The Deadliest Sin Series Complete Collection, page 58
Genti peers back at me, his brow furrowed. “Are you sure you want to do this? You’ll be putting even more of a target on your back.”
“Only if they find out it’s me doing it…”
By the time I walk into the office, the rain has finally stopped falling, and my entire body aches like I just ran a marathon barefoot. The throbbing at my temples has turned into a full-on thundering against my skull. And while the meeting with Canon went as well as could be expected and is one item I can check off my list, it still leaves me feeling like I haven’t accomplished anything.
At least, for now.
Canon will need some follow-up to ensure that he's staying on track and keeping us in mind during his decision-making. But with him and the mayor both in my pocket, things are moving in the right direction.
I gingerly lower myself into my desk chair, drop my head back, and close my eyes. After almost a week at Rose’s, recuperating from my injuries and then staying up all night in his bed, going all day today was probably a bad idea.
Definitely a bad idea.
All I want is to crawl into my own soft bed and sleep for days. But that will never happen. There’s too much to do and a very determined man who isn’t going to let me disappear even if I could.
My phone dings in my purse, and I release a frustrated groan. It's probably Rose calling to find out where I am and when I'm going to be back at his place.
His two men standing outside the office door, waiting for me, seem to be just as anxious to return to his mystery estate. And they’ll probably blindfold me again in an attempt to keep the exact location a secret. They are good. I’ll give them that. It took me literally slipping in here, slamming the door on their faces, and throwing the lock into place to get some time alone. They seem almost annoyed by this assignment, and I can't say I blame them. Following me around all day when I have my own men who are perfectly capable of protecting me seems like a real shitty assignment.
Yet Rose wanting to ensure my safety is almost endearing.
Almost.
The man surely is an enigma. But the last thing I want right now is to see him. I’d give anything to go home and crawl into my own bed for one night. To get a little distance from him, a little perspective…or a lot.
I dig out my phone from my purse and swipe open the message.
Unknown number?
St. Mary of the Angels. One hour. Come alone.
What the fuck?
It's definitely not from Rose. And mysterious messages asking you to meet places alone typically don’t lead to good things.
But something inside me stirs.
I doubt it's Valerian or Galen or even Valentina. It seems we've resolved our issues, at least for the time being, plus any of them would have just come out and said who they were.
That means it’s a true unknown. After the attempt on our lives, the unknown isn't necessarily a good thing.
I stare at my phone for a moment, tossing around the various options. Which aren’t many. I could try texting back. But whoever it is won't reply with any other information. That much is clear. I either go, or I don't.
Regardless of the instructions, I'm not going alone. That would be potential suicide. Instead, I text Genti to meet me in the office, then push to my feet with a pained groan and make my way to the door to unlock it.
A minute later, Genti pushes open the door and slips inside with an annoyed glance over his shoulder at Rose’s men. He closes the door behind him and turns to me. “What’s going on?”
“We need to go.”
His eyebrows fly up. “Go where? Back to Rose’s?”
“No.” I shake my head and grab my purse. “I’ll tell you in the car. We just need to get out without Rose’s men.”
“Shit.” Genti shoves a hand back through his hair. “And you think they’re really going to let us just walk out of here?”
“Of course not.” I stop and wait for him to catch my meaning.
He nods his understanding and pulls his gun before opening the door. The two shots ring out, sharp and loud in our confined space.
Rose is going to be pissed—probably more than pissed—but I’ll deal with the consequences of this later. My priority right now is figuring out who the mystery texter is and what’s so important that a cryptic text and clandestine meeting is necessary.
Genti motions me out into the hallway, and we make our way out the back door into the parking lot. “Where are we headed?”
“Church.”
He narrows his eyes on me as we head to one of the SUVs parked along the left side of the lot. “Since when are you religious?”
I chuckle and climb in the back seat while he slides into the driver’s seat. “I'm not.”
“Then why are we going to church?”
“To meet someone.”
His eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror. “That sounds ominous.”
I twist my lips and drum my nails on the door. “It just might be. And I need to be going alone.”
His head jerks up again. “Like hell you are.”
“I know. You can wait outside. But whoever it was made my instructions very clear, and I don't want to fuck up what could be an important meeting.”
“You don't even know who you’re meeting with, do you?”
It didn’t take him long to figure out why I wasn’t telling him that important piece of info. Because I don’t have it.
I sigh and keep my eyes on the city passing by. “No. I have a few ideas.”
“The Mexicans?”
“I've considered that.”
When Rose showed up, he took out the smaller gangs that controlled certain portions of Chicago in one fell swoop and inserted himself as the primary drug source for not only the entire city but the entire region. That had to piss off a lot of very dangerous people not only in Chicago but also our neighbors south of the border. Perhaps they're looking for an ally against him.
Genti turns, bringing us closer to our destination. “I can’t believe you’re going to do this after what happened to the plane. Are you armed?”
“Of course.”
