I cocked a brow. “Your Titus mustn’t have been very memorable then. I never forget a face.”
Ainsworth heaved another breath.
“What does he want with the women?” I asked. “And their teeth?”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t…tell…me…anything.”
“Ah, but you must know something,” I said. “You were sent to kill two women…with your eyeless Vik.”
He didn’t say anything.
With a flick of my wrist, I broke his nose. The bone broke easily beneath my grip, like a canary’s bone.
Ainsworth shouted out in pain, bowing over. More blood sprinkled the concrete, blood that would have to be cleaned up. We couldn’t risk some teenagers stumbling in and finding it.
“Why two?” I wondered. “That is not the pattern you have shown.”
He didn’t respond.
“Unless…you weren’t expecting one of the women to be there.”
Ainsworth’s eyes flickered.
My smile grew. “Ah, that’s it, isn’t? So, which one were you after?” I swung the chair on its legs, causing panic to flare in his eyes.
“No, no!”
“Which. One?” I repeated.
Ainsworth regulated his breathing, trying desperately to gain some control back. There was no use—all the power belonged to me. And nobody was able to take it away from me.
Not in this lifetime, and certainly not by some nameless soldier.
Ainsworth’s swollen eyes creased as he forced a smile. “Titus knows your face, Tarkhanov…and your little Elena’s.”
Brutish rage fueled me as I grabbed the back of his chair and held him over the side. Instantly, he began squirming and shrieking, the threat of falling make him a little less brave.
I leaned close to his ear, not relenting my grip on him. “Enough games,” I hissed. “Where is Titus?”
“I’ll never tell you—”
I tilted him further over the side, my muscles contracting at the strain. Ainsworth squealed, causing a few of my men to chuckle in the shadows.
“Where is Titus?”
“Not—”
I tilted him further over. The legs of the chair skidded on the concrete, threatening to slip over and take Ainsworth with them. “Don’t be shy,” I coaxed. “You want to live, don’t you, Edward?”
He breathed rapidly, eyes glued to the ground. He nodded.
I lifted the chair up. “Tell me where Titus is and live to see another dawn. Or don’t and die.”
He didn’t respond.
“It’s your choice, Edward. Life…” I tilted the chair further over the ledge. “Or death.”
Edward shuddered another rattling breath. He peered at me, eyes bruised and blue. “I would die for Titus.”
I smiled. “And you shall.”
His eyes widened as I flung the chair over the side. The sound of his bones crunching into the ground echoed throughout the night, silencing the breeze and waves.
A bratok on the ground ran out to check. Seconds passed until he yelled, “Still got a pulse, boss. Want me to finish him off?”
I smiled and gestured to the men. “Pick him up and take him to the podzemel'ye.”
“They’re gonna need a shovel,” Roman muttered as he came up behind me. “All good, Boss?”
I turned away from Edward’s crumbled but alive form. “All good.” I straightened my cuff links. “Send Danika to tend to him. It’s time this man knows what it means to really break.”
Roman grinned viciously. “Consider it done, Boss.”
15
Konstantin Tarkhanov
I spotted her willowy figure stretched out high on a thick branch, the tree’s branches offering a semblance of privacy. At the roots, two dogs lay, glancing up at her every now and then—not furiously, but in curiosity and concern. Most of the dogs had taken to Elena, especially since she was the one who spent the most time outside.
Elena didn’t notice me as I approached. She leaned against the trunk, book in hand, and long dark hair caught on the bark. She looked like she belonged in a book of fairy tales, the beautiful wood nymph who lived amongst the trees and wild animals and led unsuspecting men to their deaths.
“Elena,” I called softly so as not to startle her.
She peered down at me, green eyes bright. “Why are you awake so early?”
I smiled. I usually got up before the sun. Most dawns I spent with the horses; however, the few times I had gone to the study, I had been able to spot Elena in the grass below. She usually read or dozed, looking relaxed and calm.
I hadn’t slept ye—still too charged up with adrenaline from interrogating Edward Ainsworth. I had spent the morning in my study, scanning the garden every and now for Elena.
When I hadn’t been able to see her, I’d come looking for her.
“Concerned?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes. “More like wondering why you’re bothering me.”