Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 195(@200wpm)___ 156(@250wpm)___ 130(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39046 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 195(@200wpm)___ 156(@250wpm)___ 130(@300wpm)
“Stand down,” Hyram growled. He pointed a stiff finger at me. “Now, Malik. You’ll show Rurik the fucking respect he’s earned, you hear me?”
“Fuck you.”
“This is why I’m under orders to bring you to heel,” Rurik said, always the calm mother fucker, as he rounded the table to come closer to me. I was vibrating with rage, but he simply came to a stop in front of me, toe-to-toe. He tilted his chin up to meet my gaze. “Your temper will send this club into trouble head first with no fucking plan. You’re a damn good man, Malik. But that temper of yours will get everyone in this room killed.” He jerked his head in the direction of the door. “You and I are done here. Go pack a bag. You’re hitting the road with me.”
“Like hell I am,” I growled. I wasn’t going anywhere with him.
His hand snapped up, and his tattooed fingers wrapped around my throat. Before I could even retaliate, he had me on my knees again, the back of my knees throbbing from the force of his kick to drop me. My upper lip curled, and I spat into his face. He calmly wiped it away with his free hand, seemingly unbothered.
Always so fucking calm. I hated it.
“Your obedience starts here, Malik,” he warned me. “And if you choose to continue being a pain in my ass… well, you’re deciding how difficult this will all be.” He abruptly released me, then adjusted the sleeves of his suit jacket. “Pack a bag and meet me out by the SUV. You have exactly five minutes starting…” he looked at his watch, “now.”
With that, he turned on his heel and left the chapel. I pushed myself to my feet and looked at Hyram. He sighed and scrubbed his hands down his face. “This is out of my hands, Malik,” he told me quietly. I gritted my teeth. “Shaw has given me the order as well, and he ranks above me.”
I had to physically bite my tongue to keep from lashing out at Hyram. Without a word, I stalked from the room and headed toward my apartment in the back of the clubhouse to pack a bag. I was backed into a corner.
Well, if they all wanted to treat me like a fucking dog, I’d show them what happened when a hit dog was cornered.
4
Rurik
Malik stalked out of that clubhouse looking like he wanted to murder me, and fuck if that didn’t get my dick hard. I’d never made him come to heel in front of his club brothers before, but it had to happen today. He needed a reminder of who was in charge, and I also didn’t have time to stand around and argue with him, even if I would’ve liked to just to watch him get all fired up and out of control.
Malik was a force to be reckoned with, and if I could teach him to control that rage, harness it, and use it properly, he’d be un-fucking-stoppable.
That was what I wanted to make him: a beautiful machine that only bowed to me.
And I always got what I wanted.
“Ready?” I asked as he neared me. He scowled, his lips twisting into a sneer. One of my men opened his door, and his scowl only deepened. But instead of arguing, no doubt wanting to tell Denis that he could open his own door, he just tossed his bag onto the floorboard and slid inside onto the plush leather seat.
Denis frowned. “Mr. Carter, I can take your bag—”
“Touch my shit, and I’ll break all ten of your fucking fingers,” Malik growled.
Denis inclined his head respectfully. “Understood, sir.”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Malik muttered. Reaching out, he grabbed the door and slammed it shut, yanking the handle out of Denis’s hand.
I patted Denis’s shoulder as I walked around him to get in on the other side, where Abram was waiting to open my door for me. “He’s an acquired taste,” I told him quietly. “And he’s quite furious with me. I apologize for his behavior.”
Denis nodded. “It is no problem, Mr. Tarasov.”
It was a problem because my men had done nothing to Malik. They were only doing their jobs. I’d make it clear to Malik that treating my men with anything but respect would not be tolerated. Unless my men fucked up, they did not get yelled at or cussed at. Loyalty was earned, not given. It was a lesson Malik needed to learn—and quickly.
Abram inclined his head to me as he opened the back driver’s side door, and I slid inside. Once the door was shut, I turned to Malik. He was stewing, practically vibrating with rage.
“Malik,” I said calmly. When he didn’t turn to look at me, I drew in a deep, calming breath. He was surely working my nerves, but when it came to him, I had endless patience. If he was hoping I would snap and stoop to his level, he was sorely mistaken.