Chapter 6
NIKOLAI
“Lara, keep him back before I strangle him.” I can’t believe I’m on my hands and knees at my sister’s house, cleaning up almost half a gallon of soy sauce off of the floor.
She turns and pushes a very pale Alexei out of the room toward the couch. “Go lay down. You know he’ll do it.”
I nearly have the mess contained before she comes back in. She stands over me while I wipe the brown liquid up with the last of her paper towels.
“Why did you tell him? You knew he’d try it,” she scolds me.
My jaw clenches. Of course this is my fault.
Her long braid whips over her shoulder as she reaches under the sink to grab a new package. “He doesn’t know any better.” Lara tosses the soft roll at me and it bounces off my arm.
Alexei is worse than a child some days.
I roll back on my heels. “I just got done telling him I killed a man by making him swallow salt water. Why is it my fault he decided to test that theory and try to guzzle an entire jug of soy sauce?” When I throw the sodden rag towards the garbage can, I miss and it leaves a brown splatter on the side of the counter before dropping with a wet plop onto the tile.
Lara is the only person in the world who can smack me in the back of the head and not die for it.
So, she does.
“Everything is a challenge to him. His entire purpose in life is to try to please. You, me, Mikhail.” She throws her hands up in exasperation. “He doesn’t do this stuff to make you mad, he’s trying to impress you.”
“Yea! What she said!” Alexei yells from the living room.
“I’d be more impressed if he didn’t immediately puke it all over the kitchen,” I grumble, but low enough he can’t hear me.
Knowing my luck, he’d try it again.
There are worse traits in a man. Alexei is loyal, almost to a fault.
I wouldn’t have it any other way. I know I can count on him, no matter what.
But, some days, I still want to shake him.
Standing, I stretch my back and look around. I think I got it all.
“Thank you,” Lara says quietly. She softly touches my wrist, then heads back towards Alexei.
I let out a long sigh. There’s never a dull moment with him around.
My cell vibrates in my pocket as I’m washing my hands.
Mikhail: Altercation at Vox. Grab A and J.
I can hear Alexei groaning from the other room.
Well, he’s out.
Fuck.
Jax’s phone rings four times before he answers, breathlessly. “Hey.”
“Mikhail needs us to go to Vox.” I throw a wave at Lara before leaving.
“Oh. Um, I’m not in Vegas at the moment.” It sounds like he’s covering his mic to talk to Sofia.
She isn’t muffled enough to miss her giggling.
Shit.
“I’m like, three hours at least. I’ll call you when I’m close.” He ends the call.
My knuckles crack as I climb into my Hellcat.
It won’t be the first time I’ve taken care of a fight myself.
I better text Enzo to be my eye in the sky. He might not get his hands dirty, but he can call in reinforcements if I need them.
The air conditioning in my Hellcat is just barely beginning to catch up to the Vegas sun when I pull to a stop in front of the bar.
There’s at least two Reaper bikes parked in front.
Not too many. Should be an easy clean up.
A blast of cold air and the sounds of fighting washes over me when I push through the glass door.
The short bartender just points mutely towards the back. He knows who I am and why I’m here.
Crashing grows louder as I thread through the tables.
A man wearing a leather vest stumbles past me, clutching his side where a bloom of crimson is spreading over his shirt.
He glances up at me, and his face pales before he lurches for the exit.
There are at least six guys forming a circle in the back. Their elbows and fists fly as they attack whatever is in the center.
One falls backwards, clawing at his own throat, eyes bulging as he falls to the ground.
I get a flash of the person in the center.
Long dark hair whips from a high ponytail as she tries to push one of the men off of her. Blood covers her chest and torn shirt that reveals her slim bare belly.
Her chocolate eyes meet mine before a fist lands on her jaw, knocking her down.
A seething rage surges within me as she falls.
Grabbing a neck in each hand, I sling the two men together hard enough their skulls make a hollow crunch when they meet.
I push into the fray and extend my arm, beckoning the fallen woman with my open palm.
Her shaking hand reaches up and touches mine.
And holy shit, it’s like lightning sparking me to life.