The Code To A Don's Heart

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V I K T O R     M A K A R O V I C H — T H E      B U T C H E R

Peach McCoy would never cease to surprise me. I looked up at the building she told me she was staying at and my brows frowned at how disastrous it looked. The tracker I'd put in her truck seemed to be useless after I found it with some lowlives who'd tried to stab me for 'touching their shit'. They wouldn't be touching anything anymore.

I walked into the building and passed the sleeping clerk at the desk. It was late, way past midnight. Peach had called me at around 9pm but getting here was harder than I thought it would be. Brookehills was alive while the night was young, youth and adults mingling around and partying. I made a note to remember this place because they would be excellent buyers for the drug cartels of my mafia.

I climbed the stairs of the apartment building, looking for room 13. When I did find it, I turned the knob and was surprised to find the door open. I peeked inside and the dull lights cast a sorrowful glow around the room. Peach was asleep on the bed, her hand loosely clutching to the locket around her neck. I moved closer, closing the door behind me and noticed that she had a fine sheen of sweat on her bronze skin. She was dressed in a large dull green tee and a long skirt.

I went down on one knee next to her side of the bed and noticed that the left side of her face was purple and swollen. She had a large bruised eye and cut lip. Seeing her like this, anger flared in my chest. Who did that to her?

"Peach?" I called and placed my hand on her shoulder to shake her a little. "Peach?"

She didn't move. Worry wrapped around my heart and I shook her a tad bit harder, calling her name louder. She shifted on her own, squeezing her eyes shut but that was all I got.

"Fuck Peach! Ubedit'sya v etom voochiyu," I commanded, really wanting to see her awake. With no response, I softy turned her so she faced the roof of the apartment. Her face was awful and I vowed to hurt whoever lay a hand on her like this.

Then I stilled. Why did I care? I was supposed to kill her.

Damn...

Fuck that. 

Peach was too much of an asset for me to execute her. I knew that from the moment I set forth for this mission. If I could sway her and get her to work for me, the Bratva would get more benefits and she would hide all our transactions. Under my rule, she would be my responsibility, my property and I did not like the state she was in. I placed my palm on her forehead, checking her temperature. Peach moaned slightly at the contact and weakly shook her head, trying to dislodge my hand.

"U vas vysokaya temperatura," I mumbled to myself. She was burning up. When I glanced at her again, her one good eye flickered open.

"Viktor?" she asked in a weak scratchy voice. She was awake thank God. That was a good sign.

"Peach? What happened?" I asked her, keeping my voice serious but soft.

"I..." She tried to sit up and failed. I held onto her shoulders and pushed her back down, telling her to stay still. "I... I called you."

"Before that Peach. What happened before?" I questioned, doing my best not to make her feel panicked and fail to answer my questions.

"I... I don't..." She raised her hand to her head and held it there. "Peirce... he was here... he came..."

"Peirce?" I pressed, wondering who that was. I imagined her getting hurt by someone she probably knew and trusted and my blood boiled.

"No... Kat..."