“Good. I'm not letting you out of my sight. I'll stand at the back of church if I have to, but I'm going in with you.”
I don't bother arguing with him. He's just doing his job. The last time I insisted on being anywhere alone was driving to and from my meeting with Valentina. And that resulted in my getting kidnapped by the fucking Irish. So, I can understand his reluctance in this situation.
We ride in silence the rest of the way to the church, both of us scanning the streets for any signs of an ambush, but none comes. Then it appears. Dark, foreboding spires climb into the sky, capped by a bell tower. We pull up outside the church, and I stare up at the large wooden doors.
Surely, they have to be locked at this time of night.
But I doubt whoever wants this meeting would set it somewhere inaccessible. I climb from the car, and Genti emerges beside me. We both look up as the bell dings nine times.
It's getting late. Far too late to be having impromptu meetings.
Genti motions toward the building. “Do you think they wanted to meet here because it's neutral ground?”
“That's my thought.”
He shrugs and scans the sidewalk and behind us. “Let's go.”
With a hand on my lower back, he ushers me up the stairs to the doors. He tugs one open, and we step inside the dark entrance and search for any signs we aren’t alone.
No one comes from the shadows, so we move cautiously down the aisle toward the middle of the church. No sign of life. The entire church is plunged into darkness except for the candles lit in front of the Virgin Mary off in an alcove to the left.
Something tugs at my heart, tightening my chest and pulling me in that direction. Genti wants to follow me, but I hold up a hand. “Stay by the door.”
He scowls at me and clenches his jaw. A muscle there tics, but he inclines his head in agreement and steps back the way we came while I cross the church toward the statue.
I can't even remember the last time I was in church. Probably my baptism. Dad had been raised Catholic and insisted. Mom was never particularly religious, though, so once Dad had that “requirement” out of the way, neither brought me to church.
So, it isn't any minute familial connection that drew me over here. It was one far stronger, one that even death can’t break.
The moment I stepped into this church, the only thing I could feel was the overwhelming need to pray and beg for Aleksander's soul. And maybe my own.
I don't care what happens to Michael. That man made his bed and has to lie in it. Even if that bed means he's in Hell.
But Aleksander…I don't know what happens to him. And that terrifies me. Because when it's my time to go, I don't want to spend eternity alone. I want the promise of spending it with the man I want to be with forever, the man who was taken from me so abruptly by sin.
The man was no saint. In fact, he was the most brutal person I’ve ever met. What he did to his enemies, to those who failed to back him…it was a torture you might find in Hell. Yet, even though Aleksander was The Dragon, this inhuman beast filled with rage, he was a different man with me. One who truly loved. And anyone capable of that can’t be all bad.
At least, that’s what I hope as I step forward, grab one of the matches, and strike it so I can light two candles—one for me and one for him.
It’s likely too little, too late, but it’s better than doing nothing and letting the fate of our souls hang in the balance. I reach into my purse, pull out a one-hundred-dollar bill, and shove it in the little box for donations.
A little bribery never hurts, either.
“Whose soul are you praying for?”
I jerk toward the voice, my hand automatically delving into my purse for my gun. My fingers close around the grip, and I squint into the darkness for the threat, ready to face it with violence even in the house of God.
A man steps from the shadows slowly, deliberately, with his hands raised. “I’m unarmed.”
Even though we’ve never met and all I’ve seen are very old photos from when he still lived in Albania and was part of their special forces, I recognize him immediately. The beard covering his jaw might conceal part of his face, but it can’t hide the blackness of his eyes or soul.
“Konstandin…”
When I considered all the potential people who might have arranged this meeting, he was never even a blip on my radar. Not when he’s spent so much time and effort to stay hidden.
The man who killed Aleksander takes another step toward me, lowering his arms to his sides. Dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, someone might think he’s just another nobody if they saw him on the street, but if anyone looked into the depths of his hard gaze, they would see the monster lurking beneath the surface.
A monster whose lips tilt into a smirk. “I heard you’ve been looking for me. I figured it was better just to get this over with than for us to dance around each other for all of eternity.”
I relax my hand from around the gun and glance to where Genti stands at the rear of the church. His eyes locked on us, it’s clear he’ll pull the trigger before Konstandin could ever get near me. Plus, if he really wanted me dead, he could have killed me barehanded instead of announcing his presence.
So despite how deadly the man in front of me is, I let myself relax slightly. “I’m surprised you have the balls to set foot in a house of God, given what you’ve done.”
One of his dark eyebrows rises. “What I’ve done?” He barks out a laugh that echoes around the vast, empty space. “That’s funny considering what you did to Michael and the fact that I bet you were just lighting those candles for a man who flayed people alive for sport.”
My hands clench at my sides instinctively, preparing for a fight, but there’s no point in arguing with the man standing in front of me. All I want is to end him and finally have some form of closure over what happened to Aleksander. “Did you come here just to make me want to kill you even more?”
