Page 27 of The Kingpin's Omega Lover
Aleks Yovenko, Yovani Alexie. King rolled his eyes. “That’s subtle. Where is he?”
“Fairlane Mortuary out in Oklahoma.”
“Excuse me?” King put his free hand flat on the counter to steady himself. “Please, tell me he works there and isn’t in a freezer right now.”
“Wish I could, boss.”
“Fuck.” He turned around so he didn’t have to face Bishop and Kensley’s curious stares. “Cause of death?”
“Primary indicator was severe blood loss; secondary injury is severed carotid.”
“Someone cut his throat?”
“Sounds like it.”
“When?”
“Two days ago. The autopsy was this morning, which is probably why the info popped up in my searches.”
Fuck. “Send me everything you have, including exact cause of death, the autopsy, the police investigation, how they identified the body, et cetera.”
“Compiling the file for you now. There isn’t a lot so far. The local PD has a pretty good firewall, but I’ve gotten throughbetter. I’ll send what I’ve got in a few minutes. I know this isn’t the news you wanted.”
“I’ll believe it’s true when I see it.” Obviously, someone had been killed, but King refused to believe it was Malori’s Yovenko without more proof. From everything Malori had told him about Yovenko’s manipulations, the man was too smart and calculating to let his throat get sliced open.
King ended the call then looked up, right into Malori’s curious eyes. He wore a pair of King’s sweatpants and a baggy undershirt, and King couldn’t even admire the sight of his lover in his clothes. Too much frustration was battling against his need to achieve vengeance for Malori.
“Whose body?” Malori asked, a touch of anger in his voice. “Not Yovenko.”
“I haven’t verified anything yet.” Empty words as hope seemed to bleed from Malori’s eyes. “Someone who matched our image, but who has the name Yovani Alexie, is apparently in a mortuary in Oklahoma as we speak. Ziggy says the work ID he found has a photo that is a close match to Aleks Yovenko.”
Kensley made a distressed noise that King ignored. He couldn’t stop staring at Malori. The way his jaw tightened and his left cheek twitched. The new hardness in his eyes, where there had only been tenderness an hour ago.
“How do they say he died?” Malori asked.
“Someone cut his throat two days ago. That’s all Ziggy has so far, but all the information he’s compiled is on its way to me soon.”
“I don’t believe it. No. I need more than a similar name and your word, King.”
“So do I. We’ll get everything we can, I promise.” He strode to the kitchen archway and rested one hand on Malori’s shoulder, unsure how much comfort to offer in the presence of others. Malori’s shoulder trembled beneath his touch. “I’ll geteverything they used to identify this dead man as Yovani Alexie, every autopsy or police report with photos, and then we will verify if it’s Yovenko.”
Malori gasped. “He can’t be dead. If he’s dead, then where is my son?”
“We’ll find him. Please, keep believing that.”
“I’m trying.”
When Malori’s chin quivered, King lost it. He hauled Malori into his arms, wrapping himself around Malori’s quaking body as tightly as he could. Malori buried his face in King’s armpit; he didn’t cry or sob, he just let King hold him. King didn’t want to believe this news either. He wanted Yovenko alive, so Malori could take his time killing the bastard. Someone else doing the job?
Unacceptable.
Feet scuffles and whispers nearby reminded King they weren’t alone. Malori released a deep sigh then pulled back, cheeks red but expression determined. He seemed to study King’s face first, then his mouth. King nodded, hoping to communicate he’d give whatever Malori wanted to take.
Malori grabbed the back of his neck and hauled King into a rough kiss that sent tingles of awareness down King’s spine. He didn’t dare deepen the kiss, not when he’d already exhausted Malori twice in the last twelve hours. Its intensity left the cut on his nose throbbing but King didn’t care.
“Thank you,” Malori whispered as he pulled back.
King winked. “Thankyou, angel.”
