She winced and closed her eyes. “I can’t even imagine what this will be like for her.”
“I don’t want to break her heart, but I have no choice. This has to be done.”
Wren grabbed my arms with a look of determination on her face. “I want to be at the fight.”
“No!” I snapped, shaking my head. “It’s too dangerous. I want you here with my mother. You’ll be safe with her by your side.”
Wren’s eyes blazed. “But I want to see Nikolai dead, Seth. I want to see him suffer for all he’s done.”
I lifted my hands to her face, and clasped it gently. “If you’re there, I’ll worry about you the whole time. I have to focus on the fight.” I leaned down and kissed her. “I’m ending this for you. You won’t be completely safe until he’s gone.” Looking into her emerald eyes, it was so easy to get lost in them; they were beautiful. “I love you, Wren.”
A small smile spread across her lips. “I never thought I’d like hearing that so much.”
“I’ll say it as many times as you want,” I promised her.
She rubbed her cheek against my hand. “I didn’t want to fall for you, Seth. I fought against it for as long as I could. It’s the first fight I’ve ever lost.” But then her gaze narrowed. “And I don’t plan on losing any more.”
I let my hands fall from her face. “Neither do I. That’s why I need you to promise you’ll stay here and let me deal with Nikolai alone. It has to be this way . . . it has to be me.”
Wren crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you really going to kill him? He’s your brother, Seth. Will you be able to look him in the eye and end his life?”
I knew without a doubt that I could. I would do anything to keep her safe. There was no hesitation when I stared right into her eyes.
“Yes. I need you to trust me.”
Wren hung her head, and a tear fell down her cheek when she lifted it. “I do. That’s why I’m going to stay here with your mother.”
A wave of relief washed through me and I kissed her. “You’ll be free of all this in two days. You can do whatever you want, live wherever you want, and be whoever you want.”
Wren smiled and another tear fell down her cheek. “That’s great and everything, but where does that leaveus?”
I reached for her arms and pulled them away from her chest, bringing her hands to my lips. “That all depends on you. My world isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s messy and dangerous.”
Wren flippantly shrugged her shoulders. “Sounds like my kind of world. The only problem is where our lives take us. You belong in New York, and I’ll be traveling for fights.”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. If you let me, I want to be a part of your life.”
Her lips tilted into a smirk. “I’m good with that.”
I knew she could handle my world, but I hated the thought of her being in danger all the time. That was what I would be giving her . . . a life of looking over her shoulder. The best thing to do would be to let her return to California and forget about me, but I was too selfish. I’ve never felt this kind of love before, and I refused to give it up.
CHAPTER27
WREN
My stomach had been a ball of nerves all day. Seth was busy in his office, talking to his guys and figuring out where he wanted the fight to take place tomorrow night. I didn’t have Ripp to help me train, so I worked out on my own, hoping it would distract me.
Afterward, I retreated to my room and showered, only to sit by the window for another couple of hours and watch the sun dip behind the horizon. I wanted to call everyone back home and let them know what was happening, but I didn’t want to jinx things. Seth was stronger than Nikolai, but that didn’t mean anything when fighting against someone who didn’t fight fairly.
Voices could be heard downstairs, and a few minutes later, footsteps sounded in the hallway. A soft knock rapped on the door, and I watched it open. Seth leaned against the frame and crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes tired.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been able to spend time with you today,” he said, walking over to me.
He sat on the window seat beside me, and I took his hands. “It’s okay. You’ve had a lot to do.”
With a heavy sigh, he averted his attention to the window. There was only a sliver of pink and orange on the horizon; the rest of the sky was blue and purple with the coming night.
“Everything is set,” he informed me, meeting my gaze. “As far as here at the house, Diego will be bringing my mother. She’s been told you are dying to try her chicken parmesan. She’s coming over here to cook for you.”
