Page 13 of Darkest Craving

VICTORIA

L etting go of me, Wolfgang brings his hand to the small of my back, encouraging me to walk. He doesn’t need to ask twice.

Sasha’s tired eyes watch me with a smile glistening in them. I can’t believe he’s here… and that Wolfgang didn’t hurt him—like he promised.

I keep my composure as I take the steps toward him, but it shatters completely when I get close. I practically jump at the man I consider my father, wrapping my arms around his torso, burying my head in his chest.

“Don’t cry,” he murmurs, hugging me back. “Don’t let him see you weak.”

I nod, blinking back tears as I push from his chest to see his face.

“Good. Let’s have a chat, then. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” I say, smiling. “How are you here?”

“Let’s just say when the Rykov Bratva bangs on your door and puts a gun to your head, there’s not much you can do about it. I thought they were taking me to my grave.”

I shiver at the thought.

When I look behind me, Wolfgang’s watchful eye is still there, but he’s back in front of the house, at a reasonable distance, lighting a cigarette. Letting me know he’s around, but not prying, which is more than I could’ve asked for.

Sasha and I sit down on the patio chairs. He looks exactly the same as the last time I saw him. His beard is still white, and his eyes are still droopy, but his warmth and smile are the same. He feels like home, even in this strange, lonely place.

“Has he hurt you?” he asks. Not how are you doing? He probably knows the answer is not well .

“No. He’s not violent.”

Sasha hums in understanding. “Touched you?”

Touched me? Yeah, but not in the way he’s asking. The truth is, I was touched… everywhere, and I allowed it— enjoyed it, even. But I can’t tell him that. What would he think of me?

“No. Nothing like that.”

Relief crosses his face. “Good. I was surprised to see him last night. Especially after our conversation a few days ago. I thought he’d hurt you or…”

I shake my head, surprising myself when I say, “No, no, he’s not like that.” Why am I trying to defend him? To show Sasha he’s not so bad? Because he is. He’s horrible, and I hate him.

“I don’t know what he wants with me, Sasha. Do you know anything? Have you tried to find out?”

“I have. But didn’t find much. I don’t think he’s told anyone about the extent of his plans. What I do know is that he’s planning a wedding for you. Any day now.”

Makes sense. “He wants to make it public. To humiliate us even more.”

“Yes. And I don’t know what comes after that. But Victoria…” he stops mid-sentence, and my brows draw together in worry. “Your father reached out to me the other day, and I didn’t like what he told me.”

“You should’ve seen it, Sasha… he got on his knees for her…”

“For Anya?”

I nod, pursing my lips as I look down and inhale.

“I’m sorry.” He sighs. “But you know better than to expect otherwise from him.”

“It still hurts.”

He places a hand on top of mine, and his warmth settles my nerves. “I know.”

“What did he tell you?” I ask, swiftly wiping my face with my other palm.

“He wants you to interfere with the Pakhan ’s plans. He still thinks he can come out on top.”

“God, I can’t believe him… Is he trying to get me killed? All of us? Wolfgang will crush him.”

“He still thinks the Italians will have his back if he can do something to show them he can fight against the Rykovs. They’re sworn enemies—always have been.”

“Are you saying I should help him?”

“No, Victoria. I’m saying if he reaches out some other way, I want you to ignore him. Don’t put yourself in danger for his ambitions.”

I listen to what Sasha tells me, the morning sun caressing my skin as it comes down from the sky with the warm breeze. I like it here. In this garden, time seems to have stopped.

It’s just me and my instructor, and it’s reminiscent of the breaks we used to take in between our riding lessons.

I can’t believe Wolfgang allowed me this happiness. But I’m not na?ve enough to forget everything he has done. He can’t be trusted.

“What else did you find out?” I ask.

“The Pakhan ’s wife, Ekaterina, is not Wolfgang’s real mother and his half-brother, Mikhail, wants to be boss. He resents Wolfgang for being so high up in the organization. The three of them are constantly at war.”

It finally makes some sense now.

Wolfgang’s non-Russian name, the monsters he alluded to when he told me to be careful in this house…

“Promise me you’ll be careful. Because once you’re back in there—” he jerks his head to the house “you’re all you’ve got. Do you understand me?”

He removes his hand from mine, running it through his gray hair.

