Page 17 of Reckless Games

At the moment, I had pressing issues at the base that demanded my attention. “Find that bastard,” I barked, my voice dripping with irritation. “And he needs to be alive!”

A worker from my club,Inferno, had not only stolen money from me, but he also had the audacity to force himself on the strippers after work hours. This blatant disregard for my rules and my club’s safety enraged me. Nobody gets away after messing with me.

“Liam’s already on it,” Giovanni informed me, nodding grimly. “But there’s more news you need to hear.”

I knew from his tone that whatever he had to say was far from good. “What?” I asked, my eyes narrowing as I waited for him to deliver the storm.

“I think you should see it for yourself,” Giovanni said, pulling his phone from his pocket and handing it to me.

As I read the headline, my jaw clenched. My grip tightened around the phone as I absorbed the news, my anger boiling over.

'The Temptucçe has been reportedly stolen from the Volga Art Museum’,the headline read.

The world of art and history was in shock after the recent report that the Temptucçe, a collection of the eight rarest diamonds, had been stolen from the Volga Art Museum. These diamonds, collectively worth billions of dollars, were regarded as one of their kind…

I stopped reading, the rest of the article becoming irrelevant as my rage intensified. What the hell were the Russians up to? My mind raced, trying to piece their plot together.

Giovanni continued, his tone solemn. “It gets worse. Don Nikolai sent a personal message accusing you of stealing the Temptucçe. He claims you’ve declared war by stealing from the Bratva. He swears he’ll get them back.”

It was a clear provocation, and I could see the Bratva's game. They’d stolen my diamonds and used them for years, making money by exhibiting them in their museum. Now, they suddenly disappeared to frame me for theft and ignite a war to put an end to the animosity between us. It was a masterful plan, but I knew there was more. There was only one reason for Nikolai, the head of Bratva, to do this.He knows.

He was trying to test me to see if I would retaliate. Little did he know, I had my own plans in store. It was time he paid for what he did toherright in front of my eyes.

***

I sat in quiet satisfaction as the cries of agony reverberated within the confines of the torture room. It was a sound I found oddly comforting. The bastard who dared to steal from me was found drunk in my very own casino, betting on my hard-earned money. Was he stupid? Or perhaps it was the alcohol clouding his goldfish sized brain. Either way, who cares? All that mattered was that he was here now, at my mercy, alive but barely clinging to it.

“That's enough.” My voice cut through the air like a blade, commanding the attention of my two men busy serving him the appetizer. They stepped back, their hands adorned with metal chains and gleaming knives. The sight of the bastard's bloodied form lying before me made a flicker of satisfaction dance in my eyes. They did a good job. After all, they were taught by the best.Me.

"I'm sorry. I didn't—" The pathetic bastard coughed out blood; his sentence left hanging in the air, unfinished. "I will pay you b—" Before he could utter another word, my fist connected with his jaw, the impact echoing through the room with a sickening crack. He crumpled to the ground, blood oozing from his split lip.

"Please," he begged, his voice barely a whisper amidst the sounds of his own suffering. But his pleas fell on deaf ears, drowned out by the relentless pulse of my fury. I could have toyed with him and relished in his pain for longer, but my patience wore thin. All I desired now was to see Angela, to be enveloped in her presence, and to forget about the filth that tainted my world.

I withdrew my gun. Without hesitation, I emptied the bullets into the bastard's chest, each shot punctuating the finality of his fate. As his eyes closed for the last time, Iwhispered the rule that was engraved in my world."There are no second chances."

With a nod to my men, I ordered them to clean up the mess before turning on my heel and striding out of the room.

It took me a total of ten minutes to get back to the mansion from the base, a route that would otherwise take not less than twenty. That's how impatient I was.

Stepping in, out of all the scenarios I had imagined to find Angela in, this was not on the list. My little angel was hanging upside down from the leather couch, legs propped up on the backrest. Her lower lip was tucked in between her teeth, and I squinted with a frown as she worked thoroughly to search for something on her phone. As amusing as the sight was, I was pathetically turned on by the good amount of chest she was flashing unknowingly. Was I about to tell her to fix her shirt? No. Would that make me a bastard? Yes. Did it matter? No. Because I never claimed to be a saint.

Moving stealthily to Angela's side, I positioned myself quietly above her. She was so engrossed in whatever she was doing that she didn't notice me approach, a fact that sent a pang of unease through me. If someone wanted to snap her neck right now, they could have easily caught her off guard. The realization unsettled me. There was much I needed to teach her.

Snatching the phone from her hand, I watched as Angela startled, sitting up abruptly. "What th—oh." Her surprise quickly morphed into recognition as she registered it was me. "When did you get back?"

I arched an eyebrow at her. "It's been a while." My response carried a subtle hint of reproach, a reminder for her to be more mindful of her surroundings.

With effortless ease, I lifted Angela up, cradling her with one arm while the other hand held onto her phone. She gasped in surprise, clearly caught off guard by the sudden movement.As I settled into a seated position, I gently adjusted her on my lap, feeling a rush of warmth spread across her cheeks, painting them a delicate shade of pink. Her reaction elicited a smirk from me. How fucking adorable!

"What were you so engrossed in?" I glanced at her phone, catching a glimpse of a house rental website before she hastily tried to hide the screen. However, I wanted to hear her confess it herself.

"I, uh…" Her voice trailed off, hesitant but also slightly defiant. I was not about to let her off the hook that easily. “I was just looking for some apartments.” I switched off her phone and casually tossed it beside me on the couch.

"Apartments?" I leaned in closer, relishing the way she instinctively leaned back, her eyes widening slightly. Closing the distance between us, I whispered huskily into her ear, my breath making her shudder as I nipped her earlobe. "And why would you feel the need to look for apartments? Hm?"

Testing her boundaries, I pushed a little further, wanting to see just how far she would let me go. I would not want to make her uncomfortable at any point. But deep down, I knew there was something in her heart for me. So what if it did not come even close to what I felt for her? It was there.

"I mean, I can't live with you forever in your mansion," she finally admitted, her words filled with a hint of uncertainty. Little did she know, I had much grander plans for her than she could ever imagine.

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