Page 8 of Run, Little Rabbit (Blood & Bonds #1)

Chapter Seven

Maxim

T he blood between my fingers is turning sticky.

I’ve been at this little chitchat with Alex for quite some time now, and I’m still no closer to finding out who has been selling secrets to the enemy.

I’ve got the police up my ass, and the damn Quinn’s thinking they can muscle in on my territory.

Someone has been giving both of them a helping hand.

I thought Alex would be able to shed some light on the situation, but all he’s given me are split knuckles and cries of despair.

“Please, stop… I don’t know... anything…” His voice is weak and raspy, and there’s a definite gargle bubbling in the back of his throat. Must have a broken rib and punctured lung.

I reposition the brass knuckles on my hand and roll my neck. “You might be right, Alex, but there’s something that just doesn’t quite add up.”

I smash my fist into his cheek, enjoying the way his cheekbones crunch beneath my hand.

Alex spits out a mouthful of blood and looks up at me with defiant eyes. Well, one is defiant and the other is swollen shut. “It wasn’t me.”

I walk behind him, my steps slow and steady, echoing in the tiled room. “Then why did Niki give me a picture of you talking with Conor and Cillian Quinn? Can you explain that to me because I’m going to have a hard fucking time believing you were catching up with them for shits and giggles.”

His mouth bobs open and closed like a fish, and I know I’ve got him. “Maxim, please, I—”

I slam my fist into his stomach, and he splutters and tries to catch his breath.

“It’s Mr. Volkov. And there’s nothing you could possibly say to save you from this.

” I punch him again, this time in his sternum.

The bone cracks, and Alex throws his head backward with a cry of pain.

“You’re a traitor, and do you know what I do with traitors? ”

His lips tremble, and tears roll down his split cheeks. I press two fingers to the side of his throat, loving the pitter-patter of his pulse as it thuds a frantic rhythm beneath my touch. The rapid beat of it sets my own heart racing, adrenaline spiking in my veins like a fucking drug.

Alex whimpers as I force his chin up to make him look at me.

“I cut off their heads and send them to the enemy.” I give his cheek a careless pat before letting his face go. Alex breathes a sigh of relief, but it’s short-lived. I step behind him and wrap one hand under his chin and one around his forehead.

“Max! No, stop. Don’t—”

Then I twist his head and snap his neck in one swift motion. His body goes limp when I let him go.

What a waste. There’s not much I hate more than being betrayed. It’s like something slithers over my skin, unnatural and uncomfortable, and it makes rage boil in my veins until I eradicate everyone who was even remotely involved.

Mercy is not in my vocabulary. It can’t be. There’s no place for it in my world.

Mercy makes you weak.

Fear is a much better control mechanism.

The door slams open, and Niki walks in, a smirk on his mouth and fire in his eyes.

“What do you want to do with the body?” he signs.

Niki lost his ability to speak after a run-in with an Italian mobster a decade ago.

A nasty scar remains across his throat where Tony Caruso dragged a blade across it, but Niki survived.

He might have lost his voice, but he didn’t lose anything that made him the ruthless killer that he is.

Poor Tony Caruso didn’t stand a chance when Niki sought revenge.

“Cut off his head and send it in a box to the twins.”

“And the rest of him?”

“I don’t care. Do what you want.”

The grin that splits his face unsettles me, and I shiver a little.

Only Niki has ever had that effect on me, and I’m not entirely sure why.

It’s probably the fact that he’s a diagnosed psychopath who doesn’t feel a modicum of empathy, has no regret and is driven by his wants and no one else’s.

The guy is a loose cannon who could go off at any time and leave pure destruction in his wake.

Or it could be because I know he likes to watch me and my Angel in our bedroom.

I know he’s placed cameras in my bedroom, and I suspect he knows that I know, but neither of us has mentioned it.

There’s something a little unnerving about that, but there’s a little thrill that runs through me every time I go to bed with Angel.

I always wonder if Niki is sitting there behind a computer screen watching as I rail Angel’s ass.

The big question though, is whether Niki will ever do anything about it, or will he only ever just watch?

“Leave it to me, boss. I’ll sort it.”

“Good. I’ve got a club to open.”

Aurum is a hive of activity by the time I get there.

