Page 64 of Claiming Veronica

“Maybe.” I shifted closer to Reed and Natasha, reaching a hand towards them. He nodded and got up without further comment. It wasn’t until he left that I realized I’d been holding my breath.

“Eli is friends with that guy?” Reed said. I thought the same thing but rose on unsteady legs, only thinking I needed to get some air.

The crowd was going wild, bills exchanging hands faster than I could count as they were lost in the thrill of the next match that was coming up. I caught sight of Maxim, weaving through the shadows on the far side of the ring, but he wasn’t my concern. He was probably on his way from or to killing Spato, but I’d done my part for the Bratva already and didn’t want to stick my nose where it didn’t belong. I averted my eyes.

“I’m just going to get a breath of air outside. Clear my head,” I told my sister and Reed, ignoring their concerned looks. “Tiny will go with me. Right?” I asked, looking over at my assigned guard.

“Absolutely,” Tiny immediately answered. Tiny was a giant man with ginger hair and an overly large head, which I know he had teased about as a teenager. He had to buy specially made helmets because of it. Hollis had told me about it only because he’d been her guard for a while. Tiny was huge and intimidating but also the biggest teddy bear ever. Of all of the MC members, if I couldn’t be with family, I’d pick Tiny every time.

Moving to the back of the building, Tiny and I edged our way through the corridors until we’d exited to a back alleyway. It wasn’t very glamorous, but at least we were out of the crowds and the smoke. This section was blocked off by fencing and another building, but we weren’t going anywhere other than to get a chance to get away from the crowd and Luther, so it was fine.

I leaned against the cool, graffiti-covered wall, breathing in the sharp night air. Tiny kept a few paces away, arms crossed, scanning the shadows with his vigilant, no-nonsense look. He had his foot in the door so we wouldn’t get locked out.

“I just needed a minute to breathe, and then we’ll go back.” He nodded as occasional voices from the inside spilled out, muffled but laced with excitement and urgency.

“You good?”Tiny’s voice was low, breaking through my thoughts. “Maybe we should find your man.”

“Yeah, just…taking it all in. This is something else.” I gave him a small smile, feeling more grounded in the quiet of the alley. “After the next fight, maybe I should head home.”

He grunted in agreement, his eyes flicking to the side as the back door creaked open, and he stumbled back at the sudden movement. I expected to see someone stepping out for a smoke or maybe even Eli. But before I could react, a man’s arm swung viciously, catching Tiny square in the temple. His head snapped to the side, and he staggered, blood already trailing down his face as he fell against the wall, dazed. I realized it was Luther in the split second that he plunged a knife into him once, twice, three times, grunting savagely each time as blood bloomed over Tiny’s dress shirt.

A woman came through the door just as I moved toward Tiny, my body torn between forward and backward momentum. Should I run, or should I help? Already, my chest burned, and my legs felt like jello, but I couldn’t leave him.

“Run,” he gasped as his feet scrabbled at the asphalt, trying to find purchase. Adrenaline spiked,but the woman was on me before I could scream.

“You must be Veronica.” Her voice was low and filled with venom as she grabbed my arm, her nails digging painfully into my skin. Her face was a sharp blend of anger and hatred. She had jet-black hair and a fierce glare that felt out of place. I’d never seen her before, and for her to look at me with such hate was startling.

My heart pounded, and I yanked back, struggling, but she was stronger than she looked and certainly stronger than me. She forced me back, pinning me against the wall, her face inches from mine. “You think you and your little hacker fingers can keep ruining things for us?” Her lips curled in a sneer. “I’ve been waiting for this.”

Tiny tried to push himself up, but Luther pressed his boot to his head, forcing him back down. “Stay down, big guy,” he growled.

“Let him go,” I snapped, struggling in the woman’s grip. My mind raced. Eli would come looking for me soon if I didn’t return, but I couldn’t rely on that. I had to figure out a way out of this on my own.

The woman leaned in closer, a glint of malice in her eyes. “Do you know who I am?” Her voice was a low hiss.

She smiled—a cold, deadly smile. “I’m Jade. I worked with Victor. Did you know that?”

I didn’t know anything about her. How did I know know anything about her? I’d been all over the web looking into Victor, Eli, and Luther … where had this woman been?

“I loved him,” she said fiercely, her lips twisting as she gripped me painfully. I tried to look at Luther to see if there was any compassion there, but his face was full of loathing. “Havoc took him away from me. This is a win-win in my book. He cares about you, so this is justice. Not to mention, you’ve been snooping into our business with Spato.”

My blood ran cold.

Jade twisted my arm, forcing me down onto my knees with a sharp jerk. Luther crouched down next to her, his gaze icy and appraising. “You’ve ruined things, you and your little interference with our business.” He sneered. “Victor should have killed you and your sister. He was supposed to clean this whole mess up instead of fucking around.”

Jade pulled out a knife, the blade glinting dangerously under the dim alley light. She ran it down my cheek, not quite cutting but close enough that the cold metal sent shivers downmy spine. “This is going to hurt, sweetheart,” she whispered. “But not as much as it’s going to hurt him.”

My mind raced, and as I heard the thud of Tiny struggling to his feet, I knew we had only seconds. I twisted sharply, wrenching my arm free just as Tiny tackled Luther, sending them both sprawling to the ground. Luther cursed, his voice filled with rage as he tried to throw Tiny off, but Tiny’s bulk pinned him down.

Jade’s grip on me tightened as she tried to yank me back, but adrenaline had kicked in. I threw my weight forward, breaking free of her hold and stumbling back a few steps. I needed to get to Eli or at least find help.

But Jade was relentless. She lunged at me again, the knife gleaming. I dodged to the side, my heart racing, and then, with a burst of energy I didn't know I had, I kicked out, my foot connecting with her wrist. The knife clattered to the ground, and I scrambled to grab it, hands shaking just as the door burst open and Eli filled the space.

Sinking to my knees, I prayed to my guardian angel as he took in the scene. “They were going to kill… us,” I heaved, my breaths coming in pants as he pulled me to my feet and pushed me towards the door. Maxim came through, looked at Tiny and me, and began dialing.

“Back alley now,” he told someone in Russian. I was guessing my cousin Dimitri.

Eli’s face had gone cold, devoid of emotion, as Jade began to spew her diatribe of hate. “You killed Victor. That bitch deserves to die as payment.” He didn’t pause as he stepped towards her; even as she struggled and attempted to fight back, it was inconsequential. She was dead before she hit the ground. Her neck snapped like it was nothing more than a dry twig in winter.

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