Page 15 of Our Blood, Our Pain

Dima and Lev turn to Kai, who looks like a hunted animal that wants to run as far away from this house as possible. I’m not sure who to look at as Lev stares at Kai like he wants to eat him up, and Dima seems to want to tear him apart for answers. Awesome.

“So, Kai. Has fuckface here explained who we are and what your job is?” Lev asks.

“Yes,” Kai replies faintly. The lack of confidence in his reply has me regretting momentarily my decision to bring him here. Is he strong enough for this life? I was too impulsive ripping him away from his home, assuming he would slot into this world like I did. I can only hope it works out, otherwise he’s toast. And it would be my fault.

“Yes, what?” Lev asks.

“Yes, sir?”

“Hmm, hell yeah, I like the sound of that,” Lev groans.

“Lev. Stop,” I say, as he pins me with a death glare.

“Protective much? He needs to hold his own here,” Dima says, still assessing Kai. Kai adjusts his body, stands taller, shoulders back, shedding the unsure version of himself. Good.

“I can hold my own. You have no worries here.”

“Do you know how to use a gun? Knife?” Lev asks, excitement lacing his voice. He loves being down in the holding pen. While Lev gets off on the violence and fear, Dima loves the blood. Sick fuckers.

“Yes. I was in a gang, and they taught me.”

“Really. What’s the gang called?” Dima asks.

“The Skins. I hung around back home with my best friend. We were in a bar fight; that's why I got arrested.”

“They sound like amateurs. Okay. We’ll take Jules’s word that you’re trustworthy. But take this as a warning. You fuck us over, and we won’t only end you, but Jules too. Understood?” Dima says.

“I won’t let you down,” Kai says, with a firm resolve.

“Interesting as this is, I need to head over to Desire. Jules, bring Kai so we can get him caught up on the business. I want him to cover the club with Simon. I think eventually it will be best that you two work apart,” Lev says, and the way he is looking at me with a raised brow says he’s goading me. He saw it. My protectiveness and underlying sick lust for my nephew. Fuck. Step-nephew. Who is also a guy, but that’s another detail that doesn't seem important to my eager dick.

“Fine,” I grit out, which earns me a satisfied grin from Lev. The bastard.

10

KAI

Holy shit. Now this is a strip club. Walking through Desire is like dipping yourself into liquid gold, expensive, sumptuous, and so fucking sexy. The walls are matte black with mirrors spaced out evenly over the walls. Multicolored lights shine from the ceiling, the seats are a deep red leather, and the tables are a heavy duty black wood. The floors are high gloss black that reflect the array of colors from the lighting. In the middle of the room is a circular stage with a pole in the middle. The bar is long against the far wall and is not too dissimilar to what you would see in a high-end bar in Manhattan.

Lev and Jules walk further into the club where the song Bad Girl—by Avril Lavigne and Marilyn Manson—pounds through the room where a hot as fuck busty redhead slides up and down the pole on stage. This is nothing like the dive bars back home, that's for sure. Everything is so shiny and clean, absolutely no expense spared in the club. A high membership fee, no doubt, to enter this joint.

“Like what you see?” Lev purrs into my ear, causing me to flinch away from the show. His intense eyes glitter with amusement at my reaction. Lev is scary as fuck, and his smile is sadistic. I imagine he likes to cut his lovers up for pleasure. Just a vibe I get from him, so I don’t really want to piss him off.

“Yeah,” is all I can say, my throat feels dry as fuck as I try to make sure not to come across like a prudish dick. Which I’m not. But I feel on edge around the brothers. A warm body comes up behind me and I know it's Jules. He radiates a protective warmth, like a sleeping bag that insulates me from the unpredictable elements. Shit. This is gonna be exhausting, trying not to piss off the brothers while also holding down my dirty attraction to Jules.

“Be careful, the girls love new meat. Make sure you fuck and leave, and none of that falling-in-love shit. Don’t want that mess in my club,” Lev says, slapping me hard on the shoulder with his big hand and nodding his head towards the bar.

“He’s trying to get a rise out of you. Just ignore him,” Jules says into my ear as he holds me tightly on the shoulder where Lev just slapped me. He uses it to guide me over to where Lev is now speaking to a woman at the bar. She’s pretty hot, actually. All the girls are hot, but having Jules around me and touching me in an almost possessive manner has me solely focused on him.

“Bonnie, this is our newbie guard, Kai. Jules’s nephew,” Lev says, smirking at Jules, who quickly removes his hand.

“Step-nephew. We’re not blood-related,” I bluster out. Why do I feel the need to constantly correct people on our biological relationship? I may as well tattoo it on my damn forehead.

Bonnie tosses her brown hair over her shoulder and gives me a warm smile, leaning in to kiss me on the cheek.

“Aren’t you a handsome one?” she says, and I grin in return. I’m really trying to act like this behavior is all normal to me and that I’m cool. It’s so much pressure, especially as I can feel Lev and Jules staring at me from either side. Is this a test?

“Shy, too. I like it. I’m always here hon, if you want some company,” Bonnie says in a purring voice, a seductive spell she has crafted from experience. I’m stuck for words.

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