“You have three minutes,” I hissed as I closed the bathroom door.
“You can end all of this, Wren. I know you want to fight me. I’m giving you a chance to do that tonight. You’ll have to sneak out of my brother’s house, though. I’ll have someone down the street ready to pick you up.”
I wanted to burst out laughing. “Do you think I’m fucking stupid? You want me dead, you sorry sack of shit. You’ll put a bullet in my head the second you see me.”
“No,” he replied, his voice detached of all humor. “After seeing what you did yesterday to get to me, I was impressed. You’re a valuable asset, Wren. Women like you are few and far between. I’ll even allow you to carry a weapon with you when you come to me. Hell, bring two guns on you if you want. I’m trusting you’ll fight fair.”
My hands shook with rage. “And you expect me to believe thatyouwill?”
“I will,” he promised. “Do you want to hear the terms?”
“You have two minutes now,” I snapped.
A low, sinister laugh echoed through the phone. “First,” he began, “we’ll fight. You can obviously hold your own against men. If you beat me, I’ll be dead. And if I win . . .” He paused, and I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. Anything he wants will be something I won’t want to give. “If I win,” he continued, “you come and work for me. You’ll have to agree not to try and kill me, of course. However, if you defy me, I’ll have no choice but to get rid of you. Those are the terms.”
I wanted a chance to end him, and I knew I’d never get it with Seth. I’d gotten myself out of challenging situations before, and this was no different.
“I will never work for a psychotic dick like you, Nikolai,” I spat. “You killed my brother. The only option I have is to kill you. There’s no other way.”
He chuckled again. “There is. I have a third option for you. This one benefits you greatly. All you have to do is turn Seth over to me.” My chest clenched at the thought. Before I could tell him to go to hell, he kept talking. “I’ll give you five million dollars and leave all the other fighters alone. I won’t go after them. No more threats.”
I would’ve done anything to protect my friends, but I couldn’t give up Seth; I wouldn’t.
“What do you say, Wren? Do we have a deal?”
“No,” I fired back. “I’m not going to betray Seth like that. I’ll take my chances with the fight.”
His laugh sent shivers down my spine. “I’ll have one of my guys pick you up around midnight. See you then.”
Without another word, I ended the call and looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. What the hell had I just gotten myself into?
* * *
I took the day off from working out and stayed in my room for most of it, mainly pacing the floor. My stomach was a ball of nerves as I replayed the phone call with Nikolai in my head. How could I agree to fight him? It had to be a trap. I should’ve just told him to go fuck himself and then hung up without wasting those three minutes of my life. Nikolai was as dirty as anyone could get, and there was no way he’d be fair with me. So, the question of the day was this . . . do I stay or do I go tonight? I had no doubt I had the strength to kill him, but would I even get a chance before one of his men intervened? Absolutely not. The answer was simple . . . I don’t go.
Sneaking out of Seth’s house was going to be near impossible. I was smart enough to know what I could and could not do. Seth was an intelligent man. I had yet to grasp what all of his capabilities were. Not to mention, he probably had a secret surveillance system on the house. I wouldn’t get one step out of the door without someone catching me.
My phone beeped and I dreaded the thought of it being Nikolai. Luckily, it was a text from Ripp. I knew he was worried about me because I didn’t want to train today.
Ripp: Want to come over and talk?
Me: Be right there.
I rummaged through the bag of Kali’s clothes and changed into black running shorts and a mint green tank top. Wearing her bright-colored clothes was new for me, but I was getting used to it; I liked it. I grew up wearing dark fabrics so the dirt wouldn’t show; they were the only clothes my foster parents would get me. None of them were keen on doing laundry. Then, when I came of age to go out on my own, I still bought dark colors because it was what I was used to. Parker and I would go to the laundromat once a week to wash all our things. It was strange thinking back to those times. My life was nothing like that anymore.
When I got downstairs, I thought Seth would be doing business in his office as usual, but he was in the living room talking to Benny, their voices hushed. He was barefoot and wore regular clothes: jeans and a white T-shirt. It was a Saturday, after all. I knew he was about to be the mafia boss of his family, but I guess even guys like him had the odd day off. Seth glanced over his shoulder and smiled when he saw me.
“Hey,” I called out.
Benny nodded at Seth and exited out the back door. With his brows furrowed, Seth started toward me.
“You feeling okay? You look like something’s bothering you.”
If he only knew what was going on. “Eh, just thinking about my life,” I said.
Seth crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the back of the couch. “Want to talk about it?”
I waved off the notion. “No, it’s a sob story. No one gives a shit about those.”
