Page 39 of Nikolai

She blinks a few times. "What?"

"He asked you which room in the back will we find him in later tonight?"

"If he finds out I had anything to do with…"

I interrupt her. "He won't harm you. This, I swear."

Another set of music begins to play as a woman takes the stage. "My set is next," she turns to walk away but pauses. "Room 6, at the end of the hall. I'll leave the door unlocked." Not looking back, she retreats.

"Think we can trust her?" Logan lifts his beer and takes a drink.

"She's afraid of him."

Logan nods. "I noticed that too. The moment you mentioned the fucker's name, she turned white as a ghost."

"Leah's father is hiding his true self."

"Look," Logan jerks his head in the direction of the entrance, and my eyes fall on the sorry bastard making his way across the room. He's so close I can smell his cheap cologne as he passes by on his way to an empty seat beside the catwalk. My stare never leaves the back of his head. The music changes once more, and Trina takes the stage, but my focus is solely on Leah's father. After Trina exits the stage, James gets up from his seat. He crosses the room, where he talks to a bald man, then slips him a large wad of cash. He then walks down the hall, where he disappears into a room.

"How do we get past the jughead there?" Logan questions

"We pay," I shrug, gripping the bottle in my hand that I have yet to touch.

"Shit." Logan downs the rest of his beer. "I figured you'd say that."

I stand, and Logan falls in behind me as I stride across the room. We stop in front of the bald guy, and his eyes narrow.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"We're lookin' for a private party," Logan answers.

The guy's eyes dart between my brother and me. "Five hundred for one hour." he stares us down. Movement at the end of the hall behind him catches my attention. Looking past his shoulder, I watch Trina enter the same room Leah's father did. Just as she closes the door, her eyes connect with mine, and I know I will have my vengeance tonight. Pulling a wad of rolled-up cash from the front pocket of my jeans, thumb through the large bills, counting out the price the guy quotes. "Five hundred per customer," he adds. Without hesitating, I count out the rest of the money and hand it to him. He snatches it from my hand. "Room five." He recounts the money. "By the way. If you break it, you buy it," he calls over his shoulder as we walk down the hall.

"This place isn't your ordinary strip club," Logan states. Judging by the bald guy's comment, I would have to agree.

We pause a beat outside room five, and I take a glance down the hall. The guy who took my money stands with his back to us as he watches the girls on the stage. With his attention diverted, we move to room six and twist the doorknob. It's unlocked just as Trina said. My brother and I slip inside.

Once in the room, we find Trina grinding against a blindfolded James, his pants around his ankles. I look around us, taking in the space. There are items used for bondage play attached to every wall. I pull my gun from the concealed holster beneath my shirt. Trina nods, knowing it's time for her to exit the room.

Leaning forward, she whispers seductively in James's ear. "Are you ready for me?"

"Fuck yeah. Give it to me," James says, rubbing his dick through his boxers, as Trina grabs her robe nearby and leaves the room. Logan stands at the door, locking it.

As I press the barrel end of my gun to the middle of James's forehead, he releases his dick. "What the fuck?" his back pushes further into the sofa he's sitting on, and he holds his hands up in the air. I pull the blindfold from his eyes, wanting him to see my face. "Who the fuck are you?" he spits, not showing any fear, then his eyes find Logan standing behind me. "What the hell is going on? You have no idea who you are fucking with right now," he says through clenched teeth.

Wrapping my fingers around his neck, I haul his sorry ass off the sofa. He struggles under my hold, which only has me squeezing tighter, cutting off his oxygen flow. His eyes bulge from the pressure, and he pries at my fingers, seeking relief. I throw him against the wall where a cross with leather straps is mounted. Logan quickly aids me in binding his wrists. Logan then hands me a large ballgag, which I forcefully shove into the bastard's mouth then fasten it as tight as I can. James gags and coughs around the contraption in his mouth, desperately trying to pull air in through his nose.

"Now that I have your undivided attention." I let my hand holding my gun hang at my side while I speak. "My name is Nikolai Volkov." Recognition flashes across his face at the mention of my name. "I see you have heard of me. Good. Then you may also know why I am here." James's eyes follow me as I pace in front of him. "You see, I don't have proof yet, but I suspect that you were behind your daughter's accident the other day." I stop in front of him and look him in the eyes. "You've taken from my woman for the last time." James pulls against his restraints as he tries to kick me. "I'm here to warn you never again to speak her name. You are dead to her. If you ever come near Leah again, I will end your worthless existence. Nothing will bring me greater pleasure than to take your life with my bare hands."

I hand Logan my weapon. "But first, you're going to know what life has been like for your daughter." I backhand him across his face, leaving an imprint on his cheek of my family crest from the ring on my finger. Not stopping, I grind my knuckles into his torso like I would a heavy bag. James foams at the mouth as he tries not to choke on his spit. With every blow, I think of the medical reports I read earlier today, and every broken bone that was brushed off as a childhood mishap. I think about the mental abuse this motherfucker put her through daily, wearing her down until she no longer believed in herself.

Once I've exhausted myself, I stop. I won't take his life today. I want him to live in fear for the rest of his life. I want him to know what it feels like to always look over his shoulder, wondering if that day will be his last. I want him to fear me as Leah fears him. Stepping close to his defeated body, barely able to stand on his own two feet, I whisper. "Who's the monster now?" I seethe. "I'll be waiting for the day you fuck up, and I finally put a bullet in your head."

Turning my back on Leah's father, I approach the locked door. Logan hands back my gun, which I slip beneath my shirt. "Ready?" I give him a nod. Cracking the door open, Logan peeks out. "Coast is clear." As we're closing the door, Trina suddenly appears, motioning for us to follow her. She leads us through the women's dressing room, which leads to an exit door that reads employees only. The warm night air hits us the moment we step outside.

"Is he dead?" she asks, trying to keep up with me and my brother jogging toward the street.

Digging into my pocket, I pull out what's left of the cash I have and toss it to her. "Take this and get out of town," I say, leaving her standing in the club's parking lot.

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