Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
“Should I have knocked?” I ask when the first thing I notice upon entering his office is a tattooed ass.
Kliment cranks his neck back to peer at me. Considering he’s been working nonstop for the past two months, his grin is massive. “Ten minutes ago, fuck yes.” After ensuring all the liquid inside the syringe he’s stabbing into his ass has been drained, he pops the lid onto the needle, dumps it into a sharp’s container on his desk, then tugs his pants back up. “What’s up? I thought you’d be celebrating with your girl?”
He is one of a rare few who know Ana’s ruse with Ghost is all for show.
“Thought I should drop these off first.” I’ve lived a hard and fast life, but I’ve not once felt as dirty as I do while yanking out the panties Katie handed me earlier. They’re stained with a product that’ll see my jeans tossed into the incinerator by sunrise. “Don’t think I’d make it to brunch if Ana found these.”
When I dangle the scant material off my finger, Kliment looks amused until he spots their crusty stains. “What the fuck?” He steps back like you can catch cooties from soiled panties. “Is that what I think it is?”
I jerk up my chin. “Proof Ghost and Kirill are related.”
Kliment is lost since he doesn’t know Ghost added some extra product to Katie’s shampoo bottles. He can’t announce she is his until she is free from Kirill, but he can ensure she smells like him. “What the fuck do you want me to do with them?”
I wait for him to remove them from my finger with a pen before informing, “I hadn’t got that far ahead yet. Possibly DNA?” When his brows furrow, I mutter, “Katie got pregnant somehow.” I nudge my head to the panties she had stuffed at the bottom of her lingerie drawer. “I’m wondering if that’s the cause.”
“Sperm doesn’t last that long outside our nut sacks.”
Kliment’s eyes snap to mine when I murmur, “Actually…” I make sure I have his full attention before finalizing my reply, “… in the right conditions, those fuckers can last a while. Why do you think I told you to take your used condoms with you when you skip out on her?” He gives me a jeering look that makes me laugh. “You can thank me later.” I scrub at my beard, tired as fuck but certain I won’t be chasing sleep anytime soon. The past couple of hours is the longest I’ve been away from Ana in the past month. I’m craving the taste of her bodywash. “Keep this between us, though. I’ll tell Ghost once we have solid proof.”
Unable to take his eyes off the material making his gills green, Kliment jerks up his chin before telling me it will take around a week for the results to come in. “Though I’m doubtful we have that long.”
When his reply has me retracing my steps—I was heading for the door—I ask, “Why’s that? What did I miss?”
“It just came in.” He hands me a tablet before ruffling through some papers on his desk. It is filled with an exceedingly extensive list of items. “That’s not just a restock.”
“It’s a move.”
He nods, agreeing with me. “I’ve got some ears to the ground. Nothing concrete yet, but I’ll find you once I know more.”
“Do you need help?” I’m a fucking prick for praying he says no, but you’d be a little lenient on me if I said more than my cock was starting to throb, right?
You’d swear my last lot of medication was made by a candy company. I’ve been taking them religiously for years but have suffered more blackouts and pounding migraines the past month than I ever have. There was only one time I’ve had a similar stretch of medical incidents—the week before Ana gave birth to our daughter. I thought I was fighting through it. Little did I know I was flat on my back struggling while Ana brought our daughter into the world, uncrying.
I hate myself that I wasn’t there for her, but the guilt that still eats at me to this day ensures she will never face anything like that by herself again. I don’t care if I’m on the verge of death, I will be by her side, holding her hand for any event she faces.
When Kliment replies, “Nah, it’s good. You’re better on the ground than behind a computer,” I remember I asked a question
I scoff as if to say, fucking oath I am. I’m old school through and through. The day you see me typing on a keyboard is the day I’ll put a bullet in my head.
After a wordless farewell, I finally head to my room. I’m tired, and my head is achy, but more than anything, I’m dying to see Anastasia again. I don’t care if she’s too nauseous to fuck. I just want to hold her while fighting to ignore the throb of my temples.