Page 146 of Born in Depravity

DAMIEN

I left the room,not feeling anything. At this point, the only thing that would make me feel better was killing him.

But I couldn’t kill him just for touching Catalina, no matter how badly I wanted to.

At least, not until I claimed her officially.

But seeing him cry while he clutched the small bloody nub where his hand used to be was enough … for now.

I wiped the bloody large blade on the side of my pants, the blood invisible against the black fabric. But I knew it was there. Knew he saw my smile as I cut through flesh. I threw the blade in the corner of the house.

The minute Mikhail got the list was the minute we burned this entire house and everything in it.

I still didn’t know who Henry Ramos was, or where I had heard his name before tonight, but I would find out soon.

He would live, as long as Petrov got him the medical care he needed, but that wasn’t any of my concern now. If he didn’t bleed out, if he fucking survived, he’d better hope like hell he didn’t cross paths with me again.

Because the next time I saw him, I would kill him.

I walked upstairs to the room.

Before I even opened the door, I could hear Catalina crying. The noise was like a punch to the fucking gut.

It took everything in me not to just walk back down and finish Henry Ramos off for good.

I had seen a lot of shit in my thirty-six years of life, had done a fucking lot of bad shit, but nothing had ever been able to bring out as much emotion in me as the sight of her terrified eyes while the fucker had her pinned to the wall, and the way her voice had sounded when she called out for me.

Shehadcalled out for me.

It was the first time I’d really heard her voice, and I fucking hated that it was stained with fear.

I walked inside the room and closed the door quietly behind me.

Nikolay looked up at me from the bed. I didn’t know what I was more surprised about: the fact that he’d stayed with her, or the fact that he was holding her in his arms, trying to comfort her when he knew fuck all about comforting someone.

I tugged off my tie and my jacket. I unbuttoned my shirt next before I kicked off my shoes. Then I took off my pants. These clothes would have to burn, but that was a concern for another time.

Nikolay looked at me. I didn’t want to know what his thoughts were, or why he looked so crazed. I was sure most of it revolved around her.

Just like where all my thoughts seemed to go since the moment we’d grabbed her from the parking lot.

I climbed into bed. Catalina didn’t notice yet that I was in the room, and she let out a small cry when she felt the bed shift from my weight. That was, before she caught sight of me.

I moved close to her.

Nikolay and I stayed like that for a long while, with her in between us.

Nikolay could deny it all he wanted, but she got to him.

I met his eyes when her cries turned into soft whimpers, before finally silencing altogether. I was so aware of her every move, I knew the moment she had fallen asleep.

Nikolay made no move to get off the bed and I didn’t either.

Around midnight, the door opened and Mikhail walked in, looking exhausted but triumphant. I knew what that look in his eyes meant.

He got the list.

Petrov was a fucking traitor and we had proof of it.

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