Page 50 of Wicked Knight 2

By now I’d gotten used to his embellishments, so I just nodded and played along. “It’s going to be a good payday.” I peeked at the two cards lying face down in front of me.

Suddenly, the air shifted around me. On instinct, my gaze cut to my suite, where Donata leaned on the terrace rail, holding a mug between her hands. My cock twitched at the sight of her in nothing but my T-shirt. Last night, I’d told her I loved her. In the moment, it felt true, real. Though, I had to admit, I had no idea why I felt that way about her. A few weeks ago, we were complete strangers.

“Are you in or not?” Ivan waved his hand in front of me.

I quickly looked at the cards in the center of the table. “I’m in.” I tossed in my chips.

“I’m out.” Tore tossed his cards in.

The rest of the game continued, while Ivan indulged in more of his crazy stories. I chuckled at his colorful descriptions and disregard for accuracy. Though the whole time, my attention flitted to Donata on a loop. Every time she sipped from her coffee, leaned in on the banister, or disappeared from my line of sight, my gaze would inadvertently shift to her.

“You’re stalling the game.” Tore reached for my cards and flipped them. “Of course, he won.” He rolled his eyes then gathered the cards to shuffle them. “And he’s barely here.”

I laughed. “It’s not my fault you’re terrible at this game.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but instead closed it and rose to his feet. In the next beat, all the guys did the same to welcome Papa as he strode across the courtyard. Ivan wasn’t wrong when he said the old man was up to something. Just in the way he moved, my gut told me he was compensating for something, as if he were in pain.

“Maxim.” He called for me as soon as he was within earshot. “My office.”

“Game’s over, guys. Get to work.” I gestured for Ivan to clear out the cards.

“Maxim, wait.” He scurried around the table. “You got my back, right?”

“You know I do. Relax. You’re good.” I patted his shoulder, then headed toward the entrance.

Before I crossed the threshold, I spared another glance over to Donata, who waved to me from the balcony and smiled. I retuned the gesture, then went inside. Whatever Papa wanted with me today seemed urgent.

I knocked on the door once, then entered. Papa stood by the fireplace and didn’t even turn to acknowledge my presence. “Sit down, Maxim. We need to talk.”

And now I knew for sure Donata’s words had fucked up my head even more. For no reason at all, my heart rate spiked as I ambled toward the man I’d regarded as a father for over year. He seemed different. And for a second, I wondered if maybe he found out about Donata’s allegations.

“Is everything okay?” I sat on the sofa, facing him.

“I think you know things haven’t been all right in a long while.” He gestured dismissively then lowered himself into the chair adjacent to me. “I left early this morning to have a chat with my doctor.” He pointed toward his obliques. “It’s not looking good. Some kidney bullshit.”

“Papa.” This was not what I had expected at all. He’d been in pain for a while now, but he always brushed it off as nothing more than the aches and pains that come with old age. “How bad?”

“Bad.” He smiled at me. “Which is why I wanted to talk to you. The doctors don’t know what the hell they’re doing. I suspect it won’t be long.”

“If there’s anything I can do. I’m here for you. You know that.” I leaned forward and braced my arms on my thighs. “Whatever it is. I’ll do it. We’re family. I should be a match if you need a kidney.”

He reached out to cradle my neck. “I appreciate the offer. And now I know for sure, you’re the right choice to keep my legacy going.”

I sat back and let out a breath. He couldn’t be serious. Yeah, the guys joked about how I was Papa’s favorite son. But the reality was that I wasn’t his son—Ivan was. He was the one who belonged at the head of the table. To follow in Papa’s footsteps was his birthright.

“Ivan—”

“I’ll handle him.”

“And the guys?”

“I don’t think any of them will be surprised with my choice.” He scoffed. “If given the chance, Ivan would burn this place to the ground. He’s my son, but that doesn’t make me blind to what he is. His greed gets the better of him every time. He’s always looking for a short cut, an easy way out. And you know this life is anything but.”

“He’s been working on it.”

In the past few months, Ivan had put some serious effort into doing better. Mostly because he was afraid he’d reached the limit of Papa’s patience. But overall, he’d matured. With proper guidance, he could be a good leader to us all. I opened my mouth to explain the nuances of Ivan’s capabilities.

Papa put up his hand. “My decision has been made. All that’s left is for you to say yes. Let me worry about the rest. You made an example of Dominic and his crew. Now, the crew knows that anyone who dares to challenge your authority as Pakhan will meet the same end.”

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