Page 129 of Beneath the Light of the Moon

A whisper followed by a smack, and then…

Gurgling.

Three strides was all it took for him to clear the rest of the hallway and position himself in the doorway of Anika’s living room.

There, at the end of his gun’s barrel, was a scene he should’ve known was coming.

Levi was slouched on the couch, his face red and movements jerky as he tried to fight off Anika. It washisboot kicking and stepping over broken glass littering the floor around where he sat. His mouth opened and closed, no words coming out, just a pleading look in his pale eyes as Anika’s pretty little hands wrapped tighter around his throat.

She straddled his lap, her pale blue nightgown at odds with the violence she bestowed. Veins bulged in Levi’s face, but he could also see the corded muscle in Anika’s arms as she wrestled with the man below her. Sweat glistened on her tan skin, and her hair fell loose over her shoulder.

Mikko’s jaw clenched and his finger poised on the trigger.

Shoot,his mind urged. And yet…

Time passed slowly, Levi’s consciousness fading.

He knew he should be angry at Anika, at Levi even, for putting him in this situation, but all he felt was guilt. Maybe this was hisretribution; the universe was punishing him for everything he’d done in the past while simultaneously giving him a chance to fix it—to end it all.

Suddenly, his escape from reality needed to be put down, but he wasn’t sure if he could shoot Anika. He wasn’t ready for their game of cat and mouse to end. An emotion he vowed to ignore still swirled in his chest. Anika was everything a man could want—sharp and witty with a lethal innocence striking when one least expected it. A weapon all on her own that she’d honed and used against him.

And hefuckingfell for it.

The universe was a dark, twisted place, and it was throwing his obsession, hismistakes,back in his face. He wished he could’ve crumbled to his knees, begging at Anika’s feet for an explanation to make all this go away. Pleading with her to stop might’ve been his solution if he didn’t have a business to uphold.

And a reputation.

You deserve this,a small voice whispered in his head.Happiness isn’t attainable for someone like you.

Do it. Do it. Do it.

Mikko’s mind warred between retribution, gaining the answers he desperately needed to protect his empire, and yearning for her to touch him instead.

Oh, to be tortured by her hands…

Mikko held the gun tighter.

One bullet…it would end it all

Something in him pulled taut—he struggled to keep from coming undone—before snapping. There were no spots blocking his vision like there had been in the past when rage fueled his actions.

No.

This time everything was crystal clear, vision sharpening.

Heknewwhat he had todo—

“I wish I could say I was surprised,” Anika gritted out, her grip unrelenting against Levi’s neck. “But I’m almost disappointed you haven’t shot me yet.”

“Let. Him. Go,” Mikko responded, spine ramrod straight. Levi’s eyes rolled into the back of his head. “I won’t ask again.”

He counted four heartbeats and shifted his gun slightly to the left of Anika’s form. All his life, he’d been underestimated, abused, and thought a fool. But now—

Molten honeyed eyes met his, her confidence at Levi’s now limp body evident on her face. The other man’s chest still rose and fell indicating he was alive. For now. Mikko’s hand lowered infinitesimally, her gaze breaking through his haze. A sweat broke out on his brow, but he pushed on.

“Always a couple steps behind,” she taunted. Bruises marred Levi’s throat as she pulled away. “But if you expect me to apologize for this”—her eyes flicked back to Levi—“I’m afraid that’s a promise I can’t keep.”

“Promises aren’t your strong suit.”