35. Dante
DANTE
M y daughter was in love with a Russian!
I should have seen it coming, but I didn’t. My princess sidekick was growing up, and I couldn’t even make Nikola hurt because hurting him would mean hurting my daughter.
How in the fuck did this fuckup of a Thanksgiving holiday get worse than I could have possibly imagined?
“ Moye serdtse , you’re not going anywhere right now.” Branka’s voice reached us just as we were sliding into the car.
“I won’t be long, kotyonok .”
“Don’t you kotyonok me, Sasha. You get in that stupid sports car, and you’ll be sleeping on the couch for the foreseeable future. Maybe even until we die.”
He let out a heavy sigh. “Why is it always the couch?”
I shrugged. “She’s got you there.”
I flicked a glance to the manor and spotted my Nix at the window, where she signed, “ She loves him. Be gentle. ”
Despite the impulse I felt to kill him, I nodded. My daughter’s and wife’s happiness were everything to me.
“Why isn’t your wife threatening you with the couch?” Sasha muttered.
“We spent too many years apart to do the couch thing,” I answered.
I didn’t tell him that Nix knew me better than I knew myself sometimes. She probably already guessed that I would give the Nikolaev boy a piece of my mind, but I wouldn’t hurt him.
A sex tape was every father’s nightmare. True, I didn’t see anything but shadows after they kissed, but fuck… it was way too much, and there wasn’t enough soap in this world to scrub those images from my mind.
Okay, maybe I would kill him. Whatever. He deserved whatever punishment came his way.
I flicked a glance at Branka and Sasha who were still arguing, but it was clear who was winning this argument. What a fucking schmuck.
“I’ll let you know how it goes,” I shouted, then shut the car door and revved the engine before speeding out of the Nikolaev compound and onto the highway.
It took ten minutes to arrive at the club, and I was in a daze for most of it. Nikola was just pulling up on his motorcycle, parking it in the alley by the private entrance.
He slid the helmet off, hooking it on the handle.
“Ah, my future father-in-law,” he greeted, not even bothering to turn around. “Welcome. I didn’t expect you so soon.”
“Nikola, my maybe future son-in-law. I see you don’t listen very well.”
He turned around and rolled his motherfucking eyes. At me! “If you start with Italian sharks again, I swear to God…”
I shoved my hands into the pockets of my trousers, clenching them into fists to keep from beating him. But I wouldn’t do that because apparently my daughter loved him. Fuck’s sake.
“How about I record it?” I suggested in a cold tone. “Maybe I’ll create a YouTube channel and blast it off.”
“I’m impressed you’ve heard of YouTube, although I suspect you wouldn’t know how to use it.” The little prick actually grinned.
“You’d be shocked at how much you don’t know,” I retorted dryly.
He chuckled. “Well, not to worry, Papa Dante. I can show you the ropes.”
“Don’t fucking call me that.”
“Call you what?” He let out a sardonic breath. “You’re about to be my father-in-law. Don’t you love that, Papa Dante? Finally one big happy family.”
I gritted my teeth. “How in the fuck did I get stuck with such infuriating people in my life?”
The Nikolaev family was fucking crazy, and now one of them would be my son-in-law. Damn it.
Nikola took a step toward me, something maniacal in the pale blues of his eyes. “Are you talking about yourself or someone else?”
Thou shall not kill the boy your daughter loves. Thou shall not kill the boy your daughter loves.
I repeated the chant over and over again before I found the strength to grit out my next words. “If you’re going to marry my daughter, you better learn how to respect your elders.”
“Oh, come on, it was a valid question,” he claimed, refusing to erase that stupid smile off his face.
“You know very well I was talking about your fucking ass.”
“I thought you liked me.” He tsked, feigned disappointment marring his features.
He’s taunting me , I realized. Maybe he wanted me to shoot him so my daughter would take his side over mine. Ahhh. I think not.
“I came to discuss Skye and her future.” I took a deep breath and exhaled it before I gritted through clenched teeth, “With you.”