The Mafia and His Obsession, Part 2 by Lylah James

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 23

 

 

Viktor

 

Carlos was in the same room as me. He was standing right there on the other side across from me. Very few people had had the opportunity to be in the same room as Carlos Martinez. And those people were divided into two groups. The victims. And the allies.

You were only blessed to be in the same room as Carlos if he was either making you regret ever taking your first breath or he was signing some kind of deal with you.

You were either his enemy or his greatest ally.

Like the rest of us, he was the Devil dressed in a fancy suit.

I’d heard of him many times. Saw him once, eight years ago. The Russians and the Mexicans didn’t cross paths as often. There could never be more than one person in power—sitting on a throne of massive wealth and danger. I couldn’t exactly see Alessio and Carlos sitting a room, laughing and sharing jokes like best friends. Ha, that would be a fatal mistake. Many years ago, we had decided to stay out of each other’s way. A truce. This way, the two biggest cartels still ran smoothly without bumping heads. If so, it would have been war.

And now here we were. Business associates. Partners in crime.

Except I forgot how old Carlos actually was. Way fucking older than Valentin. The baddest, most feared Mexican Cartel King already had one foot deep in the grave. The white hair on his balding head, white beard, and dozens of wrinkles told me he was close to pushing mid-seventies. Fuck, he could probably even be in his early eighties.

He looked like Ayla’s baked donuts. Ugly and dry. Very repugnant. And definitely not edible. Bless her soul, she loved cooking but she wasn’t as good with baking. We couldn’t tell her that, though, or Alessio would rip my fucking trachea out of my goddamn neck.

Carlos might have still been in power, but his sons were right next to him. Waiting for their moment to take over as Kings. One day, all of this would belong to the twins—the psychotic duo. I was pretty sure they were counting down the days until their father’s death.

Taking my eyes off Carlos, my gaze scrutinized the rest of the room.

The party was ongoing, the night still very young. Except I wanted to be anywhere else except here.

This wasn’t your normal party. Yes, there was alcohol. Plenty of that. Dancing. Laughter. But it was all for the wrong reasons.

Woman naked, paraded around, made to dance and seduce their audience. It was obvious they were trained well. The collars on their necks were proof of what they represented.

Slaves.

To be fucked and to be sold to the highest bidder.

It was the annual party, hosted by Valentin Solonik. Filthy rich men from all across the world attended. There were around a hundred of us, give or take.

What a fucking night.

There was a bitter taste in my mouth, watching the show. Valentin thought it was time for me to attend these parties, to make myself familiar with the real business. For when it was time for me to take over. All of this one day will be yours—his words.

I didn’t refute him.

Only because I knew Carlos would be here. He never missed these parties. After all, he was Valentin’s partner.

And tonight, it was my turn to make a move.

Game on.

From across the room, Carlos and I made first eye contact. He raised his wine glass in a salute, his smile widening. The invitation was clear but I was playing this my way.

I knew he was intrigued. Intrigued by Valentin’s heir. He was the type of man who liked to dig deep into your head and shred apart your secrets, little by little.

I chugged down the rest of the contents from my glass. Rage burned through my veins when I heard the scream of a girl. Scream of pleasure. Forced pleasure, I knew that.

The drugs Valentin used on Valerie, those same drugs were being used on those girls here. I fisted my hands as the sound of skin slapping against each other filled my ears. Laughter rose from those who were watching.

My gaze stayed rooted on the wall across from me, refusing to face the scene that was going on. Pain assaulted me from every direction as I heard the grunts and the moans coming from the men and women.

A cruel reminder of that night.

Thump. Beat. Thump. Beat.

Groans and whimpers. The smell of pussy and sex filled the air. There was a distant crash as it turned violent. From the corner of my eye, I saw a woman crumple to the ground. Her throat was slit open and her eyes…dead.

Thump. Beat. Thump. Beat.

The filthy sound of sex kept going, my ears ringing with it. More men joined the scene. More laughter. More teasing.

Thump. Beat. Thump. Beat.

I choked back the nasty bile building at the bottom of my throat. Valerie. My sweet myshka.

My eyes found Valentin and I seemed to catch an evil glint in his eyes, as if he could tell…as if he knew what a fucking torture this was for me.

My pain and disgust were quickly squashed with fury.

Laugh. Laugh all you fucking want, Solonik. Seven days left.

My three weeks were coming to an end soon. He knew that and he was waiting eagerly. I was too, only for a different reason. Valentin thought he had caught me in a trap. For a brief moment, I had thought he won the game.

I was so fucking lost in my head that I almost let him win.

Dead inside, yet still walking down the destructive path. I almost lost my Valerie because I couldn’t see beyond my guilt.

It was my myshka who took me out of my head, brought me back and glued the shattered pieces of my soul together again. My beautiful swan had a strength that astonished me. A warrior. And girls like her, they fought. And they came out alive. While wearing a crown on their heads. They needed no King to make them a Queen.

I love you.

She had looked up at me with eyes that had my pierced my heart and warmed me to the tip of my soul.

I trust you.

Those were the only words that needed to be said.

A new beginning.

Those three words were everything I couldn’t say. My apology. My dreams for our future. My love for her. I begged for her forgiveness with those words and she had smiled, kissing me so sweetly she stole my breath.

Thinking of Valerie made it bearable to go through this shit. I took a deep breath and then exhaled shakily. I tuned them out, refusing to let this night, this game…the arena be my weakness.

I placed my glass down on the tray as a waiter walked by. He nodded his head in respect as I walked past him. I stalked across the room, and the crowd itself moved to create a path for me.

