Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 78264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
After all, a woman has to use whatever weapon she has in her arsenal, and seduction is mine.
Chapter 5
Nikolai
Daddy.
Jesus Christ.
The altercation with Abigail robbed me of a night’s sleep. I’ve never been that turned on in my entire life, and no woman on the face of this planet has ever annoyed me as much as Abigail Sartori.
Her seductive taunting had me jerking off four times, but none of the orgasms satisfied me.
Stalking into my uncle’s office like a bear with a sore tooth, I slump down in his chair and try to lose myself in work.
I check all the shipments are scheduled to arrive on time and the diamonds that are ready to be sold have all been authenticated by a high-end jeweler who’s deep in my pocket.
When I’m done taking care of my own business, I turn my attention to St. Monarch’s contracts.
There’s a new request for an open contract to assassinate some fucker in Guatemala. I send the request out to every assassin registered with St. Monarch’s before checking the currently active contracts.
My cousin has open contracts on the D’Angelo and Sartori families, which means anyone with a gun is looking to cash in by killing Aurora or Abigail.
It fucking sucks that the daughters have to pay for their fathers’ crimes, but that’s how our world works.
Just then, an encrypted message comes through on the system.
Contract 010603: Terminated.
I check the account holder and first verify the proof of death before I authorize the payment to be made to the assassin’s banking account.
“How are things in here?” Uncle Carson asks as he comes into his office.
“Renaldo Vero has been eliminated. I’ve verified the kill and authorized the payment.” Getting up from the chair, I add, “There’s a new contract. I’ve sent it out already.”
“Thanks, son.”
Uncle Carson and Aunt Hailey never had children of their own. I’ve always been close with them, and they treat me like I’m their blood.
Meeting my beloved uncle’s eyes, I say, “I’m going home this coming weekend.”
He lets out a chuckle, and placing his hand on my shoulder, he mutters, “As long as you’re back by Monday morning.”
“You really have to find another instructor. I can’t do this indefinitely.”
Another chuckle escapes him as he walks to his desk. “I’ll have a replacement in the next two months.”
I nod, and when I start to walk toward the door, he adds, “Misha Petrov will assist you during training. Let him handle Aurora D’Angelo.”
My eyebrow raises as I glance at my uncle. “Are you sure that’s wise?”
He nods, then a grin tugs at the corner of his mouth. “I have a feeling there’s something between Misha and Aurora, and that’s why he attacked the yakuza yesterday. I’d like to test the theory.”
“Yeah, he beat the shit out of Seijo.” Nodding, I ask, “And Abigail? What do we do about her?”
My uncle’s grin turns into a full-blown smirk. “Surely you can handle her?”
Fuck. Uncle Carson always has one eye on all the live security camera feeds. Did he see Abigail flirting with me last night?
“The odds are good that I’ll strangle the girl,” I mutter.
A burst of laughter escapes him. “As long as you don’t kill her on St. Monarch’s grounds.”
Christ, help me.
He locks eyes with me, then his expression turns serious. “When are you going to settle down?”
“Not you, too. My mother nags me enough about the matter,” I mutter while shaking my head. “I’m happy alone. I don’t need a woman to fuck up my life.”
“As long as you’re happy, son,” he says, the fatherly love he feels for me showing on his face.
“I am,” I assure him before I walk out of the office.
I hate that people think you must be in a relationship to be happy. Having another person in my space twenty-four-seven will drive me insane. I have my family, friends, and a successful diamond empire. There’s nothing lacking in my life.
Heading toward the studio, my phone buzzes. When I check the device, I see a text from Maxim and quickly open it.
Maxim: Fine. I’ll babysit the girl.
Nikolai: I owe you. I’m going home this coming weekend. Join me so we can catch up and discuss the contract.
Maxim: I’ll be there Saturday morning.
Stepping into the room, I see the Almeida twins and Caspian are already warming up. Abigail and Aurora are standing to the side with unsure expressions on their faces.
Misha joins us a couple of seconds later, an apprehensive look in his eyes.
Getting to work, I say, “Mr. Shinoda won’t be joining us for a couple of days.” I lock eyes with Misha. “Someone beat the shit out of him, so he’s indisposed.”
Gesturing at Aurora, I mutter, “Miss D’Angelo, you’re paired with Mr. Petrov. Miss Almeida, you’re with Mr. Almeida. Just keep practicing what you’ve already been taught. Miss Sartori, you’re with me.”
“Ah, sir?” Aurora looks like she’s about to puke.