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My jaw grinds, goaded by his condescending tone. But I wasn’t a boy, and I wouldn’t play his game and jump in first like I often did because of my short temper. Oddly enough, today, I felt a serene calm about the situation. I appraise his stance, looking for any weak openings. He seems to notice what I’m doing because he charms a smile. “Not all brawn then, ey? Come, you look like you have some questions for me.”
I loathe speaking with him, but since he was going to die today, I figured it’d be the only time I could have absolute answers.
“Why did you decide to show up now after all these years?” I grit out as we begin to circle one another.
“Maybe I just missed my girl’s sweet pussy,” he says with a ghastly smile. I lunge, the snaping of restraint gone before I can reign it in. I hated the way he looked at her. He spoke to her. He hurt her.
For a man of his size, he’s fast, but it wouldn’t catch me by surprise a second time. I step behind him and kick him in the back of his knee. But he doesn’t drop; instead, he swings his elbow back. I block my face and barely hold it tight enough to deflect his hit. We break apart and circle one another again.
“Maybe I grew bored in Russia,” he chimes in a sing-song way, and this time, takes the first swing. But it’s slow, nothing like the rumor of The Lion’s ferociousness, or perhaps he’s simply toying with me. I step out for a moment, looking for weaknesses again.
The others eye one another, the rivaling gangs watching the fight but each other as well. Elanee stands behind Lorenzo with her hands clutched to her chest. The sun is starting to stretch a gold hue through her hair, and my jaw begins to grind.
I had to kill him for us both.
That’s not the only thing that catches my eye. I notice the gold ring on The Lion’s marital finger. From the intel I’d gathered, he hadn’t remarried. So why was he wearing a ring? Had I missed something?
He lunges again, and there’s a difference to his speed and strength as if he purposefully increased a level. “Perhaps I wanted to destroy my only living heir since he’s such a wet blanket!” he says with frustration.
I dodge the blow and strike twice into his side, but he hardly flinches. The advantage I do have is my speed, but it’s not enough on its own. I’ll have to tire him out first. He swings and I purposefully take the hit and upper-cut him in return.
I feel blood explode in my mouth as I offer a lethal smile. “You talk too much.” I spit blood onto the ground.
He smiles, his own mouth a bloody mess, as he wipes it away. He points to me as he casually places one foot in front of the other as if going for a casual stroll. “I’m not going to lie, boy, I thought you’d come for me. I thought you’d come to Russia.”
“There’s nothing for me there,” I say blatantly, and something shifts in his gaze. It makes him angrier.
The only thing that was there was Elanee. But maybe… maybe he’s so self-involved that he actually thought I’d want to see him.
“Why didn’t you ever come for my mother and me? You could’ve snuck in and left as easy as that.”
He laughs. “Gramps never told you. He made a hardy plea to buy me out as long as I never touched American soil again. To leave you and the love of my life alone. Money speaks, boy, as I’m sure you know.”
I try not to show my surprise. My grandfather had bought him out to protect us? He never told me that. All this time, I thought he’d cowered from the Bratva, but instead, he did all he could to protect us.
“But that little truce came to an end when I was tasked with starting operations back here in New York. It’s just an added benefit that I get to kill you in the process.”
My mind swirls, and my vision fades out as he lunges.
Fuck.
I brace for the impact as I try to gauge the distance with my impaired vision and dodge him. His fist collides with my nose, and I’m thrown back with the momentum, but he’s already caught me and knees my sternum. I wheeze as he winds me and pushes me to the ground.
I gasp and cough into the dirt, trying to stand again. My vision fades in and out, and I curse this fucking illness that’s digging its clutches in so deeply.
“Why are you hesitating?” he growls. “Don’t you want to kill your old paps? Or is it not enough incentive?” he screams, furious now.
I look up through thick eyelashes as Lorenzo and Layla hold Elanee back. She’s screaming out my name, but it’s only coming in waves of sound.
Luca has his arms crossed as he watches, looking at me like I’m a sick man.
A dead man.
“Perhaps we should up the stakes?” The Lion says, and as I turn to look at him, I notice he pulls out a knife. It doesn’t surprise me that he plays foul.
The thing about a wounded animal is that when they’re most hurt, it’s the time they’ll most desperately fight.
For her, I would fight.
