Page 10 of Blood on Ice

“No.” His voice was cold as ice.

“Then trust me.”

“Vito, just because you get away with things once doesn’t mean you will the next time.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not a child. I know how this business works.”

“It works because we have rules.”

“Fuck the rules.”

I jumped when a bang echoed through the phone. I was sure Pops had slammed his hand down on his desk. “Do you have a death wish?”

“No. I don’t think so.” I liked risk, and I liked danger. I didn’t like rules or keeping quiet, but that didn’t mean I wanted to die. It just meant I didn’t spend all day worrying about consequences. That had always been Val’s job. Maybe Pops has a point. Maybe I needed to grow up.

“Just follow the fucking plan.”

“Yes, sir.”

I would do as he said. I didn’t need more shit from him, but my methods got things done a hell of a lot faster—and they were more fun.

“This isn’t supposed to be a game.”

Fuck could he read my mind now? I sure hoped not. If he could, I’d be dead by the end of the week.

“I’ll take care of it your way. I promise.”

“Good. Take care of yourself.” My breath caught. Pops rarely said anything to show he cared, especially about me. “I don’t have time to replace you right now.”

Of course, I was useful, though he usually acted like I was barely even that. “I’ll let you know when the problem is taken care of, and I’ll be even more cautious than you.”

“Like hell you will.”

“Relax, I got this.”

I was going to enjoy taking all my frustrations out on the fool who’d failed to pay us back. The time for threats was over. He needed to feel some pain to realize how serious we were about getting our money back. I was sure he’d blown it all on drugs the moment he’d walked out of our office. Now he was going to have to find a way to pay it back.

Several hours later, I leaned my head against the shower wall as I watched blood run down the drain. Only a little of it was mine. The fucker had gotten in a few hits before I’d restrained him. That had only made it worse for him. A bullet would have been the easiest way to bring him down, but I’d promised Pops I’d be discreet, and honestly, I’d wanted a hand-to-hand fight. I’d fucking needed it. The only other way to get that kind of physical relief was a rough, wild fuck. The only person I wanted to fuck right now was Zeke, so a fight had to do.

I’d brought the guy to a warehouse my family owned in an area where no one asked questions—like what we did there that necessitated drains in the floor or why they were sometimes screams heard coming from the building. I’d left the guy alive, only making him wish he were dead. He’d stumbled off down the street, and I’d started the clean-up process.

I’d sprayed down the floor and the chair I’d cuffed him to, then headed to the luxurious bathroom we’d had added when we bought the place. I let myself indulge in a long, hot shower, wanting to be thoroughly clean and refreshed before tracking down Zeke. I couldn’t let him see me looking all roughed up or covered in some other guy’s blood. That wouldn’t give the right impression.

I slipped into a clean pair of coveralls. They weren’t fashionable, but they were serviceable enough for the drive home. I should have changed before I’d gotten to work on the delinquent client, but I’d been too enthusiastic. I blamed the stress my family put on me.

But now it was time for a reward. I was going to see Zeke and let him see me. I needed to watch his eyes widen and hear his breath catch. I needed to know how aware of me he was.

6

ZEKE

As soon as I skated out onto the ice, I checked the stands, expecting to see my stalker there. He wasn’t watching today. Or maybe he was just running late. He’d probably show up soon.

Fuck. I was acting like I wanted him there. Hopefully, he’d never show up again.

I wasn’t going to look for him again. I was going to focus on my game. I needed to keep my world narrowed to my stick, the puck, and my teammates.

I managed to perform like I actually knew how to play hockey, mostly redeeming myself after our last practice. I kept expecting to feel my stalker’s eyes on me, to know he was there, staring at me intently with that fucking smirk on his face, but when practice wrapped up, he still hadn’t showed.

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