Page 33

Margot

It’s been a good morning.

Benny and I have been hanging out in the library. Besides taking him out to potty a few times, we haven’t been playing outside because the weather looks questionable.

By questionable, you mean that the sun is out, and you don’t want to risk sweating before your lunch date.

It’s not a date.

You want it to be.

I roll my eyes. I should be upset about yesterday, but the anger just isn’t there. I’ll bring up the audiobook at lunch, and hopefully, he’ll see reason.

I feel like we both let our guards down yesterday. I’m excited to see where we go from here.

Maybe this time, he’ll let you come.

I shake off the thought and stand, smoothing my dress. I’m usually fine waiting for lunch on the terrace, but today, I don’t want to wait .

I make my way towards his office but stop cold when the front door swings open.

That’s… strange.

Normally, the guards use the side entrance.

Curiosity and something dark coil in my stomach. Something feels off.

I duck under the staircase, pressing into the shadows, and watch through a banister.

A man steps inside.

The scariest man I’ve ever seen.

His brown hair is buzzed close to the scalp. His eyes are so dark, they’re nearly black. His nose is crooked from multiple breaks. The plethora of scars on his face scream violence.

He’s built like a war machine. Matty is big, but this man? This man is huge. And he’s covered in blood. Not a little. A lot. Bright red splattered across his arms, T-shirt, and jeans.

My stomach churns. I want to believe it’s not blood, but what else could it be?

What is a man like this doing in Matty’s house? And why does he have a key?

He strolls in like he owns the place, tossing his keys on the entrance table without care.

“Matthias!” His voice booms, deep and gravelly. “Come out, pretty boy. You have a visitor.” He practically sings the words, but they’re laced with mockery.

Then he laughs.

A laugh so dark, so sinister, it chills my blood.

A door opens down the hall, Matty’s office. His footsteps approach. Matty can’t see me. But I can see him. And I can hear his tone.

“Fuck, Roman.” Matty sounds frustrated. Panicked. “What are you doing here? You can’t just show up uninvited.”

Roman .

Roman, the torturer .

Roman, the killer .

Roman, the brother .

The realization slams into me.

Of course. They look so similar.

The same sharp jawline. The same cocky, confident stance. The same deadly aura.

“Well, when you turn me down every invite to spend time with your brother, I have to come to you.” His voice darkens. “Plus, we have some things we need to discuss.”

Matty sighs. “In my office. Not here.”

He turns, and Roman follows.

They stalk back down the hallway. I hold my breath until the door clicks shut behind them.

I don’t move.

I can’t move.

My whole body is trembling.

How could I be so stupid?

How could I forget why I was brought here?

Matty kidnapped me to silence me.

I witnessed a crime.

A double murder!

And now I’m hiding under a staircase, watching Roman stroll in, dripping in blood, laughing like it means nothing.

It doesn’t mean nothing.

It means he hurt someone. Or killed someone!

I tried to justify it before by telling myself it was self-defense in the alley.

But Roman was torturing that man. And possibly killing him.

That’s not self-defense.

How could I be so blind?

You were blinded by smooth words and a sexy body .

I bite down a gasp.

I should run.

I should go back to the library and pretend I didn’t see anything.

Instead, I creep forward. My back presses against the wall. I shouldn’t do this. I should walk away.

Instead, I press my ear against the door.

“You can’t just show up here unannounced.” Matty’s irritation is evident in his sharp tone. “Give me a heads-up next time.”

“You’ve never had a problem with it before.” Roman sounds bored. “And you’ve stopped leaving your house. You even missed family dinners. Mom’s worried. But the rest of us? We’re pissed. What the fuck is going on with you?”

Matty’s reply is icy.

“Drop it. I’ll come to the next one. Don’t show up here without letting me know. Now what’s wrong?”

Roman exhales. “It’s the fucking Bratva. It’s always the fucking Bratva. We caught three more sneaking onto our territory last night. Same as before. Talking to men outside the clubs. I came from questioning them.”

“I can fucking tell. You couldn’t clean up before coming to my home? You’re covered in blood.” Matty, no, Matthias, he can’t be Matty anymore, sounds annoyed. But not shocked.

“They wouldn’t talk. After some convincing , one finally broke. I gave that one an easy death.” My stomach lurches. He doesn’t sound remorseful, just annoyed. “He told me they have new product on the market. Something we can’t compete with. He wouldn’t tell me what.” Roman sounds furious.

The sound scares me. I don’t want to be in the same house as Roman when he’s angry. I don’t want to be in the same house as him at all .

At least Matthias isn’t torturing and killing people, right? Doesn’t that make it better?

No. I let a man related to this psychopath go down on me then come on me. I let a murderer do that. There’s no making that better .

You don’t know anything for sure. Don’t jump to any conclusions.

Matthias hums. “Okay. We already knew this. What do you want from me?”

“We’re starting to collect them more frequently. These aren’t the first ones I’ve caught. If they keep growing in numbers, you’re going to need to start helping out.”

I hold my breath.

Please say no. Please, Matty, say no.

“You know I’ll always do what I have to for the Syndicate.”

No.

No, no, no.

“Even though I’m on the legal side, I can still get my hands dirty.”

Then, he laughs.

A cold, unsettling chuckle. Dripping with malice.

I’ve never heard Matthias sound so evil. So villainous.

It shatters me.

I have to get out of here.

It’s Matty. Are you sure you can’t overlook this?

No.

I don’t know this man.

I don’t want to know him.

I feel sick that I ever let him touch me.

I need to leave.

And never look back.