Page 97 of Lord of Vice

“Send a couple of the men to his place first. Then I’ll decide.”

He laughed just as the sound of a text caught both our attention.

I pulled my phone into my hand as I left the office, not bothering to look at the screen until I was close to the back door.

When I did, I issued a stark growl. My skin began to crawl, anger even more powerful than before rolling into my system.

The dangerous game was about to come to an end, only I wasn’t in control of the outcome.

“What’s wrong?” Konstantin asked.

“Everything.”

CHAPTER 28

“Do you believe a man can truly love a woman and constantly betray her? Never mind physically but betray her in his mind, in the very poetry of his soul. Well, it’s not easy but men do it all the time.”

—Mario Puzo

Penny

Betrayal.

I’d been so used to the thought remaining in the forefront of my mind that I’d assumed I’d never truly allow myself to feel love again. After what I’d been through, how could I?

Yet here I was, sitting at the kitchen table, unable to focus on anything, including the glass of wine in front of me, but the very notion.

Was it possible to love a man like Kraven?

I continued to think about the secret he’d divulged, the reason for at least one of the demons trying to claim his soul. At least he’d been honest with me. Sighing, a dull ache had formed behind my eyes.

It was late, after midnight and Remington was fast asleep at my feet. I’d tried to lie down, but all I could think about was Kraven’s odd behavior that afternoon. Neither one of us had said much to each other after the passion we shared in the pool.

He’d spent time making calls.

I’d spent time wringing my hands.

Now I sat with my phone in front of me, barely able to think clearly. How could I at this point? Either I was missing something, or he’d chosen not to tell me certain truths. Either way, he’d gravitated back toward the notion I’d betrayed him.

How could he? It was ridiculous, especially given all the emotions we’d shared, including those I’d seen in his eyes.

Exhaling, I took a sip of my wine, trying to rid my mind of the wretched thoughts. I had no idea what time the man would be home, but I had a feeling when he arrived, I wouldn’t like what he had to say to me.

Why not trust me?

What had changed?

My thoughts drifted to what little I’d heard, the questions he’d asked.

With nothing else to do, I shifted my attention back to my phone. Maybe it was time to learn more about the man. At this pointanything might help. Hell, maybe I could find some crazy clue that might help him and in turn, keep me alive.

Was I really thinking he would kill me? It sounded crazy but at this point, I simply wasn’t certain what to expect or think.

I remained mostly in the dark, the strange blue lights that seemed to be everywhere at night adding an eerie feel. As I scrolled, I wasn’t surprised there’d been dozens of articles written on the man, notations in everything from the localSin Citymagazine toFortune. Every picture I found was classical and more handsome than the one before.

My God. He had been like a celebrity over the years, appearing at grand openings of resorts and restaurants, and some of the bigger named residency shows at all the major hotels. By his side seemed to be one woman or another, although I didn’t notice any of them more than once.

Maybe it was true in that spice was the variety of life.