Chapter 5
DANTE
Ismile at the screen when she doesn’t reply. To be honest, I didn’t expect her to, but to say I’m intrigued by her is an understatement.
The only thing I know is her first name is Romi.
And although I could learn everything I need to about her with one simple payment, I’ve decided to do this the old-fashioned way.
I am, after all, only living with her to immerse myself into my brother's world to piss him off. And until then, I’ll play the nice guy.
The moment I walk into Luca Armani’s Balmere club, I’m in awe of the haven he’s built. Naked men and women dance in cages, ready to be purchased by the highest bidder. Men sit at tables, gambling.
Luca isn’t in tonight, but it’s not him I’ve come for.
I walk through the club and past his office.
The security guard stands aside for me, and I head down the stairs to where the real gambling happens.
The underground fighting ring attracts all kinds of interesting characters to spend big money, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it in person.
A single ring is positioned in the center of the room, with stadium chairs surrounding it. However, tonight, it’s eerily quiet because matches are only hosted once a week. Five men wait for me at the bottom of those stairs. The hounds.
“Hello, boys,” I purr with satisfaction that they’re obliged to meet me here after my summons. None of them replies, but they all watch me carefully. As I walk closer, two of them slowly circle me to block my path to the exit.
The smell of a fight lingering in the air makes me spectacularly happy. “The least you can do is remove your masks so I can see your hideous faces.”
The first to remove their mask is the blue-gemmed hound, revealing light-blue eyes, blond hair, and an elegant face that is almost doll-like.
“On the contrary, I’ve been told all my life that I’m beautiful,” Sky says, but the charm doesn’t meet his gaze. No, he wants to murder me. Delightful.
The rest follow Sky's lead, removing their masks. The brown-gemmed hound is the oldest of the five, Tony, who’s been acting as Ara’s personal security.
The next is Izak, who assisted me only days ago in ensuring I was the only applicant for my current residence.
The other two are the ones I can’t wait for. The green-gemmed hound removes his, licking his lips, predatory-like. “I can’t wait to kill you tonight,” Tyson says, cracking his knuckles.
The red-gemmed hound removes his, and it’s the stoic expression on his face that should be terrifying, but I can see the bloodthirsty psychopath beneath.
There’s always something off about people like him.
Although they might adapt to society, I’ve learned to trust my instinct.
In summary, he’s the only one I should worry about.
But this is also the only way to assert my authority, the one way to gain their respect. I crack my own knuckles, a shot of adrenaline coursing through my veins.
“Well, boys, know there will be consequences if you kill him,” Tony says as he whittles what looks like a wooden animal.
“That doesn’t exactly sound like you’re trying to dissuade us,” Tyson says as he steps toward me. I undo the top two buttons on my shirt and roll up my sleeves, a gentle buzz of excitement coursing through my veins.
Tony shrugs as Izak looks back down at his laptop, uninterested and busily types away, stating. “Do whatever you want, but I’m not helping anyone with a body bag tonight.”
“You’re so lazy,” Sky says with a smile as he and Tyson circle me. It’s Kage who stands back, not out of fear, but because he's sizing up his competition. He might be a psycho, but he’s at least a calculated one.
“Let’s make it thrilling, shall we?” I pull a small case out of my leather jacket before shaking it off. I’m always so excited to acquaint others with my favorite weapons. The two scalpels glint under the lights.
Tyson scoffs as he pulls out his own blades. “Pfft, he’s a doc through and through, huh? What are you going to do, stitch us up after?”
I can’t help but smile to antagonize him further. Men like him are all the same. Short-tempered and always the first to bleed.
“Your mistake would be thinking my curiosity for the blades came during my studies and not before. You’d be surprised by how deadly nicking the right arteries can be,” I tell him.
We circle each other only for a moment longer before the palpable tension in the room snaps, and Tyson jumps first.
Men like this, though lethal, are wild animals and easy to put down. He stabs at my stomach, and I dodge, slicing elegantly across his hand.
His blade drops from his hand, and he elbows me in the face. Pain explodes, and my nose fills with blood. I laugh as I take two steps back, only to be greeted by Sky kicking me in the stomach, shoving me back.
Here’s the thing… I like pain.
With lightning speed, I throw a scalpel into Sky’s shoulder, then lunge for him as he blocks with one hand and grabs for the gun holstered at his hip with the other.
