Page 59 of Broken

Calmly I came to my senses. "I need to find Astrid, but..."

"We should have dinner this week." He looked down at me and ran a thumb along my lips. "You should fix your lipstick too. I smeared it."

I hoped down and looked for my panties that I found over by the window. Shoving them inside my clutch, I bit my lip. "I won't wait for your call, Liam. Good night."

Hurriedly, I left his office.

Only when I was further down the hall did I giggle to myself.

I had just had sex with Liam...again.

Damn, he really knew how to rock my world.

I found Astrid kissing a stranger and she gave me a knowing look.

Liam

The days passed since New Year's and Nova had been one of the only things on my mind. My heart had told me to text her, assure her that I wanted dinner with her. But my head had to go and complicate things.

No matter how well, I planned things, there were some things I couldn't prepare for.

"I've found a weak link in the organization." Val had said two days after the holiday.

Money had been going missing.

Someone was stealing from the Bratva and I had to make an example of them. Val had given me the name, and so I called a meeting of my men. We assembled at the same warehouse, some of my men looking disgruntled.

I didn't give a shit.

It had been working its way up the chain that people weren't getting paid enough. Viktor had probably been like a little spider spinning his web. Feeding lies that if he were in charge, he would pay even more money than I was.

No.

I was going to rectify that shit. No one was going to take what belonged to me. Valentin stood by my side, a pair of dark sunglasses on his eyes, hiding them but watching everything.

"My uncle got out of prison," I said to the men that had gathered before me, my captains and some lieutenants.

I watched to see if any sort of emotion was going to cross their face at the mention of him. It didn't happen.

Continuing on, I said, "He wants war with me. Over what my father left to me. And someone has dared to steal from me, steal from the Bratva. You all know the price for stealing, and yet you chose to do so."

I stepped forward and stood in front of one of my lieutenants, Lucien. He never flinched. He was not the type to betray. The man standing to his right was though. He was younger and more easily swayed.

Without warning, I pulled my gun out and blew his brains across the room. He never even had time to blink.

"If there is anyone who feels they're not being paid the right amount...talk to Valentin. Now clean this fucking mess up. I don't want to talk about this again."

Tucking the gun back, I looked at Valentin.

"I imagine you want to go home and clean up." A smirk was on his face.

He took out a white handkerchief and patted at a tiny amount of blood that had dotted his skin. It had landed just slightly under the Raybands covering his eyes. I'd need to wash down in bleach and then take another shower to cover the scent. When I had texted Nova about dinner, I hadn't thought about that tiny detail. She didn't need to know that I'd just taken a man's life with ease, as though I'd simply cut a slice of pie.

"Something you want to say?" I was already walking off, but he caught me by the arm.

"Be careful, cousin. She has others to think of. She doesn't need this spilling over into her life, especially into the lives of children."

Shaking his hand off me, I glared at him. "Nova will be protected at all cost and her siblings as well. Nothing will happen to them."