Page 64 of Hunt Me

Hell, I wasn’t certain.

If I had any decency inside of me, I’d feel guilty for destroying her life, but that simply wasn’t the case.

I was a bad man. There was no sense in trying to deny what came naturally to me.

“Do you have an address for where she lives?”

“Of course I do,” Kazimir said. “Check under the files. She lives with her sister in a lovely apartment community located fairly close to Ecstasy. Imagine that.”

“Hmmm…” I grabbed the piece of paper, folding and shoving into my trouser pocket.

“What are you going to do?”

At that moment the old code flowed into my mind, the one taught to me by my father and by Sergio. The one instilled in me on the day I’d been indoctrinated into the regime, inked with the family crest.

The Bratva came before all else.

I’d spilled blood freely, eagerly in my attempt to prove the very loyalty that suddenly felt challenged.

While things had changed, loyalty to the family stood above all else.

Sergio had been family, a man who hadn’t deserved to die. Anyone involved would face my wrath.

Including the perfect creature who’d crossed my path.

“I’m going to hunt and capture a little bird who made the mistake of landing in the wrong tree. Then I’m going to provide her with a gilded cage.” Whether for her safety or for her punishment, I wasn’t sure.

My decision was dangerous, perhaps unhinged, but I felt I was due a treat.

Another taste of the forbidden.

I could almost feel her writhing under me, surrendering freely after I’d tamed her, broken her. I could almost hear her crying out my name from the ecstasy I’d provided. As I fisted my hand, bringing it to my mouth, something shifted inside of me, the need to possess the beautiful woman overwhelming. Not only would I taste her, taking what I wanted frommoy ideal’nyy angel.

Soon, she would become mine.

CHAPTER 16

Bristol

Exhaustion settled into every muscle, hovering over me like a thick blanket. I’d taken even more precautions while heading to Josie’s house, the small but quaint home located in a decent yet more rural section of the city. The key had been exactly where she’d mentioned and I’d felt comforted she’d left a light on in her kitchen. Once inside, I’d checked every lock, closed every blind, and had remained in the dark listening for any traffic sounds, still fearful I’d been followed.

After thirty minutes, I’d finally felt secure enough to head to the guest room. At least I had a few days of solace if needed, time to think this through.

I glanced at my phone and gritted my teeth. I’d taken a few minutes to surf the internet. There were dozens of articles on the family and Dmitriyev Enterprises. Most from the last several years were glowing reports of success and philanthropy.

There were a few vivid photos of major events in their different resorts, including photographs taken with celebrities and sportsfigures, major corporate moguls and politicians from well beyond the state of Nevada.

There were also pictures of the different brothers, cousins and their playboy lifestyles. Including Mikhail, a larger-than-life figure who commanded every space, every human being with his good looks and animal magnetism.

At first, I’d felt curiosity in learning more about him. Then I’d felt jealousy he’d been photographed with some of the most beautiful women on the planet.

It had taken me shifting through twenty full pages on Google to find the darker, seedier side of the family and his operations.

Old articles had indicated acts of violence so heinous that what I’d stumbled on had been nothing more than bullies beating up a scrawny kid on the playground.

Most of those centered around Boris Dmitriyev and his brother, Ivan from twenty years before, but to believe the family and their corporation was now completely legitimate was bordering on ridiculous.

They’d likely just become more cautious and underhanded in their business dealings. Plus, if they were like every other crime syndicate, they’d blackmailed or bought off various officials. Maybe that’s why my father was so keen on opening a commission and why he wanted my investigative skills. He’d known Lilia had been my roommate and had never said anything.