Page 27 of Stolen Seconds

“One of them?”

“The Italians you’ve surrounded yourself with.”

My heart thumped against my ribcage. “What did you do?”

“Luca, I think it was.” He gazed to the side in thought, then shrugged. “Have you met him yet?”

Yes. “No.”

“Hm.” He stared at me, searching for something, but I had no idea what. “Anyway, I wanted to see with my own eyes who we’re dealing with—what they’re capable of.”

“Weare not dealing with anyone.”Shit. He’d met Luca. This was bad, really bad. “Do whatever you want. Just stay out of my way.”

Annoyance toward my father bloomed. I would’ve appreciated it if he had told me about this.

He clenched his jaw, his eyes homing in on me harshly. “Get it done, Irina,” he gritted out.

“I’ll tell Nicolai when he’s ready.” I crossed my arms, giving him the same pompous attitude he was giving me. “No sooner, no later.”

“He’s not a child!”

I stepped forward. “No, but he is mybrother.”And because he irked the shit out of me, I added, “Your futurePakhan.”

I knew it grated on his nerves that he wouldn’t be the leader of the Bratva and frankly, I couldn’t care less what he wanted.

“Watch your fucking mouth.”

My hands itched to wrap them around his slender neck and choke the life out of him, but I refrained. If he wasn’t my cousin or an important part of the Bratva, I would’ve already wiped him off the face of the earth.

It was useless arguing with him. He was a narcissistic asshole who took his negative energy and suffocated others with it.

I walked backward toward my bike and lifted both my middle fingers at him. I didn’t care how childish it was. I’d wasted my breath on him enough.

Nothing I could say would make him leave.

The last thing I wanted to do on a Saturday night was watch some gangsters shed blood as they fought each other like they were wild animals.

Yet, Aurora had dragged me, claiming that it was a tad bit amusing despite the deadly environment. Plus, Roman had to make an appearance to hold up his reputation.

Apparently, the fights were designated for exclusive members of the Club who dripped wealth and power.

I pulled on Aurora’s shirt, grabbing her attention. “You really got over your fear of blood, huh?”

She smiled at me sheepishly and pointed a thumb in her husband’s direction. He noticed—as he did with everything regarding my best friend—and kissed the side of her head.

I shook my head in amusement.Shocker.

The crowd’s cheers became louder as Roman and Ricardo led us down to the basement.

My heart had begun to pick up speed at the rowdiness. The noise, the hectic surrounding, and the high of knowing danger was on the horizon were all too familiar.

The space was large, dark enough to conceal the sins of onlookers. The walls were brick stones, the ceiling high with lights faintly shining down on us.

We walked toward the stage until we reached the front, the crowd booming with excitement.

The ring was centered, closed off by thick ropes—although if someone wanted to, they could easilyslide in and out.

And on stage I could see the back of a shirtless man, his skin stretching against pure muscle as he took his stance and moved to circle his opponent.

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