7. Irina
Chapter 7
Irina
M y father always told me I was an organ donor.
He’d said riding motor bikes would inevitably lead to my death. He wasn’t wrong. My fondness for bikes had a lot to do with the rush it brought me—that fine line between life and death.
But I was an adrenaline junkie, not suicidal.
The narrow streets of Italy were perfect to pass through. I’d borrowed one of Roman’s bikes this morning and left the manor.
I’d lied to Aurora about wanting to explore on my own when I was actually meeting my cousin.
Viktor’s surprise visit irritated me. I knew it was my father who asked him to come and watch over me, but I didn’t care. I didn’t need his protection, and I didn’t want him here. He could blow my cover unintentionally.
I slowly rode down the back alley to where he told me to meet him. It was sketchy, but I knew he was staying on the down low .
A whistle came from behind me. I shifted the bike and braked, turning my head.
Viktor was leaning against the brick building, staring at me blankly.
I narrowed my eyes at him before getting off the bike and walking toward him. “Go home, Viktor.”
“No can do.” His callous demeanor had always ground on my nerves as if he was to be held in high regards by every living creature.
“You can and you will. I don’t need a babysitter.”
He stepped forward, glaring down at me. “I don’t care, Irina . You focus on your mission, and I’ll focus on making sure you don’t waste my time.”
“Your time?” I scoffed. “I don’t even want you here.”
“But your father does,” he drawled humorously. “Already met one of them today.”
Viktor was fifteen years older than me and had always made it his duty to rank up in the Bratva. When his father—who was my uncle and the previous Pakhan —died, Viktor assumed his position when he came of age. But instead his father gave that title to his brother—my father.
“One of them?”
“The Italians you’ve surrounded yourself with.”
My heart thumped against my ribcage. “What did you do?”
“Luca, I think it was.” He gazed to the side in thought, then shrugged. “Have you met him yet?”
Yes . “No.”
“Hm.” He stared at me, searching for something, but I had no idea what. “Anyway, I wanted to see with my own eyes who we’re dealing with—what they’re capable of. ”
“ We are not dealing with anyone.” Shit . He’d met Luca. This was bad, really bad. “Do whatever you want. Just stay out of my way.”
Annoyance toward my father bloomed. I would’ve appreciated it if he had told me about this.
He clenched his jaw, his eyes homing in on me harshly. “Get it done, Irina,” he gritted out.
“I’ll tell Nicolai when he’s ready.” I crossed my arms, giving him the same pompous attitude he was giving me. “No sooner, no later.”
“He’s not a child!”
I stepped forward. “No, but he is my brother.” And because he irked the shit out of me, I added, “Your future Pakhan .”
I knew it grated on his nerves that he wouldn’t be the leader of the Bratva and frankly, I couldn’t care less what he wanted.
“Watch your fucking mouth.”
My hands itched to wrap them around his slender neck and choke the life out of him, but I refrained. If he wasn’t my cousin or an important part of the Bratva, I would’ve already wiped him off the face of the earth.
It was useless arguing with him. He was a narcissistic asshole who took his negative energy and suffocated others with it.
I walked backward toward my bike and lifted both my middle fingers at him. I didn’t care how childish it was. I’d wasted my breath on him enough.
Nothing I could say would make him leave.
The last thing I wanted to do on a Saturday night was watch some gangsters shed blood as they fought each other like they were wild animals.
Yet, Aurora had dragged me, claiming that it was a tad bit amusing despite the deadly environment. Plus, Roman had to make an appearance to hold up his reputation.
Apparently, the fights were designated for exclusive members of the Club who dripped wealth and power.
I pulled on Aurora’s shirt, grabbing her attention. “You really got over your fear of blood, huh?”
She smiled at me sheepishly and pointed a thumb in her husband’s direction. He noticed—as he did with everything regarding my best friend—and kissed the side of her head.
I shook my head in amusement. Shocker.
The crowd’s cheers became louder as Roman and Ricardo led us down to the basement.
My heart had begun to pick up speed at the rowdiness. The noise, the hectic surrounding, and the high of knowing danger was on the horizon were all too familiar.
The space was large, dark enough to conceal the sins of onlookers. The walls were brick stones, the ceiling high with lights faintly shining down on us.
We walked toward the stage until we reached the front, the crowd booming with excitement.
The ring was centered, closed off by thick ropes—although if someone wanted to, they could easily slide in and out.