I left Niki carving up the body in my basement, and I’m almost disappointed that I won’t see the look on the twins' faces when they get their gift. Serves them fucking right. We’d lived in a somewhat peaceful harmony for the past decade, but I guess Rory Quinn has decided he’s not happy with what he’s got.

He is an arrogant asshat, and his sons are a pair of sadistic thugs.

They have no class, no finesse. Not like me.

I am the assassin you don’t see coming, the shadow in the night, the wolf stalking his prey.

Don’t misunderstand me; I can be brutal if I want to be—poor Alex can attest to that—I just prefer to make my targets squirm and destroy them slowly.

I pull my leather gloves on and straighten the stupid mask Angel made me wear.

This whole theme night was his idea, and I hated to admit it, but it certainly drew in the crowds.

There’s a queue to get in, and people paid a pretty penny for the VIP tickets.

We’ve got some hotshot DJ playing for the evening, and he’s feeding some electronic music through the sound system that just sounds like noise to me.

How anyone considers this chaos music is beyond me.

I throw open the door to my office. Thankfully, it’s a lot quieter back here.

A large floor-to-ceiling glass window spans one wall, overlooking the VIP area and dance floor below.

I can hear the music through much quieter speakers up here, but it still sounds like shit spewed from a computer.

I much prefer something dark and seductive with lyrics I could sing along to.

“Well, hello, handsome,” a low voice croons from the chair behind my desk.

Angel sits there wearing an open leather vest and the tightest leather trousers I’ve ever seen. He’s got his ankles crossed and propped up on my desk, and he’s leaning lazily back in my chair like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

Or like he doesn’t think I’m going to punish his ass for taking liberties.

“You shouldn’t be sitting there,” I say as I stalk towards him.

His eyes glimmer in the low lighting, mischief sparking in their blue depths. “Oh? But my legs were tired, and I was just resting for a few minutes while I waited for you.”

“Angel.” I warn, swiping his feet off my desk.

He grins wide and rolls his bottom lip between his teeth. “Yes, my love?”

I wrap my fingers into the collar that sits around his throat and pull it tighter. His eyes flutter, and a breathy moan slips past his lips.

“Stop being a brat.”

“But you love it.” He leans towards me, his breath ghosting across my lips.

“Hmm, you’re definitely my weakness.” I press my lips against his in a soft kiss.

Angel sighs deeply, as if my touch is a relief, and it sets my soul on fire.

I slide my other hand along his jaw and into the soft golden curls, twisting my fingers into the strands until Angel hisses.

Fuck, I love that sound. That sharp exhale of air followed by a soft moan has my dick hardening in my pants.

I sink my teeth into his bottom lip, and the moment his mouth opens, I thrust my tongue deep into it, sliding along his. Angel fists his hands into my shirt in an effort to pull me closer, but he’s not going to get what he wants.

I pull back and grin at his whimper. “That’s all you’re getting, love.”

“I hate you,” he groans and adjusts himself in his very tight trousers. I bet he’s regretting that choice right now.

“Serves you right,” I reply with a grin. “You shouldn’t have sat in my chair.”

“Asshole,” he mutters under his breath.

“I heard that.”

He laughs softly but removes his delectable ass from my chair. “Did you deal with your problem?”

“Yes and no. Alex is dead, but I still don’t have all the answers.”

“And let me guess,” he says, grabbing my hand and dragging me to the door that leads into the balcony of the VIP area. “You’ve left Niki dealing with the body?”

I nod and follow him out into the club. As soon as he opens the door, music assaults my ears, and it takes a minute for me to adjust. The thud of the beat vibrates through the floor, shaking my bones and making my heart lurch rhythmically in my chest.

A grin splits Angel’s face, and I can almost forgive the loudness of the music when I see him so happy. He throws his head back and immediately starts shaking his ass seductively, rolling his hips back against mine and dancing in a way that makes me want to say fuck the dancing .

Jesus, he brings out the animal in me. Especially when he looks at me with that dangerous glint of mischief in his eyes. I want nothing more than to chain him up and do unspeakable things to him until he’s screaming my name with a bite of pain and a whole lot of pleasure.

I wrap my arms around his waist and lock my hips against his, moving with him as we surrender to the beat and to the feel of each other.

