Page 201 of Nemesync
I arrived at the heavily guarded residence of the Lebanese family, where that bastard of the Emir lives. My anger was amplified at each step I took as I made my way forward. Stupid guards tried to stop me, but I let my madness free.
Death. All dead. A sea of corpses, each blow turning my shirt into a deeper shade of red.
The corridor was empty and quiet. I could hear my own breathing. It became more steady, more prepared for whatever was coming.
Red.
Everything is red.
Calmly opening the door of his office, I found Elias sitting behind his desk, with a smile that couldn’t cover the fear in his eyes.
“Pakhan, isn’t it? Why are you here?”
I stayed there, advancing slowly, and stopped in front of his desk. With a smile, I saluted him, “Emir, is this how you treat all your guests? No drink? No courtesy? Or perhaps you’d prefer to offer your head instead? I’m all for it.”
His smile vanished at my words. “What do you want, Volkov?” he asked.
“Still no manners? How disappointing,” I retorted, sarcasm lacing every word coming out of my mouth. “But I suppose we’ll have to make do with that. So, there I was in my car, minding my own business, when I received a call. Imagine my surprise upon learning of the threat against Zanae. Are you trying to provoke me, Elias? You could’ve just asked politely for me to kill you. No need for all of that.”
Leaning in, I brought my face inches from his. “You know, I’ve harbored this hatred for you since a long time ago, ever since you killed my father,” I said, still smiling.
“I remember that little boy hiding with his friend behind the door while his father was murdered, yes,” he replied with a smirk.
“I should have killed you the moment you took everything from me,” I continued, my voice dripping with pure death. “But I guess I was too kind. Now, though, I’ll make you get on your knees and beg me to stop as I break every bone in your fucking body, Elias.”
“You think you have some kind of ownership over her? You don’t. I own her,” he retorted.
“You fucking don’t, Elias. But I do. She’s with me every day and every night. I have her smiling, laughing, screaming my name. She’s not your little soldier to use and humiliate; she never was. There’s nothing you can do about it. Your threats are just irritating the hell out of me.”
I stood tall before him. The temptation to end it now, to snuff out his existence, was strong. But it would be too easy, too merciful.
No, I wanted to break him, to shatter him from the inside out.
Zanae cried, felt worthless when he sent men to kill her. She couldn’t even look at me sometimes because she felt guilty that I took that bullet weeks ago. And it made everything worse.
The fury, the anger, the need to protect her from everything and everyone—to keep her as safe as she’s keeping the drop of innocence and beauty she found in me, overwhelmed me.
No one will threaten myLittle Nightmare.
Not even her own blood.
I carefully chose my words to inflict wounds deeper than any physical pain. He was cornered and exposed, and for a man like the big Elias Dellé, taking his pride away was worse than any kind of torture. “You never cared about her,” I snarled. “You used her, touched her, threatened her, and manipulated her tobuild your empire. She was the foundation of everything you had, and yet you never once showed her gratitude.”
Elias smiled and shook his head, “Volkov, you won’t have her, never, not now, not ever. You know why? This girl is completely broken. She’s never known what life was; she’s only known suffering. And she can’t love. She’ll never be yours.”
“Oh please, Elias,” I continued, “I could have killed you countless times. But I spared you, just to appreciate the moment when I finally made you feel real pain. And now that Zanae is mine, you think you can do something against her? If you wanted me to come sooner for you, you could have simply sent an invitation. But no, you just had to go and make a mess, as usual. Why are you so averse to just asking before acting like an asshole?”
I ignored his threats; they meant nothing to me.
It had always bothered me, the thought that he was the one behind the annual birthday reminders of my mother’s death.
I pulled out the star pendant from my pocket, thrusting it before him with a scornful grin. “I thought it was you. Every goddamn year, a piece of my mother, and I despised you for it. I held back from ending you because I thought you had an endless supply, only to realize you weren’t the one behind this. But the urge to kill you burns even stronger now, especially when I catch you threateningmyZanae.”
10.
Amber eyes. They’re fucking sad. And it’s because of him.
His eyes widened with recognition at the necklace. “Where the hell did you get this? And she sure as hell isn’t your Zanae; she’s mine. My daughter. If I feel like treating her like shit, I damn well will.”
