Page 94 of Toxic Attraction
At least Mila won't have to watch.
At least I'll die knowing I tried to tell the truth.
The silence stretches.
And I wait for death.
Chapter sixteen
Lev
Every suspicion has been confirmed.
Every red flag has been validated.
Every instinct I ignored because I was thinking with my cock instead of my brain—all of it proven right.
Everything I was trying to pretend I don’t know about, everything I’ve been praying isn’t real.
She was a spy the entire time.
In my house. In my bed. With my daughter. In my fucking heart.
Patrick O'Rourke's asset. His weapon. His revenge for the men I killed, planted right under my nose while I was stupid enough to fall for big brown eyes and lies wrapped in silk.
The rage that floods through me is black. Consuming. The kind that makes vision go red and hands shake with the need to destroy something.
To destroyher.
My hand moves toward my gun on instinct. Muscle memory. The solution is simple. One bullet, problem solved, betrayal punished.
Behind the door, I hear her sobbing. Broken sounds that might be words, but I can't process them past the roaring in my ears.
She betrayed me. Made me vulnerable. Made metrustagain after I swore I'd never be that stupid.
And I fell for it. Fell for her. Let her into every corner of my life while she was feeding information to the man who murdered my family.
The gun is in my hand before I consciously decide to grab it.
I'm moving down the hallway. Past my destroyed bedroom, shattered glass from the mirror I put my fist through, vodka staining the carpet, the scent of expensive cologne mixing with blood from my split knuckles.
To her door.
Locked. Like that would stop me.
I kick it open. The lock splinters. The door slams against the wall hard enough to crack plaster.
She's on the floor, curled in a ball, sobbing so hard her whole body shakes. When she sees me and the gun in my hand, her eyes go wide with terror.
I cross the space in three strides. Grab her by the throat. Haul her up and slam her against the wall hard enough that her head cracks against it.
Her hands fly to my wrist, trying to pry my fingers away, but I'm not squeezing yet. Just holding. Just showing her how easy it would be.
"Give me one reason." My voice comes out cold. Deadly calm. "One fucking reason I shouldn't kill you right here, right now."
"I'm sorry—" She's choking on tears, on fear, on words that won't save her. "Lev, please, I'm sorry—"
"Sorry?" I tighten my grip slightly. Watch her eyes go wider. "You'resorry? You spied on me for weeks. Gathered intelligence for my enemy. Put my daughter at risk. And you think sorry fixes that?"