But I’m faster than him, grabbing it before he can, as I simultaneously throw the second scalpel at Tyson's leg, forcing him to drop to one knee. Then I point the gun at Kage, who’s only an arm’s length away from me with his own gun pointed at my face.
I crack a smile, adrenaline coursing through me. My heart is pounding, and I feel alive, electrified. I could kill the red hound. I could go for the shot.
I waggle my brows at him. “Shall we see who's a quicker shot?”
Kage stares at me blankly, his finger still on the trigger. I know Kage is the bloodthirsty one, but with whatever chain Luca’s barely been able to restrain him with, he doesn’t pull the trigger.
“Motherfucker,” Sky curses as he yanks the scalpel out of his shoulder.
“You should be thanking me,” I say with blood pouring down my face. “I could’ve easily gone for your arteries and let you both bleed out on the floor.”
I shoot a pointed look at Tyson as he yanks the surgical blade out of his leg, the weapon clattering to the ground as he curses.
I let Kage step into my space, the cold touch of the barrel to my head as I aim the tip of Sky’s gun to point under his chin.
I could blow his brains out right now.
He could do the same to me.
It’s thrilling.
His eyes scan mine as he says, “You should fear death.”
“Is that advice coming from a soulless demon such as yourself? Hard pass.”
I contemplated for years whether I might be a psychopath myself. I might have similar tendencies, but I don’t pass the test, because I have at least a minimal, selective conscience. This man has none whatsoever.
“You’ve made your point.” Tony's voice booms through the room.
“I thought we were just getting started,” I quip as I lick my lips, enjoying the taste of my own blood.
“I agree with Tony,” Izak says over his laptop. “Luca will be pissed if we put ourselves out of commission because we were comparing dick size. He can clearly fight and hold his own.”
“Not bad for a doc,” Sky says as he rolls his shoulder. “I was curious what Lorenzo’s little brother might be capable of. He and I are close, after all.”
I snort because I know my brother is not close with anyone.
“I still don’t like it,” Tyson growls as he stands with a slight limp and a murderous glint in his eyes.
“Just remember, I could’ve gone for your throat, instead,” I say as Kage and I slowly lower our guns.
“You’d better be good at what you do. If not, we’ll kill you ourselves.” Kage goes to walk away, but pauses. “Oh, and another thing. The only orders you send me out on are bloody ones. Anything else, you can go fuck yourself over.”
I think I’m going to like it here a lot.
“This is going to be a lot of fun," I say cheerfully. "Now, if you’re willing to beg, I can stitch you boys up.”
When I arrive home at three in the morning, I’m surprised to see Romi awake in the living room, holding a pack of frozen peas to her face. She has her legs, which are clad in sexy, knee-high boots, propped up on the coffee table, and she shoots me an unimpressed look when she notices me.
Borris lies beside her, his head and ears perking up as I walk in, my motorcycle helmet under one arm.
“You look like shit” is the first thing she says to me. I look down at myself as I close the door, noticing the blood on my shirt where it peeks through my leather jacket.
“It appears you’ve also had better days. What happened?” I set my helmet next to her feet and then take a seat beside her.
“What kind of doctor comes home bleeding?” She diverts my question with her own.
“The good kind.”
“Right.”
I chuckle as I grab the frozen peas from her hand. “Show me your face.”
She grumbles in complaint but lets me look at it. A faint red mark remains from where it looks like someone hit her.
“Who did this to you?” This one is trouble, but I’m still surprised by the chill of bloody murder that washes over me.
She rolls her eyes and brings the peas back to her face, essentially flipping me off without using her fingers.
“Some chick I slept with a few nights ago. To be fair, I can’t even remember her name.”
I don’t give a shit if it was a man or woman who hit her; she’s too fucking beautiful to be marred by someone else’s dirty hands.
And yet, it’s her nonchalance that’s the most concerning.
Maybe, like me, she enjoys the pain, and if that’s the truth, who am I to judge? But I have a suspicion that's not it.
“Who was the guy who punched you in your face? I owe him my thanks,” she quips.
I lean over, thinking of the fond memory. “I think he and I are going to be good friends, actually.” I reach for her boots that are dirtying the coffee table; they've been irritating me ever since I walked in.
“What the fuck are you doing?” She kicks at my hands, but I pin her legs and unzip the first boot.