Page 78 of Heirs of Havoc

Moving past him, I see the room he came from. “Did Lev tell you? Or is that your twin network?” It's another part of the house I didn’t know existed. It looks like something out of the World Fighting Championship. Caged ring and all. Except grittier. Blood stains the floor and it only becomes clearer as I move in. Sweat and body odour mixes with the faint smell of Vlad. Barbells, a punching bag and other exercise equipment sit to the side.

“I’m not sparring with you.” Vlad's deep voice startles me from behind.

Pulling Feliks’ sweater over my head, I turn around before dropping it to the floor. Vlad’s lips curl in, telling me he’s doing what he always does. Stopping himself from saying something stupid, that is. Moving to the ring in my bra and panties, I stand in the middle, stretching my arms over my head. “Come on, big guy.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He moves into the cage behind me. While fighting isn’t as intimate as Vlad holding me in bed, it feels that way with just him and me in a cage. “Watch your hand.”

“Gimme what you got,” I egg on, wanting to feel something. Anything. I’m craving another distraction from my reality. And he does just that. Vlad takes a lazy step towards me and I dodge it, stepping to the side. “As if, Reznikov. I’ve seen you battle. This isn’t it. What if I was one of those guys tonight? What if I was after your men? And hell, I still could be.” He shrugs. “Okay, fine. What if they were after me? What if that guy pushed me off the pole and made me—”

I’m lifted off the ground.

SLAM!

My eyes blink towards the ceiling before Vlad’s face comes into view. “Shit, Mia, I—”

A smile spreads across my face, the sting from his slam vibrating up my body.

“Mia, your hand has a fracture,” he reminds me, holding out his palm. “Get up."

My leg lifts and kicks him right in the groin, but his nuts are harder than I expect. His brow arches. “I’m cupped. And that’s a cheap fucking shot, Merlo. If you’re gonna fight, do it with fucking honour.” He picks me up, twisting me around as my back slams against his chest. His thick trunk of an arm comes against my throat. Vlad’s heartbeat pounds against my back, his voice in my ear. “You want out? Fight for it.” The pressure on my neck is enough to knock me out, but something about this feels more intimate than I’m sure Vlad’s used to. His lips land on my cheek, tingling my face as the heat from his skin presses into mine. “Move to the side. Sweep your leg behind me and—”

I get the jist. Swinging my leg behind him, I pull back enough that he stumbles to the mat. His body lands next to mine as I fall to the floor.

“Is that how you bonded with Eve?” I ask, more out of breath than I intended, but I'm relishing in my win, a smug smile coming to my face. “Your sweaty body all over her?”

“No.” He stands up and holds out a hand before he swoops me to my feet. “I killed her father.”

Chapter Thirty

Wait. That’s not the dirt I expected.

The room tilts as I blink.

Did I hear that right?

SLAM!

My back hits the ground again, Dean Martin crooning in the background. “We needed to find a target,” Vlad continues. “Her dad was a detective, standing in the way of a task. An important one for Lucie. So, Lev and I got the answers out of her the best way we knew.”

“Sexual torture.” Pushing off the ground, I stand to my feet, a pain in my back. My legs shake, standing in the face of another murderer.

“I wouldn’t call it torture,” he chuckles, moving behind me again. “She definitely had the best night of her life. Do what I showed you again.”

“Likely why she cuts daggers into me.” Following his directions, I complete the move, this time with a little more oomph as Vlad’s back slams into the mat.

“That, or you’re hotter than her.” He leans up on his elbows, eyeing me. “By a longshot.”

“That’s subjective.”

"Take the compliment."

Then it hits me. “So, she’s not a virgin?”

Vlad gives me a weird look. Then he laughs. “Not in the least. We went all night.” He stands, beckoning me closer as he crooks his fingers. “Even let us film it. Wanna see?”

“Ew.” My fist flies for his face, but he dodges, his head swinging to the side. “Let me guess. Told her if she told anyone, you’d air the tape?”

Vlad shrugs. “She was screaming our name while we tag teamed the shit out of her. My hands on her ass, Lev’s hands on her tits.” I swing my fists, Vlad’s words making my skin heat, but he dodges it again, taking a swift step back. He’s heavy, but he’s fast. “You should’ve seen the way she handled both of our cocks. Both holes too. And she kept begging for more, but you know what we offer, don’t you, Merlo?” Another swing and a kick flies his way, but he dodges it again. My jaw tightens. “If you want to put that jealousy to good use, now’s the time to do it.”

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