“How do you work that out?”
Nash leaned back, stretching his crocked leg. “He lost his last bout. Club rules means he has to fight a council brother before he’s allowed in the ring again.”
I pictured some of the men who sat at the Rebel Kings’ table—Saint, Mateo,Alexei—and laughed. “That’s a stupid fucking rule unless one of you plans on getting KO’d tonight on purpose.”
“No chance.” Nash grinned again, but it was all menace this time. “They don’t fight us to win. They fight so they learn how to lose.”
The philosophy made no sense to me, but I wasn’t as clever as these boys and I didn’t fucking care. I was keyed up to fight. AndI knew Nash understood that cos he’d seen it in me before, when he’d let me goad him into thumping the shit out of me.
Didn’t help.
Not permanently, anyway.
Still, I wanted this fight. I needed it. “So what you’re saying is I have to wait my turn to kick his head in?”
“Not necessarily.” Nash pushed himself off the bunk and came closer, discomfort cinching his brow. “You want this bout? Give me a reason to bend the rules and make it happen.”
In the time it had taken him to cross the small space, I’d rolled another smoke. I stuck it between my lips and lit it. “Sounds like a manipulation.”
“What do you care if you get what you want?”
“What do I care?” I blew smoke to the ceiling. “It’s nish to me, but I don’t like being fucking handled.”
Nish. Nothing. But I meant what I said. If Nash wanted me to spill, he’d have to do better than that. Or he’d have to bring some other cunt in to talk for him.
“Nomad.”
My body went cold. For months now—years, a lifetime, it had to be—I’d imagined the moment the Russian voice in my head became real. How I’d feel. If I’d survive it. But notthisRussian voice. Not the one that usually meant endless nights ofsilentstake-outs before we got to the brutal violence.
I miss him.
Viktor.
Not Alexei Ivanov who stared at me like I was fucking fish food.
I nodded a greeting.
He kept staring. “You’re home.”
“I’mhere.”
Alexei stared some more, and I wasn’t immune to his unnerving attention. I felt like an insect under a microscope and it sobered me up faster than I was prepared for.
I turned back to Nash. “I’m not spitting why I decked Grandad Doherty. It stays with me.”
“Then you can’t step in the ring.”
“Suit yourself. You know I’m gonna fight anyway.”
Nash eyed me, steady, calm, and fucking lethal if you’d seen him fight as many times as I had. “You don’t make the rules, bro.”
“Not trying to. I’m telling you where I’m at.”
“And I’m tellingyouthat’s not how it fucking works. Unless you want a promotion.”
“Eh?”
Nash took a breath, but Alexei spoke over him. “To the council, nomad. Is up to you if what happened here today is worth that commitment.”
