She held out her phone and on the screen was a selfie of her and a very good-looking man with dark hair and piercing blue eyes.
“That’s Valentin Rossi,” she confessed, her voice low as if speaking quietly would keep the others from finding out. “He’ll be head of the Rossi family one day when his father steps down.”
Sighing, I handed her phone back to her. “So, you’re in bed with the mafia.”
Kali’s smile faded and a spark of anger flashed across her face. “Valentin is not my enemy. Nikolai is.”
The last thing I wanted to do was piss her off.
“I didn’t mean what I said in a bad way per se, Kali,” I said softly. “It’s just your involvement with Valentin puts you deeper into their world. It’s dangerous.”
She scoffed. “I’m already in danger because of who my father is. The man has more enemies than I can count. He killed more people at the Dark Side than any of the others.”
And that was true. Kyle Andrews was one of the most hated men in all of the UFC. But he ended up paralyzed when he fought Kase’s father for the heavyweight title. His road to redemption wasn’t easy, but after several months, he learned to walk and fight again.
I glanced out the back window at the two men. “You still haven’t explained why Valentin has guys watching you. Don’t you find it a little stalkerish?”
Kali chuckled. “No, I find it hot as hell.” She looked down at the picture of them on her phone. “Valentin has enemies just like Seth and everyone else they’re involved with. He’s worried that someone might use me as a way to get to him. That’s why we’re keeping our relationship a secret for now.” Her eyes lifted to mine. “He just wants to make sure I’m safe.” She slid her phone into her purse and smiled. “Look at it this way, we have two protectors watching us tonight. Nikolai’s guys wouldn’t dare come near you.”
I had to hope she knew what she was getting into. Kali was intelligent and very intimidating; she reminded me of myself. Never once have I seen her afraid of anything. I reached over and gently took her hand in mine.
“Please be careful, Kali.”
She smirked. “I always am. Now, come on, it’s time for us to have fun and eat good food. We can’t let that fucktard, Nikolai, ruin everything in our lives.”
That was true. And I had already told myself I wouldn’t stop living my life because of him. I let her go of her hand and opened my door.
“Let’s go. No more thinking of that asshole tonight.”
Kali’s grin widened. “Exactly.”
CHAPTER8
WREN
Kali and I spent three hours at K&B’s Bistro, and I ate until I could barely move. The guys in the sedan were still parked behind Kali’s car when we walked out of the restaurant.
“Is there anywhere you want to go?” Kali asked, pressing the unlock button on her key fob.
I tried to see the two men in the sedan, but it was dark outside, and the windows were tinted.
“No, I should probably get back to the hotel,” I said, knowing Parker wouldn’t be able to rest until I returned safely. “But we need to have a girl’s night again before I head back to California.”
Kali opened her door. “Hell yeah, we do.” We hopped inside her car and started on our way to the hotel. “Don’t you fight tomorrow at the Labyrinth?” she asked.
I looked at the side view mirror and watched the two Rossi men follow us. “Yep. It’s probably going to be my last one.”
Kali jerked her head my way. “Why? Don’t you like money?”
I’d lived for so long without it, but it was nice to have. I didn’t have to worry anymore about where I would sleep for the night or if I would get to eat.
“I do,” I admitted, “but that was before I found out where the money came from. I’m not fighting so rich people can make money off me.”
Kali chuckled. “Good point. I guess I can’t blame you there. I’m not doing any more fights at the club, either.”
“Is that because Valentin doesn’t want you to?”
She scoffed. “Please. He’s smart enough to know he can’t tell me what to do. He hasn’t even tried. That’s one of the things I like about him.”
