Page 128 of Beneath the Light of the Moon
“Figure what out?”
“Aw, don’t play dumb now. I’ll start to actually believe it.” His hands came up to swat at hers currently still gripping his face. She brushed them off, his weakened state making it easy. “I had so much fun with Ivan; he begged up until the very end. I tried to warn him, but before I started firing off shots he’d laughed in my face,” she paused in thought, “so I plucked his eyes out.”
Levi’s eyes widened, either in surprise or confirmation, she wasn’t sure. Semantics didn’t matter.
“And Dimitri…well, we had some fun before I did the same thing to him,” she continued. “I’m sure his bloated body will turn up soon. Both pairs of their eyes fetched me a large sum of money and information. No one is tight lipped when you name their price.
“And then there’s you,” she drawled. “I was going to wait a littlelonger before killing you, but…I was rushed.”
Levi swallowed audibly. “You won’t.”
“I’m afraid Iwill.You won’t be my first kill,milyy. Nor my last.”
Shaking his head feebly in her hands, he tried to break free, hips bucking up against her, but she gripped him tighter. Her center of gravity was low, it would take much more to dislodge her, and he was too weak.
“Drinking three of my concoctions was a bad choice now, wasn’t it?”
His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, but she leaned in and waited. “Bitch.”
“Such a dirty little mouth”—she slapped him—“but that can be fixed.”
Opening his mouth, to scream no doubt, Anika clapped her hand over it. Silencing whatever words or noises he’d been about to unleash, she whispered in his ear. “No need to scream; we’re going to have some fun you and I.” Mumbled yelling vibrated against her hand. “Maybe I’ll even let you keep your eyes.”
38
Saving the Best for Last
Mikko
Levi’s muffled scream rent the air.
Mikko had been content to watch from afar as the man had slipped into Anika’s house, gun tucked in his waistband. Cristiano had thought it wise to share their findings with Levi, but Mikko decided to lay low, to see if he could catch Anika in the act.
And he didn’t have to wait long from the sounds of it.
With Cristiano stationed down the road in his Mercedes, Mikko lurked in the shrubbery outside of Anika’s house.
Like always.
A few tense moments passed while Mikko waited to hear Levi again. Anxiety wove itself into his muscles and viscera until he felt numb, powerless. A part of him wasn’t entirely partial to his employee, but the chaos that would ensue if another one of his men wound up dead made Mikko’s feet move. Well, that, and the hope of seeing Anika.
Muscle memory guided the hidden key into the lock of her side door, the mechanismclickingfree easily. Stepping inside, he closedthe door behind him. The familiar scent of her house and the space around him calmed some of his worries. But beyond that, there was the notion of the truth escaping. It was bound to come out whether they were ready or not. Anika had chosen her actions carefully, their game coming to light as each layer of armor was peeled away. Soon, the raw fragmented pieces of his heart—his obsession—would be exposed for the world to see.
“Good things never last, son.”With a tired sigh, Mikko shook Alek’s voice from his head as he stepped out of the darkened stairwell and into her kitchen. His gun was drawn, posture practiced and ready to wound if necessary.
The plants and moody surfaces were awash with warm light. His eyes caught on the liquor bottles sitting out on the countertop. Creeping closer, he read the labels, curiosity getting the better of him. Vodka, soda water, food coloring, and…a lavender liquid in an unmarked mason jar.
Even though he had on his balaclava, he sniffed the loosely capped jar, and it smelled of sugared flowers and alcohol. He stifled a cough, the fabric of his mask not enough to block the scent.
Using his shoulder to scratch his nose since the scent lingered, Mikko listened for voices. Hushed mumbling could be heard from what he assumed was her living room. It was the only light on in the house, but the curtains were drawn so when he’d been outside he couldn’t see anything.
With his back pressed against the cool hallway wall, he was careful to avoid her frames as he slunk closer. His hands sweated, but his grip on his gun never faltered, the weight of it grounding and familiar. He’d done this before, too many times despite his hatred for it. The accompanying cold that came with the adrenaline settled into his chest, cloaking the rapid beat of his heart. He’d done worse for less, but he never lost the feeling of a thousand insects skittering acrosshis skin right before he needed to strike. Tonight was no different. Even if it did involve someone he found himself caring about.
Pushing that aside, he vowed to force Anika to failure. It was time to see what happened when one predator confronted another. And a path forged in bloodshed was the only way. Mikko didn’twantto be like his father, solving his problems with more agony, but Anika had left him no other choice.
Glass crunched under a boot that wasn’t his.
And Mikko stiffened.
