I shake my head. “Not my intention. I was merely hoping you could help me tie off a loose end.” I jam my hand into my pocket and pull out a dozen or so twenty-five-thousand-dollar chips before I pass them into the hands of a confused looking Arian. “This is to settle a debt Boris is owed by a certain Tim Ciglione. He has a wife. She’s off the hook for anything after this.”
Arian eyes me with a curious look. “Why not give this to Mr. Lenkov to pass along to his boss?”
“Because Mr. Lenkov is a fucking Muppet,” I growl.
“Fuck you!”
“You’re a guest here, Grisha,” Arian glares past me, a warning note in his voice. “Control yourself.” His eyes shift back to me, and he nods stiffly. “Consider it done.”
“Thank you. I owe you.” I clap his shoulder. “And again, my condolences on your father.”
I’m turning to leave when suddenly, I hear the coughing hork of someone clearing phlegm from their throat.
Then something wet and disgusting hits the back of my head.
I go still and my shoulders stiffen before I slowly turn. Grisha is leering at me with a smug look on his drunk face.
Looks like I’m going to owe Lukas two favors by the end of tonight.
Arian groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You dumb fuck,” he mutters quietly.
Grisha grins at him. “Wha?”
Arian’s gaze drifts back to me. He sighs heavily, slipping the chips I gave him into his jacket pocket before he raises a finger.
“You get one hit. One.”
The smug grin drops like a stone from Grisha’s face. He whirls to Arian. “Wait, what?!”
I smile a shark-like grin as I roll my neck and turn to Grisha.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make it count.”
Bianca’s reading in bed—our bed—when I get home. Wordlessly, I walk over to her as she puts the book down and grins at me.
“Hey, you—”
“Come with me.”
She frowns curiously as I kiss her softly, then take her hand.
“Where—”
“Just come.”
I usher her into the bathroom. I leave the lights off and light a couple of candles on the vanity, until the walls are glowing and flickering softly. Without a word, I start to fill the tub with warm water. I place a folded towel next to it, like she always does, before turning to her.
“Clothes off.”
She smiles, an intrigued look on her face.
“This is new.”
“What is?”
“You don’t usually ask permission before my clothes come off.”
I smile. “That’s not what this is about. Just… Take them off.”
She does. I watch hungrily, shamelessly devouring her body with my eyes. But again, that’s not what this is.
At least, not yet.
“Kneel down.”
She stiffens a little. “What—”
“I’m going to wash your hair.”
Her lip disappears between her teeth. “Kratos…”
“Something in your past hurt you. It scared you, and scarred you, and took away what should be a simple pleasure.” I stand and walk over to her, taking her hands in mine. “That thing doesn’t exist anymore. It no longer has any power over you.”
She probably knows me well enough by now to be able to read between the lines. She might even see it on my face, and guess what happened tonight. But she doesn’t say anything, and it’s not because she’s scared of me, or the beast that lurks inside me.
Not anymore.