We dance like that for a while, people moving and swaying with us, bodies coated in sweat, gyrating and grinding and looking like the place is one step away from turning into a fucking orgy.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and see a text from my favourite thug.

NIKI:

Package delivered.

I smile, and a little thrill of delight zips through me. I really wish I could see the look on their faces when they open the box. I bet Niki put a lovely bow on it and everything.

I was about to put my phone back in my pocket when another text came through from Lev, the man responsible for keeping my product safe.

LEV:

We’ve got a problem. Can you talk?

What the fuck was happening now? I’d already dealt with one traitor today; I wasn’t in the mood to deal with another one.

“I need a drink,” Angel shouts in my ear. His body is covered in a glistening sheen of sweat.

I lick my way up his neck, enjoying the salty taste of him. I rest my mouth by his ear, loving the way he shivers as my lips caress his skin. “You stay. I’ll get one on the way back. I just need to make a call.”

“Boo!” he shouts. “Party pooper!”

“Angel, be good, or there will be consequences.”

He smirks and shimmies his way deeper into the crowd on the dancefloor. “I’m counting on it!”

I go to reply, but the swarth of bodies pulls him into their grasp, and he disappears from my view. I’d have to deal with that later, but right now, I needed to sort out whatever disaster was occurring with Lev.

I cut back through the VIP balcony and place my thumb on the digital pad to open the door to my office.

As soon as the door shuts behind me, the sound immediately dissipates.

There’s a weird ringing in my ears at the absence of the thudding bassline, and it takes a moment for me to adjust to the quietness.

The music still filters through speakers in the office, but it's background noise.

I clock Angel dancing in the middle of the dance floor surrounded by people. I know he can handle himself, but it makes me uncomfortable seeing all those people so close to him. He’s mine, and I’ll cut off the hands of anyone who thinks they can fucking touch him.

I watch as a bear of a guy sidles up behind Angel and places his hands on his waist. I see instant red as a lurch of aggression seizes my body.

Come on, Angel. Don’t make me go down there.

Angel grabs the guy’s hand and spins him until the bear’s arm is twisted behind his back. My Angel might look celestial, but the man can bring you to your knees like the Devil. He just plays pliant for me, and that’s like catnip to my soul. That this lethal man is soft only for me.

His eyes meet mine through the glass. He can’t see me through the one-way windows, but the fact that he knows I’m watching soothes those sharp edges of my soul.

Good boy.

Angel smiles wickedly up at me, and I can almost feel his eyes roll. Why does that turn me on so much? The thought that he’s showing off his power even though I know he’ll never do that to me? Perhaps I just love the fact that he’s a brat.

Satisfied that Angel is alright. I call Lev, and he answers immediately.

“Boss.” His voice is tense, which is never a good sign. Lev has always been levelheaded, calm and emotionless on the job. He sounds pissed.

“What’s the problem?”

He takes a deep breath, which just sets my teeth on edge. “Jonnie’s hand was nailed to the door when I got here to check inventory, and we have a crate missing.”

“Do we know who did it?”

“No. The camera footage has been tampered with.”

Fuck. That means either someone knew where to find the cameras or Jonnie was in on it and they left him behind. If it’s the second one, I hope the guy is already dead; otherwise I am going to kill him myself. Slowly.

“Get me everything you can on Jonnie. I want to know everything, Lev. What crate is missing?”

“The AK-47s.”

Fuck. I run my hand down my face. What fucking idiot steals a crate of guns from the Volkovs?

Someone with a death wish, clearly.

“I’m coming. Lock the place down, Lev. No one in or out.”

“Yes, Boss.”

I hang up and clench my fists, trying to restrain the urge to launch my phone across the room. What a fucking mess. First there was Alex, and now this?

Rage storms through me, making my skin feel tight and my jaw tense. I’m clenching my teeth so hard I’m surprised I haven’t cracked a molar.

I slam my fist down on the desk. “Fuck!”

How far does this betrayal go? Who is trying to wriggle their way into the Volkov empire?

If it’s war they want, they’re going to get a war. I’ll fucking obliterate anyone who even thinks they can take me down.

I straighten my jacket and hold my head high.

It’s time to remind the world who Maxim Volkov really is.