“She didn’t say exactly.”
Johan gave the man another squeeze that stole his breath.
“Wait,” Big Mo gasped, wincing in pain. “Just wait. Let me think. She mentioned going somewhere warm. Yeah, when she started to leave, she asked what road would take her out west.”
“You’ve been helpful,” I said, offering the man a friendly smile. “Where’s the keys and paperwork for both of the cars? I want everything you have.”
Johan let the man go and he stumbled across the office, fumbling through a stack of paperwork, his hands shaking so bad he could barely keep them from slipping from his fingers. Seconds later, he thrust several documents into my hand. “Thank you.” As I turned to head for the door, I gave Johan a quick nod, leaving him alone with the old guy. I knew what would happen. Johan would take care of my loose ends, just as he always had. Loyalty. You couldn’t beat that.
Johan stepped out of the office, flipping the lights off with the sleeve of his shirt. He then ran a cloth over the door handles, wiping away our prints. Just like that, we were never here. I quickly folded the paperwork and slipped it into my jacket. Johan strode towards the car, removing his gloves, his lips pressed in a flat line.
“I’ll drive Liliya’s car back to the boss’s house,” I said. “You follow me and we’ll regroup from there.” Johan nodded, heading towards the other vehicle.
As I slipped into the Mercedes, the scent of Liliya’s perfume slapped me dead in the face, reminding me of something I had managed to keep buried in the back of my mind until now. I’d never admit this to anyone, never speak it out loud. It would be a sign of weakness, and that I could not have in this line of work.
The secret that haunted me was shame. I was filled with a shame, unable to shake it. The look in Liliya’s eyes as her brother’s body hit the ground cut me to the bone, bleeding me dry. From that night forward, she would not meet my gaze. I knew the memory of that night sickened her, and her refusal to acknowledge me, even with anger – made me feel an emptiness I had never experienced with her.
I wasn’t always like this. I used to be a good man. But the steps I have taken these past few months have set me on a path from which I cannot return. It’s too late for that. I’ve gone too far into the dark, so far that I barely recognize myself now, but it’s all worth it to have her by my side. The darkness of our families has swept through me like the blade of the grim reaper’s scythe. The man I am now will stop at nothing to head the Markow-Duskin families, and Liliya… she might not love me, but she would be with me, whether she liked it or not.
The five families will soon become four, and the power will shift in our favor. I will be the head of the snake that coils around the city, and then I will spread my reign from state to state, taking full control. I will be the voice of reason that will not only be heard and respected, but feared.
Chapter Six – Ruslan
“It is the dim haze of mystery that adds enchantment to pursuit.”
- Antoine Rivarol
I watched as Liliya pulled onto the highway, headed towards the heart of Las Vegas, unable to wipe the image of the beautiful woman from my mind. I’d say that I have a type, but that would be a lie. All women are my type. I don’t discriminate, and I never will. Tall or short, thick or thin, all natural beauties or those that paid for their looks all have a place with me at some point or another. They have always been the same in my eyes. Good for one thing and one thing only… until today.
The mysterious Liliya caught my interest in a way that others haven’t. She makes me want more than I am comfortable with. It’s certainly a rarity. In just a few short minutes, the sexy little lady has burrowed under my skin.
I’m not the kind of man for a woman like her, though. She’s too perfect and sweet for the likes of me. A man like me will chew her up and spit her out. I’ll use her in ways she couldn’t possibly handle and make her beg me for more with every breath she takes. I’d ruin her in a night. Maybe even less time than that.
My life is dangerous and lonesome. It’s not a place for a woman as innocent as she is. As much as I know, deep down in my blackened heart, that I should let her go, I know that I won’t.
I’ll seek her out and corrupt every square inch of her life and her body.
I’ll make her mine.
She’ll fall under my spell, as they always do.