Page 137 of King of Envy

When I shut their front door behind me and locked it with the spare key they kept under the flowerpot—note to self: remind Ayana to tell her parents to keep that key in a safer, less obvious place—not a single person in the house stirred.

* * *

After I picked up Sean at the hotel, we made it to Brooklyn in record time. The lack of late-night/early-morning traffic shaved almost an hour off our drive.

By the time we arrived at the warehouse, a pale orange tinge was barely creeping into the sky, and I’d pushed all thoughts of the Kidanes aside in favor of work. I’d worry about Ayana later; right now, I needed to focus.

Sean and I bypassed the storage room and headed for the basement, where the two men we’d sent to Philly were waiting for us beside a custom steel door. The storage room worked for the likes of Wentworth, but members of the Brotherhood were another matter.

Mav and Bruce greeted us with deferential nods.

“We knocked him out with a tranquilizer,” Mav said. “He’s just coming around now.”

“Good.” Sean glanced at me.

I’ll handle this myself.This was my fight, not theirs.

No one argued.

I opened the door and walked in. The basement was even more bare bones than the rest of the warehouse. Stone walls, stone floor, minimal furnishings save for a table along the wall, a tarp on the floor, and a chair in the middle.

The man currently tied to the chair had a bag over his head. His chest rose and fell with steady breaths. Alive and whole, just like I wanted.

My steps were silent in the soundproofed room. His breathing pattern didn’t change, though a hint of tension crept into his neck and shoulders. His alias was Dexter—a cheeky play on the TV serial killer of the same name.

I removed the bag from his head.

Brown eyes stared up at me from behind wire-framed spectacles. Salt-and-pepper hair and the leather elbow patches on his tweed jacket formed the image of a mild-mannered professor.

Like I said, if you hate someone enough to kill them, have the balls to do it up close and personal.

“Dex.” My smile lacked any trace of warmth. “Good to see you again.”

CHAPTER37

Ayana

Iawoke to an empty bed.

The sheets were rumpled from last night’s activities, but Vuk’s side of the mattress was cold. He must’ve slipped out after I’d fallen asleep.

It was a smart move. My parents were early risers, and they were right down the hall. I wouldn’t want them to see him coming out of my childhood bedroom, reeking of sex.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stretched. The delicious soreness between my legs eased my irrational sting of disappointment at finding Vuk gone.

Last night had been incredible. There was no other word to describe it. The wholedayhad been incredible—minus our run-in with the jerks at dinner—but seeing Vuk fully lower his guard and lose control wasn’t something I’d ever forget.

My toes curled at the memory of his cock filling my throat and his guttural cry when he came. Our bodies had fit so perfectly, so naturally, that I couldn’t imagine doing the things we did with anyone else.

He’d ruined me for other men.

I am so fucked.Literally and figuratively. Even so, my cheeks ached with a smile.

It was Sunday, so my parents were home. The restaurant didn’t open until noon today, and I could hear the sizzle of turkey bacon and smell the coffee from downstairs.

I threw on cashmere sweats and was about to join them in the kitchen when a folded white square by the door caught my eye. My name was scrawled across the top in Vuk’s familiar handwriting.

I picked up the note and opened it.

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