And on stage I could see the back of a shirtless man, his skin stretching against pure muscle as he took his stance and moved to circle his opponent.
Time slowed, the blaring crowd becoming white noise as his opponent appeared in my line of sight. Luca.
My mouth parted as I took a step forward, the rage on his face unlike anything I’d ever seen before.
This wasn’t the mischievous brute I’d come to know. In the ring, he was a different person. His mouth was a vicious slash, his eyes deadly as he stared at the man opposite him with pure savagery.
It was his whole physique that screamed beastly. With only shorts on, he appeared bigger and taller than when he had clothes on. Muscles rippled along his tatted body; every inch of his skin marked with intricate designs. Not only tattoos but scars, marred along his back and torso.
I knew I should’ve been frightened to know I’d caught his attention, but all I could think of was how the chaos inside my mind stopped for a brief second as I took in his raw form.
He had depth, but why did that make me curious to know what lurked underneath?
Luca’s eyes flicked toward me and for a moment, he let me see what hid behind those caramel eyes. Then he smiled and swung his arm before it crashed into his opponent’s face.
“Hey!” Aurora called out, pulling on my arm and bringing me back toward her. “It can get crazy in here. Don’t go closer.”
Too late. For the first time ever, a man piqued my interest—but I’d never tell her or him that .
He was out for blood, moving fluidly, predatorily . If I hadn’t been paying close attention, I’d think he was dragging on the fight for longer than necessary.
He was putting on a show. One that had the audience cheering for him, women throwing their lingerie at him and men betting on him.
It was clearly not his first time in the ring, aiming hits back-to-back, enough to make the other man lose balance, but not enough to have him tap out.
“What’s a doll like you doing in a place like this all alone?”
If it wasn’t for the body pressed against my back disgustingly, I wouldn’t have thought the stranger was talking to me.
I stepped away and casually looked around me. What the hell?
Aurora and Roman were nowhere to be seen and if it was crowded before, the audience had doubled in size now.
“How about some company then?”
I turned and narrowed my eyes at the well-dressed man. He smirked, licking his lips as if I was a prize he couldn’t wait to take home.
I’d interacted with men like him before and I hated that previously, I’d needed to seduce them to retract information for the Bratva.
Not this time, though. I wasn’t on a mission.
I smiled at him, my blood boiling over men who thought a pretty face meant docile and compliant. “If I wanted company, I wouldn’t be here alone. If your miniature sized brain doesn’t understand what that means, let me simplify it further. Go fuck yourself, preferably somewhere far away from me.”
I faced the stage again, my breath catching in my throat. Luca had the man pinned to the floor as he mercilessly rammed his fists into his face, causing blood to splatter across his own. That wasn’t what had cold sweat streaming down my spine—it was that the brute had his gaze set on me as he nearly plummeted the man to death. Or maybe he was already dead.
“I can’t wait to break you into submission, doll.” Hot breath fanned my face, the stench of alcohol strong.
“Back off before you regret it.”
“Feisty,” he drawled, his hand snaking around my waist. “I like that.”
I nodded to myself. Looks like he’d regret it.
Grabbing his hand, I pushed back his fingers till I felt them crunch beneath mine.
“Ah!” He groaned, clutching his injury.
He took a step toward me, and I braced myself for his attack, but then he stopped. His eyes bulged as he gazed past me, terror evident on his face.
The audience’s screams became deafening as I turned around and saw Luca walking toward. . . me?
Shock pulsed in my veins at the sight, my heart fluttering against my chest almost painfully, unaware of what was about to happen.
He looked barbaric, blood and sweat dripping down his face and torso. This was worse than when he was in the ring, the craze in his eyes adding to how untamed he appeared .
Adrenaline seeped into my bloodstream, injecting me with the high I craved.
Luca reached me in a few strides, but it seemed I wasn’t his target. He grabbed the well-dressed man by the collar and shoved him to the floor as if he weighed nothing.
All I could do was stare as his fists drove into the man’s face repeatedly, his face becoming distorted and unrecognizable.
I knew I should’ve tried stopping it, but I couldn’t move. The hollowness inside my chest was numb, desensitizing me to the brutal scene in front of me.
Shouting and cheering echoed through the basement, the onlookers fueling Luca’s unhinged behavior with their commentary.
