Page 7 of Reaper
“Does Dylan know what you’ve been up to?”
Another damn question. Another damn question that doesn’t concern him.
Everyone’s entitled to their secrets, including me.
“Does Dylan know every fucking thing you do, little brother?” He rolls his fucking eyes. “Right. He doesn’t. I’m a grown motherfucking man, Gavin. I can do what the fuck I want when the fuck I want to do it. I don’t need or ask Dylan’s permission, yours, or anyone else’s.”
I shoulder past him, then storm into the locker room with him hot on my heels. If he wasn’t my brother, I’d have already put him on his ass for being in my business. Nobody knows I fight at the Petrov’s underground fight club because it isn’t something everyone needs to know about for obvious reasons. And it’s also my fucking business.
How in the hell did he find out?
“You can do what the hell you want, Logan, but not when it puts the rest of us at risk. We have fucking families now. And fighting in Bratva territory puts the Sinners at risk. This has to be the reason they’ve been encroaching on our territory.”
It is. And Aleksi’s death didn’t deter them like I hoped it would.
“You’re the one to talk about putting people at risk, little brother. Or have you forgotten that quickly?”
He crosses his arms over his chest.Oh, I struck a nerve.
“What the hell does that supposed to mean!”
He knows exactly what I mean, but maybe he needs a little reminder. A little refresher of what we had to go through because of the person he’s fucking.
“I wasn’t the one fucking a politician’s wife who you knew good and damn well could have brought all of us down.”
I hate bringing Oya into this petty argument because she’s a good woman and perfect for my brother. But I also hate hypocritical, self-righteous motherfuckers, too and right now, Saint is checking all the boxes. Hypocritical, self-righteous, and motherfucker.
“Ex-wife.”
I roll my eyes. “Semantics, little brother.”
“What happened between me and Oya is not the same thing, asshole. And that was years ago.” He sighs. “What you’re doing is reckless and you fucking know it.”
I shrug.
Maybe what I am doing is reckless. However, to me, him fucking Oya is exactly the same thing. At the time it had been just as reckless. But I don’t want to get into an argument about it, so I keep my damn mouth closed and let him make his point. He’s happily married. Why bring that down with the truth? He did what he did because he found the woman he loves. I do what I do because of the woman I love and lost. I won’t make him feel bad about his actions, no matter how bad he’s trying to make me feel about mine.
“I’m not putting anyone at risk except for myself. I fight, then I bring my ass home. Alone. I see nothing wrong with that. How the hell did you find out, anyway?”
“You’re fighting in the Petrov’s underground fights, Logan.” He tosses his hands in the air. “You can’t think that’s something that won’t affect the rest of us. They know you’re a Sinner and they’ve been doing shit against us for months because of it.”
I don’t miss how he avoids the question of how he found out, but it doesn’t matter. Him knowing isn’t going to stop me from taking my ass down there every chance I get. It’s my therapy. I do it for me. It keeps me sane by shutting down the memories of the past. When I’m in the ring, I’m numb. But when I’m outside, the madness takes over. I need to do it because if I don’t, the outcome is much more dangerous.
“I’ve got it handled, Gavin.” I throw my gloves in the locker, grab my towel, along with my gym bag, then slam the door shut. “I’m not hurting anyone.”
I shoulder past him again on my way to the showers, hoping he’ll get the hint and leave me the fuck alone. Of course, he doesn’t. He just follows behind me, irritating me even more.
“You think if you get injured or worse, none of us will give a damn? We all love you goddamn it!” He shoves me. “When’s the last time you’ve spent time with Grace or any of us? You’re either in the gym, apparently in Petrov’s fights, or just MIA.”
I let out a long sigh. My niece, Grace, King’s daughter, who I love to death, I haven’t seen in a long time. Not because I don’t want to, but because I’m not in the right state of mind to be around her. She’s old enough to realize none of us are perfect, but she’s a reminder of how far I’ve strayed into the darkness.
“Whether you do give a damn, or you don’t, it doesn’t matter to me, Gavin.”
I ignore the question about Grace. It’s not something I want to get into right now. I’ve got enough on my plate without getting into the complicated feelings of how my life is spiraling out of control.
“Well, it fucking should matter, Logan! We’re your family!”
“Everyone’s time comes sooner or later no matter how it happens.”
