Page 12 of Fiercely Protective

Nickolai’s lips turned up just a fraction on one side of his mouth. “If I allow you to handle it, things might get messy.” He looked pointedly at Blaze. “Especially, if our bloodthirsty friend here has anything to do with it. But as long as whatever you do doesn’t interfere in my affairs, I will allow it.”

My eyes narrowed. “Allow it? Have you forgotten who runs this city?”

His smile widened. “Don’t let my choice of words annoy you. I realize Chicago is your territory. But don’t be mistaken about how powerful and far-reaching the Bratva can be, my friend. To do so could be deadly.” He then broke eye contact with me and looked around the room. “Business looks to be good. It seems as if the club has become more than profitable. But I shouldn’t be especially surprised since you are partnered with Alessio Messina. Anything the man touches turns a profit.”

The grin that formed on my lips was not one of mirth. “You underestimate me, Nik. You know everything I touch turns into a fucking gold mine. Don’t believe for a minute that I required Alessio’s assistance to turn a profit. Besides, I didn’t know our partnership was public knowledge.”

“Public, no, but I do try to keep an eye on my competition.”

I leaned forward, keeping my voice low and controlled. “Are we in competition, Nickolai?”

“We are all in competition, my friend. Luckily, our competition has been affable so far, and if you stay out of Las Vegas, it will remain so.”

I watched as his eyes shifted back toward where Bri was sitting looking like every man’s dream. The dress she was wearing had risen higher up her thigh as she crossed her legs.Her legs had a silky sheen to them that made me want to run my hands from her ankles to the juncture of her thighs. I had been around many women in my lifetime, but none of them looked like her. And none of them made me feel hot burning jealousy when I saw the eyes of the other men in the room rake over her body. I frowned when I noticed one of Nic’s men watching her appreciatively, his eyes lingering on certain parts of her body.

She stood and walked toward me, her hips swaying pertly from side to side, and a nervous smile played on her lips. “Is there anything I can get for you? Something to drink perhaps?”

I looked at the bottle that was already sitting on the table and picked it up to pour myself a glass. She shouldn’t be here, and I didn’t like the way Nickolai was watching her. I opened my mouth and was about to tell her to go back downstairs and wait in my office, but the Russian Bratva leader spoke up before I had the chance.

“You are new here. I haven’t seen you before, ptichka”

Bri turned to face him, and her smile brightened. “Today is my first day.” She glanced back to me and then hastily replied, “I’ll go mingle.”

She walked away toward the other men standing along the wall and my eyes followed every movement.

“I’ll make you a deal.”

My eyes moved back to Nickolai, curious as to what deal he was about to offer.

“Give me the girl, and I’ll handle your problem with the masquerading Russian for you. You won’t even have to hearabout it. I’ll make it quick and neat; there won’t even be a body, nothing to link it back to you.”

My eyes narrowed as I leaned a bit closer, keeping my voice low. “The girl isn’t for sale, Nickolai. I don’t operate like that. And I don’t need your help getting rid of my problem. I am more than capable of handling an errant Russian on my own without the help of the Bratva.”

Nickolai grinned as his eyes darted back to where Bri was standing beside one of his men. “Have you claimed her then?”

“She is off-limits.”

I heard one of his men speaking in Russian and while my knowledge of the language was limited, I did understand the meaning behind the words he uttered. I drank the remainder of the whiskey, then slammed the glass down hard on the table.

“Let it go, Rogue,” Blaze murmured as he sat beside me.

I heard the words Blaze uttered as I pushed myself from my seat, but I had seen and heard enough. I stormed over to where Bri had moved to the other side of the room. I heard her politely ask the men surrounding her if this was their first time in Chicago, but she did not get a chance to hear their reply.

When I reached her, I bent lower and swept her up, tossing her over my shoulder. She shrieked as I began carrying her from the room. I was done having her body, a body meant only for me, on display for other men to see, and I was not going to have her subjected to Nickolai’s men’s comments and leering stares. If I had to make a statement so everyone in the whole fucking world knew that she belonged to me, so be it.

I carried her down the stairs toward my office, ignoring the people we passed along the way. Thankfully, she didn’t draw any more attention than was necessary by yelling or screaming, but from the tension I felt in her body, I was certain she would have plenty to say once I got her back into my office.

Once I had her behind closed doors, I leaned forward and let her slide from my shoulder back to her feet. The shock on her face was evident and the firm set of her jaw and the flashing of her eyes let me know she was more than a little angry.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Her question was asked in a low, calm voice, but her clenched fists hanging by her side as she waited for my answer showed she was anything but calm.

“I am removing you from the situation. I never should have let Nickolai see you.”

She narrowed her eyes confused with my statement. “You were the one that brought me upstairs, and since I was hired to be your…companion or whatever I’m supposed to be, I thought I was doing what you would want. You did tell me that part of my job was to be congenial to the people you are doing business with, not to just sit in a corner while you do whatever it is that you do.” She waved her hand in the air flippantly. “I don’t understand why you felt the need to behave like some kind of caveman and carry me out of there. Do you plan on doing that anytime a man looks in my direction?”

“If men are foolish enough to look in your direction and I feel it is necessary, then yes.”

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