He chuckles and steps closer, making my entire body tense. Konstandin is huge—at least twice my size. Even unarmed, all it would take is one well-placed strike to knock me out…or worse. And I know he’s more than capable of that without even thinking about it.
I sneer at him. “You find that funny?”
He shakes his head and scans our surroundings quickly before his obsidian gaze returns to mine. One of his shoulders rises and falls in a nonchalant shrug. “I didn’t think it was possible for you to want to kill me even more.”
“You killed Aleksander. I have every right to want you buried six feet under with him.”
Konstandin crosses his massive arms over his chest, only making all of him seem larger and more menacing. “Aleksander was never going to stop until he had killed Lorenc and Rea. If he had known I was still alive, he would have been hunting me, too. I couldn’t let him hurt her after everything I went through to ensure she was safe from Tarek.”
“You’re the one who set this all in motion, Konstandin. You and Rea betrayed your brother. Then you killed Saban. You’re not a stupid man. You had to know The Dragon would come for you once you did that.”
He considers me for a moment, the silence of the church around us suddenly oppressive enough to weigh down my chest and make breathing a little harder. “If you loved Aleksander even half as much as I do Rea, you would understand why I had to do what I did.”
Shit.
His words slam into me like a ton of bricks being dropped.
He’s right.
If Aleksander and I had been in the position Rea and Konstandin found themselves—her forced into an arranged marriage with a man like Tarek, Konstandin assigned to protect her, and them then falling in love—I can’t say I would have acted any differently. Aleksander would have done anything to save me, including taking me away and trying to disappear like Konstandin and Rea managed for a while. And if I had been taken back, Aleksander would have gone on the warpath, destroying everything in his way to save me…just like Konstandin did.
But still…Konstandin made one fatal error. “You didn’t have to kill Saban. You could have destroyed Tarek and taken Rea back and disappeared to live the rest of your lives together in absolute bliss.”
He scowls at me and twists his lips. “It was a mistake. I can admit that. I acted in the heat of the moment. I acted on my wrath for anyone associated with taking Rea from me, and Saban had assisted Tarek in locating us.” He shrugs and glances up at the crucifix. “Maybe I should have walked away, let him live another day. Forgiven the act that led to the love of my life being whisked away by the man who raped and tormented her before I saved her from that future.” He takes another step closer, his voice lowering into almost a growl. “But we both know his death was inevitable. Maybe not at my hand. He might have lived a few more months, or a few more years even, but Saban had a lot of other enemies, ones who would have killed him for no reason at all rather than for love.”
For love.
Love started this downward spiral of violence and death—Saban, Tarek, Lorenc, Aleksander, Brynn…and Michael. I thought I could end it by finishing off Konstandin and Rea, by removing the very people who set things down this path.
And deep down, something inside me still wants me to grab the gun from my purse and empty it into the man only feet in front of me.
It’s the thing that I can’t seem to push away. Not knowing all that I’ve suffered and lost because of this series of events, because of this man. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t shoot you and end this now. One.”
His eyes soften for a moment, almost making him appear human. He glances at the lit candles and scrubs a hand over his whiskered face before returning his focus to me. When he does, the strength of the determination in his gaze sends a chill through me. This is the Konstandin who tortured his victims. “Because Rea and I have a son. And I know where yours is.”
Lust is a pleasure bought with pain, a delight hatched with disquiet, a content passed with fear, and a sin finished with sorrow.
- DEMONAX
KAT
“Because Rea and I have a son, and I know where yours is.”
The air instantly sucks out of the church around me, tightening my chest, and it takes me a moment to process his words.
I know where yours is.
They whirl around my head like a hurricane-force wind, and I try to break them down one by one.
When they fully register. When the truth of what they mean finally hits that part of my brain where I’ve hidden all my secrets, I try not to show any reaction. I swallow thickly. “I…I don't know what you're talking about.”
Konstandin regards me with something akin to pity in his eyes. Certainly not something he would ever have given any of his victims. “Let's cut the bullshit, Kat, or should I call you Brynn? Because that's who I'm talking to right now. The woman who gave birth to Aleksander's child and named him Jeton. The woman who tried to ensure that he would never be found. The woman who left him with that family in Albania to try to save him from the world that you stepped into as Kat.”
Blood thunders in my ears, and my chest constricts so badly, I can barely take a breath. My vision starts to waver in front of me.
No. This can't be happening.
Everything I went through. Everything I did to make it to this point. Everything I sacrificed. All of it was for nothing. The carefully constructed façade of Kat is gone. It’s all crashing down.
The web of lies I created is now wrapping me up and keeping me here to be devoured like some stupid fucking fly by the vicious spider named Konstandin.
He takes a step closer to me. “Brynn, look at me.”
I don’t want to. I don’t want to stare into the eyes of someone so evil, someone who would threaten an innocent child. I would do a lot of things to get what I want, but there’s a line I would never cross. This line.
