I chugged down the rest of the contents from my glass. Rage burned through my veins when I heard the scream of a girl. Scream of pleasure. Forced pleasure, I knew that.
The drugs Valentin used on Valerie, those same drugs were being used on those girls here. I fisted my hands as the sound of skin slapping against each other filled my ears. Laughter rose from those who were watching.
My gaze stayed rooted on the wall across from me, refusing to face the scene that was going on. Pain assaulted me from every direction as I heard the grunts and the moans coming from the men and women.
A cruel reminder of that night.
Thump. Beat. Thump. Beat.
Groans and whimpers. The smell of pussy and sex filled the air. There was a distant crash as it turned violent. From the corner of my eye, I saw a woman crumple to the ground. Her throat was slit open and her eyes…dead.
Thump. Beat. Thump. Beat.
The filthy sound of sex kept going, my ears ringing with it. More men joined the scene. More laughter. More teasing.
Thump. Beat. Thump. Beat.
I choked back the nasty bile building at the bottom of my throat. Valerie. My sweet myshka.
My eyes found Valentin and I seemed to catch an evil glint in his eyes, as if he could tell…as if he knew what a fucking torture this was for me.
My pain and disgust were quickly squashed with fury.
Laugh. Laugh all you fucking want, Solonik. Seven days left.
My three weeks were coming to an end soon. He knew that and he was waiting eagerly. I was too, only for a different reason. Valentin thought he had caught me in a trap. For a brief moment, I had thought he won the game.
I was so fucking lost in my head that I almost let him win.
Dead inside, yet still walking down the destructive path. I almost lost my Valerie because I couldn’t see beyond my guilt.
It was my myshka who took me out of my head, brought me back and glued the shattered pieces of my soul together again. My beautiful swan had a strength that astonished me. A warrior. And girls like her, they fought. And they came out alive. While wearing a crown on their heads. They needed no King to make them a Queen.
I love you.
She had looked up at me with eyes that had my pierced my heart and warmed me to the tip of my soul.
I trust you.
Those were the only words that needed to be said.
A new beginning.
Those three words were everything I couldn’t say. My apology. My dreams for our future. My love for her. I begged for her forgiveness with those words and she had smiled, kissing me so sweetly she stole my breath.
Thinking of Valerie made it bearable to go through this shit. I took a deep breath and then exhaled shakily. I tuned them out, refusing to let this night, this game…the arena be my weakness.
I placed my glass down on the tray as a waiter walked by. He nodded his head in respect as I walked past him. I stalked across the room, and the crowd itself moved to create a path for me.
Carlos turned his head in my direction, and when I approached him, he smirked. “Konstantin Solonik,” he greeted slowly, slightly raising his glass. The way he said my name, the way his dark eyes glinted under the lights and the twitch of his lips, it was almost as if he mocked me.
He chuckled, sharing a joke with himself. I ignored the bait and took another flute of champagne from the tray as another waiter passed by. Slowly taking a sip, I eyed him.
“Carlos Martinez.”
“I am glad you remember my name,” he replied, his Mexican accent thick and deep.
I smirked. “Who doesn’t?”
Carlos looked around the room. “You are not bidding tonight?”
I swallowed the urge to retch at the question. Instead, I laughed humorlessly while gesturing to naked women. “No. I have plenty of those at home. Fresh. Young. Tight. Pretty. Pussy and ass ready to be fucked.”
“The ones we have here are the best and you know it,” he stated, lifting his chin up as if to dare me to refute him. No one said no to the Cartel King.
I took another sip from my glass, lifting an eyebrow at him. “I will have to disagree,” I said smoothly. I was ready for a pissing match. What I wasn’t ready for was for him to smile.
He didn’t even seem shocked at my response. But I should have feared that sinister smile. I should have been prepared for what he would say next. I should have fucking known it. Carlos Martinez didn’t beat around the bush. In fact, he’d go straight for the kill.
Carlos shoved a hand into his pocket and stared me down. “I know you killed Diego. I also know you killed Igor.”