silence,son?”
Oh, no.
My watery, horrified gaze finds Adris standing over the body of Santino, his silver eyes darkened and homed in on the man caging me.
Adris removes his mask, and a carefree smirk tugs at his lips as he tilts his head to the side, looking unperturbed by the fact that his father is a fucking traitor.
“You know damn well that subtlety isn’t my style,Father.”
His father.
My father’s second in command.
Boris Knox.
“Ah, yes.” His grip tightens on my hair and he presses the muzzle of the gun harder into my temple, causing me to gasp in pain. “How could we forget the mark of the infamous Cupid Killer?”
Adris begins to twirl one of his arrows between his fingers in a move so casual that it has unease flooding my veins. Instead of falling victim to the goading, he begins to circle us like a predator before striking his prey.
“I have to admit, I’m proud of you.”
“For…”
“For the simple fact that you’ve never once not followed through on a kill contract. I’d banked on you taking this one.” Santino groans beneath Adris, but I keep my eyes pinned on the man before me, trying to hold myself together for him. “I knew the lack of information would be gnawing at your brain.”
Something dangerous shifts in Adris’ eyes and he stops twirling the arrow, his body becoming rigid.
“You’re the one who sent the contract to kill Odessa?”
“I did,” he confirms, not an ounce of guilt in his tone.
“Why?” Adris’ question barks out and it sounds more like a command for an answer.
“Because she’s the final piece of the puzzle I need to take over as the next Pakhan in the Kuznetsov Bratva.”
“What is going on? You two okay?” Calix’s voice chimes quietlyin my ear but I don’t dare react. I don’t think his father has noticed the earpiece, and I can’t risk drawing attention to it when it could help us get out of this situation.
“So why involve this fuckface in the grand plan?” Adris asks, pointing his arrow at my unconscious abuser.
“It was just business.” He shrugs, tightening his grip on my hair. I bite back the sting of tears. “He kills the girl, I take over after convincing Mikhail to retire, and Ferrero gets a share of the trades for doing his part.”
In a flash, I’m whipped around until I’m facing an older, more wicked version of Adris, but with dark blond hair. I don’t remember much of him, but there’s no mistaking who he is.
Boris grips my throat right over the bruises already marring my skin and squeezes until I can’t breathe. “So imagine my surprise when I find out that he didn’t keep his end of the bargain. That the daughter, the sole heir to the Kuznetsov bratva, was still alive.”
He leans in so close that I can smell the bourbon on his breath as he chuckles in my face. “Santino knew that he had fucked up the whole plan. And he knew that I knew because he had beat you black and blue, left you for dead, and split town—escaping to his little hideaway island before I could get my fucking hands on him.” He looks down over my shoulder, assumingly at Santino’s unconscious form. “Little did he know that I had already formulated a new plan to make his little departure work to my advantage.”
His eyes rake over my body from bottom to top with a predatory hunger that has nausea swirling heavily in my gut. A malevolent smile takes over his twisted features before he leans in, the stubble of his cheek scratching against mine.
“Get the fuck away—”Click.The newly familiar sound of a hammer being pulled back sounds close to my ear and Adris’ argument dies on his lips.
Boris’ eyes never once stray from my face when he croons, “See, I’d planned on killing you myself once I discovered the truth, since apparently the only person I can count on to follow through on aplan here is me.” His eyes flit to Adris and back. “Until you.” His grin broadens and I recoil. “And now that I’ve had a good look at you, I have a much,muchbetter idea.”
Goosebumps prickle along my skin at his words and a sense of impending doom settles like a lead weight in my chest. He licks the shell of my ear and my body threatens to revolt against his sickening touch. Adris undoubtedly sees what his father has just done, judging by the growl that rattles through his chest. Footsteps pound the ground right as I’m whipped back around and his father’s arm bands around my neck. My hands fly up to grip his forearm in an attempt to loosen his hold, but this time the gun is trained on Adris, and my heart stops.
