It was nearly dawn by the time I slipped back into the estate. The halls lay quiet, shadows stretching long with only a few maids and guards moving silently, either still on their night watch or gearing up for the morning rush. With my heels in hand, I walked down the still corridor toward my bedroom, every step a sharp reminder of the ache still burning between my legs.
I had lost count of how many times I've came during our tryst in that private room. Once by his fingers, then his tongue, then his cock before I've truly lost count after that. I genuinely thought I wouldn't make it through the night, but somehow, he had coaxed me back from the edge, whispering that all I had to do was to make it back home, and he'd meet me there.
It turned out, my possessive husband had spent a fortune booking that room, just so we could be alone. The thought alone sent a fresh wave of heat pulsing through me, stirring once again, a delicious ache that only he could satisfy.
I opened the door to my room, already thinking about a hot shower and Alex waiting for me afterward, but stopped cold.
Alex stood just inside the doorway. Not relaxed. Not even smiling.
His arm was locked around Camilla's throat, a knife pressed tight beneath her jaw. She clawed at his wrist, her fingers scrabbling uselessly as her face paled, her eyes blown wide when she saw me. Her lips parted in a silent, desperate plea. Like she was telling me to run, get the fuck out, call some back-up.
But I didn't.
"What the fuck?" I hissed, slamming the door shut behind me as I rushed forward.
Alex released her with a brutal shove.
She hit the floor hard, coughing violently, one hand braced against the marble as blood splattered beneath her palm. Each breath came wet and wrong. He must have crushed her throat hard enough to fracture something.
My stomach churned at what I was about to do, but my body moved on instinct.
I tore Alex's gun from the holster hidden beneath his jacket and leveled it at Camilla, just as she dragged herself upright. She froze, staring at me, shock giving way to something sharper. Hurt. Betrayal. Yeah, I know how it feels.
"What is the meaning of this?" she snapped, her voice raw, eyes locked on mine with a fury sharpened by fear.
"Shout," I said calmly, ejecting the magazine and snapping it back into place, "and I'll shoot."
Her hands lifted slowly as she pushed herself to her feet, every movement measured. I knew she could disarm me at any moment. But she chose not to. Her gaze flicking between Alex and I, calculating, assessing.
"Barinov," she spat.
That made me pause.
I narrowed my eyes, looking between them. She was still wearing the same dress from the club. The tight black fabric clinging to her like a second skin, unapologetic, distracting by design. Her makeup had softened from the sweat and movement, but if anything, it only made her look more stunning. Dangerous.
"Do you know each other?" I asked coolly. "And I suggest someone answers fast, because I'm the one holding the gun."
I felt Alex's attention sharpen on me, something dark and amused flickering behind his green eyes. His mouth curved slightly with anticipation.
"I'd love to see what you can do, Princess."
"No," Camilla cut in sharply. "We don't know each other. I've only seen his file."
My grip tightened. "Why would you have access to his file?"
She dragged in a breath, clearly fighting both pain and irritation. "Because I wanted to know the man connected to your incident." Her eyes burned into mine. "He's the one who tried to kill you, Isla. So tell me, what the fuck are you doing?"
My lips parted, about to answer, when Alex moved.
He came up behind me so fast I barely registered it before his arm locked around my throat. The gun slipped from my fingers and clattered to the floor. Camilla lunged for it instantly, scrambling back as Alex hauled me flush agains this body.
His other hand sliding across my chest, pinning my arms as something hard presses insistently into my lower back. How is this bastard turned-on? He must have some screw loose in his head.
His knife rested there with surgical care, pressing just enough to remind me how easily he could end this. Not a drop of blood. He was always careful when it mattered.
"Let her go," Camilla said, her voice steady despite the gun shaking slightly in her hands as she aimed it at him. "I can shout. The guards will be here in seconds."
Alex didn't move.
I could feel his breath at my ear, slow and controlled. His body a solid wall behind mine, as if he was daring her to try.
Alex smiled against my skin. I felt it more than I saw it.
"Go on," he murmured softly, his voice almost indulgent. "Pull the trigger."
The knife pressed closer, just enough for me to feel the threat of pain, but not its certainty. My pulse thundering beneath the blade. A sharp stab of arousal settling between my legs as I fought hard not to ground my hips against his erection.
Fuck, I'm as fucked up as he is. What is he turning me into?
"But know this," he continued, eerily calm, measured. "The moment you fire that gun, I won't just slit her throat." HIs grip tightened briefly, possessive and intimate. "I'll make it slow."
Camilla's finger trembled on the trigger.
"And then," he added, almost conversationally, "by morning, every family worth fearing will know about you and Sergio."
Her breath hitched.
"How you didn't recruit him out of loyalty," Alex went on, voice silk over steel. "But because you were already fucking him. Because you wanted him close. You thought you could control him. You, out of all, should know who he truly work for, shouldn't you?"
Her face drained of color.
"I have names," he said quietly. "Messages. Witnesses. Enough to bury you before this bullet casing even hits the floor."
Silence swallowed the room.
Camilla's gaze flicked to me, then back to Alex. Fear, raw and naked, replaced the fury from the betrayal in her eyes.
The gun lowered a fraction.
Alex exhaled against my ear, sending shivers down my spine, satisfied.
"Good girl," he murmured, the blade easing from my throat. "Sergio?"
Sergio appeared as if he had been waiting just outside the door, which, judging by Alex's tone, he probably had been. His casual stride faltered the moment he took in the scene before him.
Camilla, pale with fury, gun still raised. Hatred and betrayal flashing in her eyes. Me, trapped between betrayal and silence. Alex, infuriatingly calm. As fucking usual.
Her finger twitched. She almost pulled the trigger.
Sergio moved before he could decide.
In one swift motion, he wrenched the gun from her grip. It hit the floor with sharp clatter, and Alex kicked it away without even looking. No wonder he was specially good with his gun. He was one of Alex's men all this time. It made me wonder how many spies had Alex planted in our organization alone.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly as Camilla fought against Sergio's hold, her composure finally cracking. "I'll explain everything, I promise. It's not what it looks like."
"You're betraying your own blood for the man who tried to kill you! Even killed your fiancé!" she screamed, thrashing harder. "Have you lost your mind?"
Maybe I have.
Alex sighed, visible bored as he instructed something sharp in Russian.
Sergio nodded once, tightening his hold. "This is for your own good," he said.
Camilla struggled just long enough to realize it was useless. Then his hand came down, precise and brutal. Her body went limp instantly.
He lifted her over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing, her earlier rage extinguished.
The door slammed shut behind them, finally leaving Alex and I alone.
He turned to me slowly, his head tilting, mouth curving with that infuriating calm. "Well?"
Everything inside me snapped at once.
The fact that he had simply acted without letting me handle the situation. He had kept secrets like weapons, planted his own spies without telling me. As if I were still someone to be shielded instead of trusted. Not to mention, he had hurt and played my friend in the process.
I didn't even hesitate.
My hand connected with his face, hard.
The sound echoed louder than the gun would've had.