Victor threw me over his shoulder as if I were a rag doll. He wasn't controlling himself anymore, the strength with which he squeezed my legs against his torso said it all.

It's probably going to leave a bruise, I thought even though I didn't do anything to free myself. In a way, I knew I deserved his anger. Victor warned me about what could happen and I decided to follow my pride instead of being reasonable.

"This isn't Olivier's fault." My words sounded weak, full of insecurity.

"He convinced you to come alone, how is this not his fault?" Victor opened the door of his car and threw me in the passenger seat.

"Well, he—."

"I don't want to hear your stupid excuses." He yelled. Victor grabbed my face firmly and forced me to look at him. "I warned you for a reason, I've been working for your father for most of my life, when I tell you not to do something you better fucking listen to me. Look what you did by acting like a child."

I clenched my fists and bit the inside of my mouth as Victor moved my face toward the street full of dead people. He knew how to bring out the worst in me, even in that situation, being completely sorry for what I did I was willing to say otherwise just to fight him.

All I wanted was to be able to make my own decisions, to prove to my father that I didn't need him and Victor behind me for success.

In the end I looked like a clown, Mila agreed to work with me just for my father and if it wasn't for Victor I would have ended up dead.

"Are you done?" I asked, raising my hand towards Victor.

He stopped my arm by the wrist without even trying and pinned it against my seat above my head. I held my breath as Victor leaned his body against mine. His leg slid between mine, slowly moving up until his knee almost touched my lower abdomen.

I wasn't holding my breath on purpose, I forgot how to breathe. For that eternal minute my brain short-circuited, letting my body almost act on its own and try to get closer to the heat Victor was giving off.

"This isn't over," he said, buckling me up. "It's dangerous to stay here, we have to get back to the mansion, but don't think I'm done with you."

My body fell apart the instant Victor stood up and closed the car door. I had to use all my strength to stop shaking before he took the driver's seat.

"Can you not tell my father about Olivier?" I asked, almost begging after Victor started the engine.

"Your little friend is the last thing you should be worried about, the real question is, am I going to tell your father what you did?" Victor turned his head towards me for a second, just long enough to show me his honest smile. That idiot was having fun with my suffering. "What do you think your father is going to say if he finds out how unconscious you were? I'd say we could even count it as a big error, and if I remember correctly one strike means you're out of the competition."

"I fucked up, I almost got myself killed, I know that. Is that what you wanted me to say?" I snapped. "I figured it out myself, I don't need you to explain it to me. And for your information, it wasn't a risk for nothing, I got Mila to agree to work for us."

Victor looked unimpressed. Of course, to him, any of my accomplishments were just plain silly.

As if he could have convinced Mila.

"There were better ways to do it. If your friend is as good and special as you think, he would have found a way to get Reid to let me go with you," Victor said, stepping on the accelerator. "The safety of the boss and yours is our priority, if he can't abide by the most basic rule of the syndicate he doesn't deserve to be with us. And the same goes for Xander."

"Shit, Xander, is he okay?" With all the commotion I almost forgot about him.

"Unfortunately yes, he was shot in the shoulder and chest but the bastard is so lucky that it didn't look serious. The others took him to the clinic."

Not having sympathy for his colleagues was a line I thought Victor wouldn't cross. Although it was true that I didn't know what his exact relationship with Xander was, it was public knowledge that they entered the syndicate almost at the same time and had worked side by side for several years.

"How can you say something like that about your colleagues?" I asked, rolling down the window before I suffocated.

Victor didn't flinch, not a micro expression escaped him at my question. "I'm not here to make friends. I have a duty to fulfill and that's the only thing that matters. Maybe it's a surprise to you because loyalty is practically dead these days but I swore to follow your father to the death and I plan to keep my word."

"That's sad," I muttered before relaxing my body against the seat and turning my head towards the window.

Luckily Victor didn't hear me or decided to ignore me because I didn't have the energy to argue with him anymore.

