Chapter 5 Bastian
BASTIAN
Imoved along the row of seats, then sat down beside Landon.
My friend lifted a brow. “You don’t usually come to the fights.”
“I was in the mood.” I sat back and eyed the fighting ring, bounded by red ropes.
We were in a large, non-descript warehouse, not far off the Strip. It was an illegal fight ring, so there were few rules and huge bets.
Cole was fighting next.
I felt Landon looking at me. “What?”
“You get into it with a mountain lion who scratched up your face?”
“No.”
“I take it you found Lark.”
“Yes.” I felt a muscle tick beside my eye. “She wasn’t that interested in talking.”
Landon sighed. “Did you clean the scratches?”
Lark had left two jagged marks down my left cheek. “Yes. They’re fine, Landon. Don’t fuss.”
After my fight with Lark, I’d needed to clear my head. Sitting in my office wasn’t working, so I’d decided to get out and catch Cole’s fight.
When I’d tried to tell her about Ed, I’d seen the panic on her face. My gut contracted. She clearly suspected something, but her subconscious was trying to protect her.
I let out a harsh breath. I hated hurting her.
I remembered the doe-eyed, shell-shocked kid Ed had brought home. I’d been nineteen and desperate to make a name for myself at the CIA. I couldn’t believe he’d decided to raise a young girl.
She’d needed therapy, and instead, he’d trained her to become an assassin.
I’d gotten busy with my career and hadn’t seen her much. I’d been driven to prove myself, make something of myself. I’d been busy building a reputation, helping my country.
Then I’d laid eyes on the pretty, mouthy young woman she’d become. I’d run into her in the back streets of Paris when I’d been on a job, hunting down a dangerous terrorist.
A small form stepped out of the shadows. “Hello, Reaper.”
I cocked my head, hiding my frown. “How do you know who I am?”
The woman had stepped forward, the light catching her.
She shot me an amused smile. “I know everything about you. Chocolate ice cream is your favorite. You prefer a Glock, and you love to play poker. I just think you like taking risks.” Her teeth were white in the evening darkness as she smiled at me.
I frowned. Who the hell was this woman? She was tiny, but confident. She had a pretty face and soulful, brown eyes.
“You have no idea who I am.” She laughed.
I felt the sound in my gut. “Then why don’t you share, darling, and put me out of my misery?”
“I’m Lark.”
It had been like getting hit by a one-two punch to the gut. Lark. Small, traumatized Lark had grown into this tempting, vibrant woman.
I’d seen more of her then. She was always popping up while I was on jobs or at Ed’s. I told myself she was like the sister I’d never had.
But I’d known that was a lie.
Because a man didn’t take notice of his sister’s fit body, or the shape of her jaw, or the fullness of her lips.
I’d worried about her taking jobs, but she’d quickly made a name for herself as the Nightingale. An assassin who snuck in undetected, killed quickly, and left without a trace.
Then, I’d had to kill Ed.
“You want to talk about it?”
Landon’s voice brought me back to the present. “Not really.” I sighed.
“How did the talk go?”
“It didn’t. We fought. I tried to tell her.” I stared at the ring, barely noticing the scantily clad fight girls, in tiny shorts and tank tops, who were trying to hype up the crowd. “She panicked. She was afraid to listen.”
“Ah.” Landon was quiet for a moment. “She knows something.”
“She must suspect something, but she can’t face it.”
“Ignoring it or killing you won’t make it go away.”
“I know.”
“Ladies and gentlemen.” The announcer’s voice rang out over the crowded seats. “Are you ready for the number one match of the night?”
Wild applause broke out.
“You’re in for a treat. Our first opponent. Anton ‘Rampage’ Kamensky!”
There was loud clapping punctuated by shrill whistles.
The guy who climbed into the ring was huge. He wore electric-blue shorts, and his massive chest was covered in dark hair. He had a shaved head, and looked like he lived in the gym and lifted cars for fun. He turned and raised his massive arms, roaring at the crowd.
The crowd roared back.
“And our second fighter. One you know very well… The Wolf.”
Cole appeared out of a tunnel. He wore simple black shorts and no shirt. He was all slabs of hard muscle, covered in plenty of black ink. He had light-brown hair, and a rugged face that included a nose that had been broken before, and a knife scar on his left cheek
The crowd went wild.
He was a little smaller than his competitor, but I knew that Rampage didn’t stand a chance.
Landon sipped his beer. “Cole is edgy tonight.”
I zeroed in on our friend and I saw it. The tight way he was holding his body, and how he kept glancing over at one part of the crowd. He was tense.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. He won’t share.” Landon took another sip. “I reckon it’s a woman.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Cole?”
There was never a woman with Cole. I knew he occasionally hooked up with some fight groupies, but that was just sex. He didn’t even take them back to his place. He didn’t like anyone getting too close.
No. I didn’t think a woman would be worrying Cole.
In the ring, Kamensky sneered at Cole. He bounced on his feet, saying something. Cole stiffened but otherwise stayed still and stone-faced. Clearly the asshole was trying to provoke Cole.
“Rampage isn’t making good choices,” I murmured.
“No, he’s not,” Landon agreed.
The bell rang and the fight began.
The crowd was loud—clapping, shouting, pounding their feet. Rampage was loud and flashy. Cole was the opposite. He dodged most of the man’s hits. I clocked pretty early that Cole was playing with him.
A cat and his mouse.
A wolf and his prey.
Around me, I saw wads of cash changing hands as people placed their bets. A group of women two rows away were screaming Cole’s name.
Soon, Cole’s hits got harder, more brutal.
“This will be over soon,” Landon murmured.
Suddenly, a flash of purple in the crowd caught my attention. My pulse leaped and I leaned forward.
A woman with the same-color hair was cheering and clapping, and my gut tightened. It wasn’t Lark.
Dammit, I needed to find her. I needed to get this situation sorted with her.
She wouldn’t be so easy to lure out again, but it was past time that I explained about Ed. I knew she’d be upset, hurt.
But she wasn’t alone. She had me.
Done with the fight, Cole landed two brutal hits. Rampage hit the mats, tried once to get up, then collapsed.
“Annnnd the winner is the Wolf!”
The crowd went wild.
A sense of rightness filled me. I’d help Lark through it.
I knew we were connected. I’d felt it from the moment we’d collided in that back alley in Paris.
I’d explain, then I’d help her deal with it.
But first, I had to find her.