Page 8 of Merciless Promise
Rude much!
I glanced back over at him and caught him staring at me. While most would’ve turned away to make it appear less obvious, he gave no fucks whatsoever. I wasn’t sure why thatmade me a bit lightheaded, but it did. Never one to be intimidated, I kept my gaze on him, even though it slowly started to wander.
The man was lethally handsome, with short blonde hair and ink I could see creeping down his neck and disappearing between the crisp black of his tuxedo. His hands also sported tattoos, and it made me wonder how much more of his body might be covered in them.
As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I dismissed it. I still lived with the nightmares of his kid brother’s touch. The last thing I needed to think about was his. It was a shame, though. He was the hottest man in the room, and had he been someone else, I might’ve considered at least flirting. The time and place would also have to be right. For us, it never would be, so I cleared my throat.
“Bye,” I said before disappearing, and inwardly cursing myself as I hurried away from him. I rolled my eyes when I still felt the heat of his gaze on my backside.
Take a picture. It’ll last longer.
I quickly found my date for the evening, and while he made a fetching sight, he didn’t send electricity through my veins like Kingston had when he’d kissed my hand, or make me weak in the knees with his intensity. Hell, he didn’t even make me wet, which was for the best because I didn’t sleep with my clients like some of the other girls at the agency.
“There you are, beautiful,” the wealthy attorney said to me as he took my hand. “I was wondering where you’d disappeared to.”
“I saw the man of the hour, and I wanted to congratulate him,” I said, using almost the same words as Kingston had earlier.
“He hasn’t won yet, but he’s ahead in the polls by double digits. I think Mayor Ruffalo’s endorsement will be the very thing to get Daniro elected.”
“We’ll see. He’s the perfect man for the job.”
“That he is. Are you thirsty? I was just about to head to the bar.”
“I could use a drink,” I responded, and for more reasons than he’d ever know.
As I took his hand and followed him over to the open bar, I no longer felt eyes on me, so I assumed Kingston had found something, or someone else, to grab his attention. I had no idea if his presence in New York City was a temporary thing or not, but I hoped it was. Last I’d heard, he was in Ireland, but that’d been before his brother’s death.
I hated thinking back to that time as it was a very difficult one for me. Princeton had been enrolled in the same private school I’d been in, and he’d always seemed nice enough. A party invitation I never should’ve taken, a drink I never should’ve drunk, and a car I never should’ve been driving all combined to create the worst night of my entire life, and one where someone had ended up dead. I’d walked away physically and legally fine, but emotionally a fucking wreck.
That was why the hate simmering in Kingston’s eyes earlier should’ve unnerved me more than it did, but I was not the same girl I’d been at seventeen. I’d grown into a confident, beautiful, and dangerous woman, which was the reason Aram Grigoryan wanted to marry me. My father had gotten into quite a bit of debt back in Moscow, and I’d known nothing good would come from his call to me in Saint Petersburg that fateful night.
“You’re betrothed to Aram Grigoryan, and he’ll be coming in two days’ time to take you home with him to Yerevan.”
My saving grace was Rebekah with her exclusive escort agency, catering to the wealthiest and most powerful of clients.I’d need someone with power to help me soon, especially if the rumors of Aram traveling to New York were right.
My father had mentioned it, but he was also in hiding at the moment because of my actions. It was something else he’d used to guilt-trip me, especially since he’d been the one to make all the trouble here in New York City go away. Princeton’s death had been ruled an accident, and that was that. Only, parts of my testimony about the attack had been leaked to the news media, and it was what had made me flee back to my native Russia afterward.
I never thought I’d come back to this place, but I needed to put some space between myself and all the oligarchs my father kept in his company. I wasn’t marrying Aram, who was rumored to not only be a very cruel man, but also one as old as Andreas Daniro. I’d just turned twenty-four, and I refused to give up the rest of my life before it even truly started.
“White or red,” I heard my date say, but before I could answer, a deeper voice did for me.
“She looks like a Cabernet woman to me,” Kingston said.
His voice caused me to shiver, which he noticed because he smirked right afterward. “Actually, I’m more of a Sauvignon Blanc woman,” I responded, then smiled as his smirk disappeared.
So much toxicity and beauty rolled up in the same package. She was tempting like forbidden fruit, but she was nowhere near as sweet. She was rotten to the very core. I knew it, and more importantly, she knew it. Ekaterina was also defiant. It had to have been that spirit that had possessed Princeton to even want to give her the time of day. If he’d chosen any whore other than this one that night, he might still be alive.
Even more importantly, he could be the one fulfilling our grandfather’s antiquated notions of bloodlines. Not me, and not Cillian, who appeared far more sober tonight than he had in years. He was also surrounded by women, all of whom were eating out of his hands. Maybe he was actually taking this seriously. If I didn’t want to end up working for him, I needed to do the same.
“You heard mydate,” the attorney said, making sure to put emphasis on who she was to him. “And I’ll have the same as her.”
I eyed the attorney and his proud smirk as he looked between her and me. Mine returned at that, especially when the other man squared his shoulders. I straightened my frame too, and itwas truly ironic that we were both posturing over the same girl. He looked at Ekaterina and wanted to take her to events like this, where he could parade her around ballrooms, while I only wanted to fuck my rage out before killing her.
Fucking kill her. That is it.
I turned my attention away from him and to his date, who was smiling up at the man. I’d done my research on her over the years, which was how I’d been able to recognize her earlier tonight. On my brother’s deathbed, I’d sworn to him that I’d make her pay one day, and I never realized how easy that might be until now. After she’d disappeared, I’d reached out to the one who gathered intelligence on not only the family business, but on anything I asked of him. This princess was in serious trouble back in her homeland. Her father was in so much danger that he’d gone into hiding because Ekaterina’s fiancé was on the warpath. And the man, Aram Grigoryan, was not some milquetoast douche like her current date. He was a leader in the Armenian Mafia and had the ability to bend her to his will.
He's not the only one.
