Page 183 of Ripped Veil (Ripped Bratva)

“Inside. I have things I need to deal with. The lesson is over.” I say it with a finality that makes her flinch.

I’m walking away when she calls out to me. “Phoenix!” I pause, weighing whether to turn and face her. Before I can make up my mind, she runs to stand in front of me, her blonde hair swinging in the wind behind her.

She looks like a fucking dream in her sexy black swimsuit, water droplets refracting the sun on her shoulders.

“Phoenix,” she says, putting her hand on my arm. I look down at the point of contact but she refuses to remove it. “I never did thank you.”

“For what?”

“For saving me,” she says.

“Which time?” I ask bluntly.

She smiles softly. “All of them.”

“Why say this to me now?” I ask, curious about her motives.

She looks off to the side but her hand stays on my arm. “I don’t know,” she replies. “I was trying not to overthink it.”

She gives me a smile that makes me want to forget all the doubt raging inside my head. But all I can think is,I need to get away from her. I need to be able to think clearly.

“I have to go,” I say brusquely.

She looks disappointed but she nods. “Okay.” Then, unexpectedly, she reaches up on her tip-toes and kisses my cheek.

She races away before I have time to react. I stand there for a long time, savoring the feeling of her lips on my skin. Not knowing if it’s a mark of hope—or a kiss of death.

* * *

Eventually, I wrench myself back to the present moment and head back into the house.

I need to talk to Matvei but I’m also equally weary of the inevitable conversation. I already know where he stands where Elyssa is concerned. Do I need to hear more of the same shit?

Right on cue, my phone starts to ring and I pick it up swiftly. It’s Matvei’s number on the screen.Speak of the devil.

Just as I answer, though, the line goes dead. Before I can call him back, a text from him pops up on my screen.

Come quick. Shit is going dopgkgld;lptrpoip-4 W4oyu[ning.

Great. Just what I need.

I rush into the downstairs bathroom and change into dry clothes. Within minutes, I’m in the garage, getting into the Wrangler parked up front. I speed through the gates and onto the broad roads in the direction of our closest warehouse, where Matvei was doing a security inventory this morning.

The GPS says it’s only seven minutes away. But I know better than anyone: a lot can happen in seven minutes.

A part of me questions if I should be leaving Elyssa at the mansion alone. At the very least, she should be supervised. At least until I can figure out what she’s hiding and how much of a threat she really is.

I decide to deal with her after whatever’s going down at the warehouse.

The warehouse gates are hanging wide open. I zoom inside, the jeep screeches to a halt in a cloud of dust, and I jump out practically before it’s stopped moving.

Two of my men are standing out front. “Ilya,” I bark. “What’s happening?”

“Vitya,” he replies.

I stop short. “What did you just say?”

Ilya nods darkly. “The man’s going off the deep end, boss,” he says. “We haven’t managed to contain him.”

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