Page 38 of Ruthless Serenade

"She still look good?"

"Sure." I want to tell him that ‘sure’ is an understatement, that Mindy is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and that I wanted to take her between the freezers and the booze section and fuck her until we both pass out. But I hold back. Instead, I just say: "she had a kid with her. About five or six."

Timofey lets out a low whistle. "Oh, shit! You think it could be yours?"

I shake my head. "Nah. It’s been what, seven years?"

"Well, it adds up if the kid is six,” Timofey suggests, giving me a side-eye. "Why don’t you go and find out what’s going on?"

I scoff. "And say what? ‘Hey, remember me? The guy who kicked you out of his party, told you he never wanted to see you again, proceeded to get shot, and then pretended to be dead for the next seven years?’ Besides, the woman betrayed me, remember?"

Timofey rolls his eyes. "Come on, man. If she’s still on your mind after all this time, it means something. You can’t keep living like this. You’re on the fast track to becoming a grumpy, pissy old man."

"Poshel na khuy, mudak,"I mutter, but there’s no real heat behind it.

"I’m serious, Maron," Timofey persists. "You need to do something. Or are you planning to spend the rest of your life jerking off to old memories?"

"Hey!" I punch his shoulder. "Watch it, dickhead."

Timofey laughs, rubbing his shoulder in pain. "I’m just looking out for my brother. Maybe it’s time to stop being a pussy and make a decision. Either go after her or forget about her for good."

I scoff, "That’s rich coming from a grumpy single guy."

Timofey’s eyes narrow. "For your information, I met someone interesting. She’s abroad now, but I’m meeting her soon when she’s back in New York. She’s originally from around here."

I raise an eyebrow, surprised by this revelation. "You’ve been holding out on me, Timo?"

Timofey shrugs, a slight smile tugging at his lips. "Not more than you. Besides, I’m just making sure it’s real before I say anything."

I give my brother a side glance and a pat on his back. "At least one of us is making progress."

"You could too." He gives me an annoyingly self-righteous grin. "If you just get your head out of your ass."

Normally, his statement would annoy me, but not now. I sit there for a moment, considering his words. The exact same words Pavel told me, just a few days ago.

"If I do, and it blows up in my face, I’m kicking your ass," I finally tell him.

"You can try," Timofey grins again. "Come on, let’s go another round. I want to see if I can punch you hard enough to make you puke."

I stand up, tossing my empty bottle into the trash. "You’re on," I growl, but my heart’s not in it. The image of Mindy and that little girl just won’t get out of my mind.

I know I’m distracted the moment we step back into the ring. Timofey immediately lands a solid right hook that sends me staggering.

"What the fuck, man?" he asks, lowering his gloves. "You’re not even trying."

"Pizdets."I grimace.

Timofey sighs, pulling off his gloves. "Alright, Maron, seriously… What the fuck is really going on with you?"

I slump against the ropes, feeling tired under the weight of my own thoughts. Being the tough fucking alpha all the time suddenly feels… draining.

I curse under my breath, feeling uncomfortable sharing the shit that’s been plaguing me. "Been feeling off lately. Grumpy, distant. Like I’m watching my life go by, and I’m not even in it."

"No shit, Sherlock," Timofey says. "Tell me something I don’t know already. And it looks like this shit with Mindy is only going to make it worse."

I glare at him. He’s right. We both know it. And I fucking hate it, but I can’t deny it anymore.

"Seeing her with that kid… it hit me hard," I admit, no longer caring about being seen as a weak piece of shit. "Made me think about what I might be missing out on."

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