Suddenly, my body jolted, pulling me away from my fixation. Roman came into view, assessing me as if he were checking for any injuries before he went to Luca, trying to tug him off the unconscious man.
“Irina,” Aurora said from beside me. “Are you okay?”
Luca hadn’t budged. And it was near alarming when Ricardo stepped in to help Roman.
What kind of strength did this Italian brute possess?
“I’m fine,” I replied hoarsely. “Why isn’t security stepping in?”
“That’s not how it works here. Come on.” She clutched my arm and pulled me behind her, away from the mayhem.
The aftermath of the rush still lingered beneath my skin, reminding me of earlier tonight.
Tossing and turning, I huffed in frustration. I didn’t know how long I laid awake before the smell of musk hit me and I realized I wasn’t alone.
Musk.
Before I could grab the knife hidden beneath my pillow, a hard body covered mine, thick thighs straddling me.
My heart sank down to my stomach when Luca’s eyes caught mine. The streak of moonlight coming from the window lit the harsh planes of his face, shadowing the intensity of his gaze.
His palm landed on my stomach, the warmth of his skin seeping into me.
I should’ve been scared, knowing what he was capable of. Yet the only thing I feared was his touch. I loathed it and it had everything to do with the sensations it invoked in me.
That rush came back full force and my body buzzed to life, hungry for more of it, needing it.
But why did it have to be him to eradicate that hollowness inside my chest? I didn’t even know the man, let alone want him. . .
“Luca,” I whispered in warning, but my voice came out all wrong.
A deep sound came from the back of his throat as he slid his hand farther up my torso before he paused between my breasts.
I could feel the beat of my heart against his palm. Thump. Thump. Thump .
There were so many questions racing through my head. How did he get in here? What did he want? What was he doing to me?
He put a stop to them as he leaned down, his hand drifting further up until he’d wrapped it around my throat.
I melted into the mattress, trapped beneath him as I searched his eyes. They were manic and possessive. . .
Our noses were nearly touching, our breaths dancing in the space between us.
“Mine,” he rasped, and his lips came down on mine, stealing my breath away.
Kissing Luca was explosive, a drug I never knew I needed. Injected into my veins so deeply I didn’t think I’d ever come down from the high.
He squeezed my throat, opening my mouth for him so he could slide his tongue inside. Goosebumps sparked on my skin, my head swimming from every lash.
This was wrong. I shouldn’t want this man. Not only was he a member of the Italian Mafia, but he was Roman’s best friend. And I doubt he’d take it lightly if he knew what was happening under his roof.
Besides, men were tedious creatures, and I had no intention of getting involved with Luca, aside from the sensations his mouth was evoking in me.
I grabbed onto his shoulders and urged him to move on his back.
Without breaking contact, I straddled his waist and dug my fingers into his tee shirt, deepening the kiss.
He was utterly insane. Sneaking into my room in the middle of the night to claim me as his own. It enraged me beyond belief, but I couldn’t ignore the way my insides fluttered from needing more of this insanity. His insanity.
There was something deeply wrong with me.
His hands settled on my waist, pushing me further down onto him, the sensation sending a shiver up my spine.
The kiss was harsh, as if we were starved for one another. He tasted of sin and smoke, the concoction of a psychopath.
I took it.
I wanted it.
I needed it.
My soul was being fed. That black hole inside my chest ceased to exist in a way it hadn’t before.
If this was a onetime occurrence—and it was—I wanted my fill.
It wasn’t only me who was selfish. Luca nipped, sucked and stroked my lips like he couldn’t get enough of me. I felt his need to mark me in any way deep into my bones.
But I wouldn’t allow it. I belonged to no one.
Catching his bottom lip between my teeth, I pulled on it slowly before releasing, “Get out of my room, Luca.” I shifted to move away from him, but before I could, he squeezed my waist and flipped me onto my back.
His pupils were dilated, his lips parted and bruised, the look of pure madness.
I held my breath as he slid a finger down my cheek until he reached below my chin and nudged it.
That gesture meant something. It wasn’t the first time he’d done it, and I had a suspicion it wouldn’t be the last. It was almost as if he was telling me that he’d leave, but only for now.
Luca pushed himself off the bed and stood to his full height. He stared at me with his head tilted, eyeing the length of me before walking toward the door.
Then he stopped, his hand on the knob and his back to me when he spoke. “Any man who touches you will meet the same fate as the one who did it tonight.” His head turned to the side slightly. “Death.”