The Dark Duet Read Online Free Page B

used to describe the type of memory loss she suffers from. What else has he done to her during this moment of vulnerability? He’s a master scientist, a man whose talents in neuroscience brought him recognition from both the American and Russian governments during the Gulf War a couple decades ago.
    Something hammers inside of my chest and I cannot move my eyes away from her face, the sleeping beauty lying on the bed. I reach for her hand, pulling mine back as soon as I think about what I am doing.
    Stay focused. She is the way to bring down Burkenstein. Keep your mind on the goal. Do not fuck this up.
    Still, though, I’m unable to hold back the image of those luscious lips, pink and full on both the top and bottom, painted a bloody red as she wraps them around my cock. Yes, I’m fucked up. I cannot keep my mind from obsessing over the color of the eyes she has hidden from me all this time, either.
    “Please don’t leave. I’m scared. I ...” she says in one final exhausted breath just before sleep overtakes her again. I lean over and kiss her on the mouth, an easy and light one, but the sensations surging through my body are no less profound than if it were the kiss of a lover.
    What the fuck are you doing, Kolya?
    At once I turn and leave the room, even though I fear I have taken the essence of the sleeping beauty along with me.
    “Ah, Nikolas, there you are. I’ve been looking all over for you,” Burkenstein’s voice says from behind me. I stifle an urge to whirl around and smash my fist into his face. Instead, I turn and clasp my hands behind my back, the pain from the way I dig my nails into my wrist calming me.
    “Rudolph. Kind of early to be up and about doing things, isn’t it?”
    He stops before me, crinkling his forehead and scratching inside of that greasy hairstyle he prefers to wear. The scent of strong cologne drifts all around him, stinging my nostrils because he has used too much. “You recently returned to Milan without me being any the wiser to you doing so. And I also hear you charmed one of my most loyal employees into accompanying you.”
    Fuck! I didn’t think he’d hear about my escapade so quickly. And why does he think Gemma is his employee? “And?” I ask. “Last I checked, my father was living in Chernobyl.”
    Smiling with that superficial grin I have come to loathe, he steps closer and replies, “Your father’s bidding might surprise you someday. Do follow me.”
    We leave the living quarters and head down the dark, dank corridors of The Boardwalk. I can only imagine what manner of horror this man has waiting behind closed doors. At the end, he pushes a button, and instead of being taken into the part of the compound where I first saw Alese, we head into an area where the walls are made of stone. As soon as we enter the room, the stench of sweat and blood mixed together drifts into my nostrils ... and then I hear the screams, gut-wrenching wails that pierce my eardrums. We walk through the first empty room and head through the doorway to the adjoining one. A naked woman hangs by her wrists from the ceiling, her back turned toward us as Gash slaps her across the back with his whip. I have no doubt that this is the woman who helped me to force the confessions out of Erin’s tormentors. It’s Gemma.
    “You see, I value loyalty above anything else. She disobeyed my orders, choosing instead to assist you back in Italy. I give her credit for being a clever one, though. Original even. She’s been playing both your mother, Katerina, and me against each other in her efforts to advance her ambitions. Using one name for the Dostovskys and another one for me. Now she must reassess her loyalty to the organization.”
    “The girl is innocent. She had no idea I was going against your wishes,” I explain.
    Burkenstein shrugs. “Nevertheless, she’s a traitor. A turncoat. Feeding lies to me while reporting God knows what to Katerina, to you. A lesson is in order here.”
    I swallow