Dulce

“Don’t feel bad. Bigger, badder, and smarter men than you have been brought to their knees by little old me. Ironic, huh?”

When he turns to look away, I grip his jaw and turn it back toward me.

“Who else recruits for you?”

“Cain,” he spits out, making my breath stall in my lungs.

Fuck. I knew there was a possibility, but I hoped to be wrong. Guess it makes sense why he largely kept his distance from me. Sure, we fucked, but he made sure to let me know that was all I could expect from him. I also remember seeing him at the Stonecroft party.

Fuck it hurts more than it should.

“Aw, poor lover boy lose some of his appeal?” he mocks.

“Nah, it’s not like we had anything special. Just another man, just another dick.”

“Didn’t seem that way when I caught him eating your pussy like it was his favorite food. I thought he was going to cry when Aslanov made him leave,” he laughs. It falls from his face though when he doesn’t get the reaction he wanted from me. It costs me everything not to react at the conformation of who was in the room with me and Dmitri that night, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction.

“Anyone else?” I question with a bored tone.

He shakes his head. “No. Too many cooks and all that jazz. Cain was actually the one who pulled Cassandra in.”

“Who do you work for?”

He snaps his mouth closed and shakes his head, but I tighten my grip on his jaw and press the tip of the corkscrew to his tear duct.

“You will tell me, or I’ll make this as unpleasant as humanly possible. For some reason, I’m feeling particularly spiteful today.”

“I’ll be branded a traitor,” he hisses.

“Dude, you’ll be downstairs sucking the devil’s dick. Does it even matter?”

His glare has me pressing the metal into his eye slightly.

He curses loudly in English and…fucking Russian.

I know what he’s going to say before he even says it.

“Tell me who you’re working for.”

“Aslanov.”

Now that one does hurt. I can’t even pretend it doesn’t. Up until this moment, I’d have lied my ass off about having any feelings for the man and not have even known I was lying. But now, being faced with the truth of his treachery, I feel as if someone has taken a knife to my heart and sliced it to shreds.

I don’t know what expression is on my face, but whatever it is has Luke laughing in delight.

“What’s the matter, little girl? Suddenly realizing how out of your depth you are? He’ll eat you alive and use your bones to pick his teeth with afterward.”

He’s reveling in my pain. He thinks he’s safe to taunt me because we struck a deal. Information for a quick death. But as he pointed out, I’m just a woman.

“Something you should know about women, Luka,” I warn him as his laugh slowly fades out.

“Being on our knees gives us a whole new perspective on life.” I grin, and judging by how pale his face has gone, it’s every bit as evil as it feels.

“You said you’d make it quick.”

“Ah, you’re expecting that whole honor among thieves thing. Don’t kick a man when he’s down or stab a man in the back, right? Problem with that, each scenario is all about men. And as we both know, I’m all woman.” I lean forward and skate my lips over his ear.

“What you see as weak, we see as cunning.”

“You promised.”

What is he, ten?

“I lied,” I warn him before I push the corkscrew as hard as I can into his eye.