I hold his stare, not ready to see him leave just yet. But Sasha’s eyes focus over my shoulder, letting me know Wolfgang is back. I inhale and square my shoulders, my mental shields slowly putting themselves back together.

“I promise.”

***

Wolfgang and I have breakfast in silence on the terrace overlooking the forest. The feeling of dread is still with me. Maybe not as prevalent, but it’s still here. He doesn’t ask me what Sasha and I talked about, and I don’t ask him any questions either.

I eat my granola slowly, savoring the little time I’m granted out in nature. I feel pathetic for not standing up to him, but every time I tried, it ended in his favor. And I’m not ready to be taken back upstairs to my prison.

I watch Wolfgang sip his coffee and text someone on his phone.

Out here, between the flowers and the birds chirping above our heads, he looks like the odd one.

His hard features, scars, and tattoos attest to that.

And when the clouds shift and shadows of the leaf-clad branches stretch across his face, I suck in a breath at how handsome he is.

Handsome and cruel. A deadly combination I never imagined I’d come across, especially in someone who is about to become my husband.

His golden eyes slide over to me with the wind, hair swaying softly above them. And when they do, I get that flutter of electricity coursing through me again, like someone shot it down from the sky, aiming it straight at me.

Just for a second, I look away, and when my gaze returns, he’s preoccupied with his phone again, but the corner of his mouth is tilted up.

Arrogant prick.

My lips part so I can make him aware of my thought, but he beats me to it.

“Be good,” he says.

“Why would you say that—”

The sound of taut footsteps crushing grass and pebbles registers from behind me. I rotate my neck a few inches to the left. A dark silhouette walks past me before I get the chance to see a face. New cologne tickles my nostril, smoky and sophisticated.

“Enjoying your day?” the man says, stooping to pick up a blueberry from the table with his tattooed fingers.

When he straightens up, he rakes his gaze over me and smiles. Of course, it doesn’t reach his empty eyes. It even looks abhorrent on his face, next to the tattoo that stretches on the side of his neck.

A shiver runs through me, reminding me of the kinds of people I’m dealing with here. Cold-blooded criminals.

Wolfgang places his phone on the table and interlaces his fingers in his lap. “We were, actually. Until about five seconds ago. What can I do for you, brother?”

Brother .

“Hmm, I don’t know. Introduce me to your pretty little girlfriend, for one,” he says, hands now in his pockets. “Then… maybe you can tell me why we’re not already on the way to meet with the others and take what’s ours.”

A few seconds of silence pass between them, the tension settling.

“Victoria, please meet my brother, Mikhail. And Mikhail…” He holds his stare. “Do not mistake her for a pretty girlfriend. She is my wife. And she’s exquisite.”

“Exquisite, yes,” Mikhail echoes, extending a hand in front of me, his palm facing up. Instinctively, my eyes shift to Wolfgang for approval, and he nods. I don’t know why I trust him all of a sudden, but it’s better to be around a monster you know than one you haven’t met yet.

I give Mikhail my hand, and he takes it, stooping to brush his lips to my skin.

“Lovely to meet you, Victoria. But I don’t see a ring on your finger. You know what that makes you…?”

I frown.

“…up for grabs.”

I pull my hand back, and he laughs as he straightens up.

“I’m not a fucking toy,” I seethe.

“How feisty! Is this why you picked her?”

Is it? I turn to Wolfgang for the answer, but it never comes.

“The wedding is this Saturday,” Wolfgang says, taking me completely by surprise. “Now, what do you want, Mikhail? You’re taking away my sun.”

Mikhail’s face darkens. His energy shifts, and I find myself pressing my back to my seat.

“You changed the plan.”

“Yes. And?”

A slow, deliberate nod. “See, that’s the difference between us, Wolfgang. You only think about yourself, about making sure the plans we make fit your schedule. It’s always me who thinks about everyone else.”

“How thoughtful of you. And yet here you are, airing our dirty laundry in front of—”

“What? An outsider?” Mikhail’s eyebrows rise. “And here I was… thinking she was your wife.”

Turning his back to us, he continues his path to the house. Even when he’s gone, and Wolfgang resumes using his phone, the tension lingers, confirming everything Sasha said.

Not only do they not like each other… if given the chance, they’d tear each other apart. And whatever Wolfgang is planning to do with me, it must be detrimental to secure his position as the next Pakhan .

I smile to myself.

Does he even realize he practically revealed all his cards?