“O-kay. You’re going to kill Fuego right in front of the grandmother? That’ll help everything.”
“Then, you deal with Fuego.”
“I planned on it, but because he is my military buddy, I won’t promise to kill him.”
“Do something to him. Something bad.” I kept my voice low. “Something that hurts. I want him suffering for at least a month.”
Naveen’s voice held unease. “I’ll figure something out.”
“Good.” I sighed. “Everything is fucked up now. What should I do about the grandmother?”
“Hey. . .you don’t pay me for advice.”
“Thanks a lot.”
“They’re boarding. I’ll see you soon.” Naveen hung up.
The cocky basterd knew how important he was to me, so he took certain benefits. Hanging up on me was one of them. Telling me that I fucked up was another. That was the limit. Anything else could get him killed. While I respected Naveen’s mind and the way he kept my security in place, I would open his chest with my favorite knife, yank out his heart, and stuff it in his mouth, if it soothed me.
For now, I respected him.
But, if Fuego wasn’t handled to my satisfaction, then Naveen and I may have our day.
How did everything go wrong in a few seconds?
Smiling, Ava came out with a towel wrapped around her body. “I thought you were going to join me.”
Sitting on the bed, I forced myself to remain calm and appear unbothered. “I was going to join you, but work got in the way.”
She strolled in further. “High tech computers and other things I don’t understand?”
“Exactly, but I’ll teach you the tech stuff one day.”
“Yes.” She widened her grin. “I’ve always wanted to ask you something since you’re a techie geek.”
Techie geek? Interesting. So then. . .she doesn’t know about anything else? All this time, Olesya never told her about my involvement with the brotherhood.
I cleared my throat. “What did you want to ask?”
“Is there really a secret, dark web?”
“Definitely.” I put my phone on the nightstand. “It’s actually darknets. Overlay networks that use the internet but require special software and configurations. The things you find on the dark web, you can’t access through regular search engines. But even that makes it just a small part of the deep web.”
I could’ve told her more, that I’d used the dark web myself to fuel my obsession for her. I’d researched every single thing about Ava on the dark web, discovering things that I shouldn’t. Her blood type and medical records. I’d found her social security number, banking codes, her hobbies, and even the type of porn she enjoyed masturbating to.
I knew all about her family’s criminal history. Ava had no police records, but some of her family members did. Her father had sold drugs. Twice, the police arrested her mother for prostitution. While her grandmother had been clean, the grandmother’s brother—Ava’s grand-uncle—had an extensive drug ring down in New Orleans.
Ava disturbed my thoughts. “Have you been on the dark web?”
I live there.
I gave a nervous shrug. “A little.”
“What have you seen?”
Illicit everything. Arms purchases. Credit fraud planning. Webcammed murders. Demented Porn. World drug deals. Global violence.
“Things that you would assume is on a hidden market.” I rose from the bed, very aware that I was naked and that her gaze fell on my hardening cock. “Nothing you would want to see.”
Licking her lips, she continued to stare at my cock. “I really wish you had taken that shower with me.”
And I really wish Fuego had not duct tapped and kidnapped your grandmother. Then, I could relax and fuck the shit out of you. Instead, I need to spend the next two hours figuring out a way to make sure that your grandmother doesn’t tell you what happened.
Ava raised her perfectly arched eyebrows. “Is everything okay?”
I forced a smile, walked over to her, and kissed those perfect lips. “Everything is awesome. Next time you won’t shower alone.”
She smirked. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Will you be busy today?” she asked.
I thought about her grandmother duct taped and tied up on an eleven-hour flight to Russia—a place she’d probably never been to. “Uh. . .yes. I’ll be busy today, but I will be at your performance this evening.”
. . .hopefully with your grandmother in one piece.
She gazed up at me. “I’m glad you came home with me last night, Misha.”
Let’s hope you keep thinking that way.
She turned to the closet and opened it.
I checked out some of the clothes in her closet. “What are you going to wear to this surprise photo shoot?”
“I don’t know.”
I walked over to my pants and pulled my wallet out. “Go ahead and buy something—”
She waved her hand. “Misha, you’ve done more than enough for me. You’re letting me stay in the penthouse for free. I’m sure I have something to wear.”
I held in my annoyance, took one of my credit cards out, and placed it on the nightstand. “If you have time, buy yourself something beautiful.”