Chapter 15 Desperate Much?
❄︎ Viktor ❄︎
I’ve committed murder for way less, and as I watched Rosa grind on a man, a man that wasn’t me, the urge hummed like a live wire. Silent but dangerous, invisible but all-consuming.
She looked like she wanted to be fucked.
The liquid slithered down my throat, dry and tasteless, and when I couldn’t take it anymore, I walked away.
“Do you have his position?” I asked Adrian through the earpiece, my voice low.
“West bathroom. It’s been exactly one minute, thirty-four seconds.”
“Let’s hope he can’t get off for long then.”
Primo, Giancarlo’s dog, was at this exclusive afterparty. And I just wanted to talk to him. With my fists. I wasn’t going to let one scatterbrained heiress ruin it for me.
But alas, one glance at the satisfied face of the sucker who’d been groping her, and my feet moved toward him instinctively.
Setting my glass on the onyx counter with a click, I surveyed the space one more time before speaking.
“Dominic.” I failed to soften the rough edge of my voice, and the way he snapped his attention to me told me it came out as a threatening growl.
“Ah, if it isn’t the Don. Should I even be asking how you got in?”
“I get in wherever I want.”
“Of course, and I’m only honored.” He glanced around, and I realized with a pang of hate that he was trying to find Rosa, the enigma that he had somehow gotten to dance on him.
“Looking for someone?” I picked my refilled glass with the edges of my fingers.
And speak of the devil. Rosalind appeared from the sky deck. I’d noticed she liked to take air whenever she was in crowded spaces. Crowded for her being more than one person in a room, one being herself.
“Gentlemen,” voice like a siren, eyes glinting with mischief. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
Dominic’s leer made me want to punch the drool off his mug.
“Not at all. In fact, I do hope I am not the one interrupting.” Interrupting your orgy.
“Viktor, meet my date for tonight and hopefully,” he turned to take her hand, “many more nights, Rosalind. Rosalind, Don Viktor, ruler of New York.”
The smile on my face was deadly. My fingers twitched with the urge to slap their hands apart. She wasn’t even hiding it, patronizing Dominic while I acted as hired help. For a woman with many targets on her back, she sure liked to show out.
“Nice to meet you, Rosalind,” I purred.
“Pleasure’s mine, Viktor.” Her eyes shone. “What brings you to Tribeca? Do you own a racehorse as well?”
“I do not. I don’t quite fancy animals.”
“That’s surprising, seeing that you’re an animal yourself.” I froze. “We’re all animals, of course.”
She was goading me.
“Higher animals. You look a little young for this scene, I must say.”
“I’m legal.”
I raised a brow.
“I’ll be twenty-one in a week.”
Dominic curled his fingers around hers. “I smell a party coming. Have you made plans?”
She blushed at the question, as if she felt ashamed of the answer. “No, I’m not much of a birthday person.”
“Neither am I. But yours, I wouldn’t miss.” Dominic raised her hand to kiss it.
I cut in before it reached his lips.
“A moment alone, Rosalind.”
Dominic looked at me like I’d grown two heads and spit on his suit, but one look at my eyes made him cave.
Releasing her hand, he walked away without a word.
“Well, that was rude. You just ran off the host,” she said with a smirk, leaning against the counter, her hip popped out.
“What are you doing?”
“Having fun. What are you doing?”
“You shouldn’t be in public spaces. You seem to have forgotten you’re a target.”
“You said it yourself, the men who kidnapped me were sent to scare me. They succeeded for a bit, I doubt they’ll come back.”
“You’re leaving. Right now.”
“No. You don’t order me around. I’ll do whatever the fuck I want.”
She swayed slightly, taking slow steps closer. Her eyes, hooded, regarded me curiously.
“Who’s the blonde?”
No one important, but I didn’t tell her that.
At my silence, she pouted. “Oh, so you can have dates but I can’t? How selfish.”
“I’m here on business. Can’t say the same for you. You’re acting carelessly.”
“And you only care because you want my hotel and can’t get it if I’m dead.” She pressed a finger to my chest, my pulse hammering against it. “So do your job, and watch me.”
Adrian’s voice came through in my ear. “Primo’s out, heading to the exit.”
“Stop being so stubborn and come with me.”
“At least buy me a drink first, mister.”
I glared daggers at her. I couldn’t let Primo get away, but there wasn’t a chance in hell that I’d leave her with Dominic.
“I’ll buy you all the drinks you want.”
She giggled drunkenly. “Whoa, desperate much?”
Adrian’s voice buzzed again. “He’s halfway down the building, Viktor.”
I grabbed Rosalind by the elbow.
“Ow!” she yelped, then…
Pop.
Pop.
I felt pain bloom in my thigh. My glass of vodka on the countertop exploded into tiny pieces.
Rosalind shrieked, and I grabbed her, covering her body with mine and falling to the floor.
“Can you see the shooter?” I growled to Adrian.
“Positive. Stay on the ground. I’ll take him.”
“Good. Keep him in your sights, or I’ll see you in hell.”
People ran in different directions, and I slipped my revolver from my hip, glancing wildly around the space for the shooter.
Pop.
Pain in my left upper arm. I hissed with rage.
“The bastard got me again. Adrian!”
I looked to the side to see Rosalind clutching a small rose gold pistol. She stared at the blood on my white shirt. Something flitted across her face. Choice. She was trying to decide whether to leave me.
I tried to yell at her to run. To save herself, but the blood loss sent me into a brief dizzy spell.
Her face swam in front of my eyes.
I felt my mouth open, but I knew nothing came out. My thigh and arm throbbed with white-hot pain.
Then I felt hands grab me roughly from behind.