Carlos turned his head in my direction, and when I approached him, he smirked. “Konstantin Solonik,” he greeted slowly, slightly raising his glass. The way he said my name, the way his dark eyes glinted under the lights and the twitch of his lips, it was almost as if he mocked me.

He chuckled, sharing a joke with himself. I ignored the bait and took another flute of champagne from the tray as another waiter passed by. Slowly taking a sip, I eyed him.

“Carlos Martinez.”

“I am glad you remember my name,” he replied, his Mexican accent thick and deep.

I smirked. “Who doesn’t?”

Carlos looked around the room. “You are not bidding tonight?”

I swallowed the urge to retch at the question. Instead, I laughed humorlessly while gesturing to naked women. “No. I have plenty of those at home. Fresh. Young. Tight. Pretty. Pussy and ass ready to be fucked.”

“The ones we have here are the best and you know it,” he stated, lifting his chin up as if to dare me to refute him. No one said no to the Cartel King.

I took another sip from my glass, lifting an eyebrow at him. “I will have to disagree,” I said smoothly. I was ready for a pissing match. What I wasn’t ready for was for him to smile.

He didn’t even seem shocked at my response. But I should have feared that sinister smile. I should have been prepared for what he would say next. I should have fucking known it. Carlos Martinez didn’t beat around the bush. In fact, he’d go straight for the kill.

Carlos shoved a hand into his pocket and stared me down. “I know you killed Diego. I also know you killed Igor.”

Ah fuck.

Okay then. That’s how we are going to play this.

“And?” His nostril flared at my nonchalant answer.

It was no surprise that he knew that I killed Diego. He confirmed that fucking suspicion when he sent his men to attack me a few months ago. Except…there was a piece in the puzzle missing.

“And now you are wondering how come you’re still alive if I always knew.”

My eyes narrowed on Carlos, waiting for him to continue. He pulled a cigar from his pocket and placed it between his lips, lighting up the tip and taking a long drag. “You see, you are alive because I want you alive.”

“What games are you playing?” I demanded when his words started to make no sense. Diego was his best man. Then why the fuck wasn’t he demanding to have my intestines ripped out and hung into the sun to dry out and fed to the vultures?

Carlos tsked darkly. “Aren’t we all fonds of playing games, Konstantin?”

I was the one who was supposed to play him, making him fall into my trap…I was supposed to make him believe Valentin was betraying him.

But since when did I become a pawn in Carlos’ game?

I didn’t have time for his mind fuckery. “Come to the point,” I hissed under my breath.

He raised his wine glass once again, bumping it into mine. His eyes were dark and humorous, although there was a serious undertone. He leaned forward and whispered for my ears only. “We are on the same team, Viktor.”

I froze and watched his smirk. Fear slithered its way into me for a brief second before I gnawed it down.

He knew. He fucking knew.

Carlos nodded in Valentin’s direction, whose sole attention was on the displayed scene. He had a woman—curvy, pretty, black hair, ebony skin—on his lap. The way she was wrapped around him and the possessive hold he had on her neck, I knew he was fucking her, right there on that couch. There was another woman kneeling by his feet.

“I know what you’re planning. And I have come to say that I won’t be in your way, if that’s what you fear,” Carlos said, bringing my attention back to him.

That made no fucking sense. If he was Valentin’s best buddy…then…

“Why?” I questioned darkly.

“Valentin’s reign is coming to an end. His death means money for me. Money and power.” He waved across the room, gesturing to the party. The slaves. If Valentin were dead, all of this would be his.

Years of partnership…and now he was ready to throw it all away? For what…to partner up with an Ivanshov?

He could be lying. This could all be a plan between Valentin and him. But there was something in the way Carlos was staring at Valentin that told me there was something else.

“You’re not a loyal man. You never were. You were just biding your time until someone did the dirty job for you,” I stated, a matter of fact.

“Loyalty is overrated, Viktor. And you see, all men have secrets. I have my own. To keep my secrets a secret…Valentin needs to die.” He paused, eyes finding Valentin. “Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead,” he whispered. When his gaze came back to me, there was something sinister in his dark eyes.

Ah. There it was. Secrets…secrets…secrets…

If Carlos really wanted to keep something hidden, then he’d go at any length to accomplish that. Even stabbing his own man in the heart. I had no doubt.

For a brief moment, I was very curious. With my head cocked to the side, I stared at Carlos and thought of what he just shared. What secret could it be…how important was it to stay a secret if Carlos was willing to go to any length to hide it?

But then I pushed the thought aside. It didn’t matter. I didn’t have time for that shit. For now, I had one thing only to focus on.

Tick tock. The hours were running. And I didn’t have the time to play other games.

Carlos really wasn’t a man to be trusted, but for now…we had to be on the same team.

When I still hadn’t said a word, not sure if I really believed him or not, he sighed and took a long inhale of his cigar. “Let’s just say…no one likes Valentin very much. He is a fool, really. And unfortunately, fools like him only end up buried deep under the ground.”

I let out a laugh at that. “So we are on the same page.”

He nodded. “Finally, you agree.”

I had come to this party with one intention, but it appeared the rules of the game had changed. This life had taught me to go with the flow. So that was exactly what I would do.

Taking a step away, I gestured toward the rest of the room. “Enjoy the party.”

His nodded at me, his face steeled. Deal, his eyes said. A pretty fucking deal we just had.

Business talks were done. And I now wanted nothing to do with this place.

Level up, assholes. Time to fuck around with this game—Viktor’s way.

Pulling my phone out of from the inside pocket of my jacket, I brought it to my ear. The night was still young.

And I had one very important phone call to make.