Page 56 of Paved in Venom

I keep my arm around her as we walk to the front of the house. Lev keeps a firm grip on the doctor’s arm while I make damn sure to keep several feet between us, because if I touch him now, I’m going to kill the fucking bastard. Vitaly is waiting for us at the curve of the driveway, parking so that the valets can’t see the passenger side doors. We hurry up and get in, tossing the doctor into the backseat with more force than necessary before Lev sits down next to him and I pull Simona into my lap in the seat in front, keeping my body in between them.

“We’re dropping Simona off at the penthouse,” I tell Vitaly. “Matvey’s sent a couple of our guys to stand watch until we can get back.” Still speaking Russian, I turn to the man who’s not going to live to see the sun rise and ask him, “Do you speak Russian?”

He shakes his head, trying to let me know that he doesn’t understand. I meet his eyes. “I’m going to make you wish you were dead.”

He may not understand a word I’m saying, but he understands it all the same. His eyes dart to the woman in my lap and then back up to mine, and that’s when the poor old doctor starts to sweat and shake and whimper, and that’s when I laugh.

“What are we doing?” Simona asks.

“We’re taking you back to the penthouse. Some of our men will be there watching over you and Emily while we’re gone.”

“You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?”

I kiss her cheek and tell her the truth. “Very slowly, sladkaya.”

Once we’re at the penthouse, I leave my brothers with the doctor so I can take Simona upstairs.

“Can you grab me a sweet tea?” Vitaly yells out the window.

“Me too!” Lev adds.

I shake my head at them and step into the elevator. As soon as the doors close, she pulls me closer and kisses me hard. I know she’s scared and worried and looking to me for comfort, and I’m more than happy to give it to her. I cup the back of her head, running my tongue over hers as memories of her on her knees float through my mind.

Pulling back, I run my fingers over her sore neck. “How bad does it hurt?”

“I’m fine,” she whispers.

I tilt her head and gently kiss the marks I left on her, torn between feeling guilty and wanting to wrap my fingers around her again while I bury myself in her sweet pussy and feel her heart flutter a frantic rhythm against my skin.

God, we should’ve never opened up this door.

“Be careful,” she whispers against my lips. “Promise me you’ll come back to me.”

The elevator stops, but I hit the button so the doors stay shut. “I promise I’ll come back to you, baby. I’ll always come back to you.”

She cups my face, keeping her forehead pressed against mine before finally giving a soft nod and letting me go. When I open the doors, Sergei and Aleksandr are waiting in the living room, watching a pacing Emily. As soon as she sees me, she rushes over to us.

“What’s going on, Danil? Roman and Matvey just ran out of here, said that Simona had recognized some man. Does he know where Alina is?”

“I’m not sure yet,” I tell her, leading Simona further into the room. “We’re going to find out what he knows, but we need Timofey to translate.” I kiss Simona’s head and say, “Wait here, baby. I’ll be right back.”

I grab the laptop that’s always sitting somewhere in the main area and bring it to the two men who’ve been trained to handle just about anything. When I open it, surveillance cameras fill the screen. Two show the parking garage and right outside the elevator, one shows inside the elevator, which would embarrass the hell out of Emily and Simona if they knew, and the last image rotates between several cameras situated around our building.

“This stays with you the whole fucking time we’re gone,” I tell them.

“Yes, sir,” Sergei says, already taking it from me while Aleksandr gives me a nod and then quickly drops his gaze.

I leave them with the computer and then quickly step outside onto the rooftop terrace and go to where Emily’s gardening supplies are. She’s been into container gardening the last couple of weeks, and when I see the pruning shears, I pocket them before going back inside. The two women are still standing where I left them, both of them look worried, and it’s the last thing I want, so I pull Simona into a hug and give Emily a smile.

“There’s nothing to worry about.” I meet my sister-in-law’s eyes and add, “I promise. We’re not in any danger. This is good fucking news, and we’re all excited about it, but there’s nothing for you two to worry about.”

“Why are there guards here?” Emily asks.

Without thinking, I say, “Because we’re ridiculously overprotective of the women we love.”

Emily’s eyes widen in surprise, and when I realize what I’ve said, I look down at Simona while Emily says, “Sergei, Aleksandr, let me show you where all the fun stuff is downstairs.”

Before they leave, I make sure Sergei is still carrying the laptop and then say in Russian, “Don’t you dare let them leave the penthouse, and no one comes up here but us.”

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