Better get some rest before Victor loses his mind again. A little peace didn't sound like a bad idea, in fact, the instant I let my mind relax, my eyes closed on their own.

×××

"

Hey, wake up unless you want me to drag you to your room." Ever the gentleman, Victor shook me out of my peaceful slumber to make me suffer.

"You can go ahead." I slapped his hand away without opening my eyes. "Leave me alone for once."

Victor sighed. "Start moving the fuck up or I'll tell my men right now that they don't need to keep your little adventure a secret anymore."

"Fucking asshole," I cursed, opening my eyes.

The smirk of victory that the reverend idiot had on his face made me want to break his nose. He did one thing to help me and suddenly that turned into the perfect chance to make my life miserable.

"Are you coming or should I start calling them?" Victor got out of the car. When two minutes passed without me paying attention to him he opened my door and showed me the screen of his cell phone. "Or maybe I should show this to your father."

He had a video. At what point did he get to record it? Victor was such a show-off that he shot my attackers while recording with his free hand.

"Come on, less death glares and more movement." He unbuckled my seatbelt for me. "We still have a talk pending."

With no other option, I got out of the car. "I have nothing to talk to you about."

"You're so funny sometimes." Victor laughed as he put the phone in his pants pocket, then, he pushed me slowly but firmly against the car. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed my hair and pulled it up, lifting my head. "Unless you want your father to find out, you're going to keep quiet, put a smile on your pretty face, and follow me to your room, am I clear?"

"You're going to pay for this."

"You keep saying the same thing but I don't see you doing anything, princess," he said, letting go of my hair. "You can try, though, I bet it'll be a lot of fun."

A group of cleaning staff walked past us. Luckily Victor had quick reflexes and got away from me before they could see us in a compromising position.

At least there was one thing we both agreed on, sparking rumors about a relationship could be lethal for us.

"Lead the way. I'll be behind you." Victor played the role of the loyal bodyguard for our audience.

Swallowing all the insults, I started walking to my room in total silence. The tension that surrounded us as we walked through the halls was such that I couldn't even fake a smile for the people who greeted me. 

Well, I could always make some excuse to explain my strange behavior, a migraine perhaps.

"Finally peace," I relaxed as I entered my room followed by Victor who didn't seem to have any intentions of leaving me alone. "Don't you have anything to do now?"

He smirked. "Keeping you in my sight is my job." Victor approached me instead of leaving. "Actually, your father asked me to help him with an interrogation but I have to make sure of something before that."

"Nothing is going to happen to me here, go now." I sat down on the chair next to my desk to take off my shoes.

I was finally going to be able to be calm.

"That's not what worries me." Victor stood in front of me and in one quick movement he lifted me onto his shoulders.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I kicked his chest when he threw me onto my bed.

"I'm making sure you don't try to escape again." And with that Victor took out some handcuffs from his pocket and cuffed my right hand to the bedpost. "After the show you put on I'm afraid I can't leave you alone without taking precautions. Let's see if a little punishment teaches you to behave."

"Bringing your kinks to work, you sick filthy bastard?" I asked as Victor held my legs to stop me from kicking him.

"I assure you this is just to keep you safe until I get back," Victor replied. Suddenly a smile appeared on his face and he brushed his finger against my lips. "Although we can have some fun together later, only if you want."

His green eyes scanned my body, there was a glint in them that I didn't recognize but that nearly took my breath away.

At that moment, with Victor on top of me, I was a weak woman. For a second I found myself wishing his hand on my leg would continue its way up until it disappeared under my skirt.

What are you doing? Snap back to reality.

"Why would I want to get laid with an insufferable jerk like you?" I managed to regain my senses.

"You don't need to like my personality to have sex with me," Victor said, pinching my thigh.

I was about to insult him when Victor walked away from me.

Just before he opened the door, he looked back at me one last time. "Next time you do something so irresponsible I'm not going to cover for you. I'll be back in less than half an hour. Be good to me until then."

"Does that mean you're not going to say anything to my father?" I asked him.

Instead of answering me, Victor left the room.