“Only if you want to be,” he says, tilting his glass toward me in a mock toast. “But don’t flatter yourself too much. When a name like yours keeps popping up in three different time zones in a single month, it’s hard not to notice.” He sets the glass down with a softclinkand leans in, his expression shifting from amusement to something more clinical. “Most people travel to see the world. You look like you’re trying to outrun it. So, tell me, are you here for the view, or is the air getting thin elsewhere? Say at the Korolovs’?”
“Like you said, I can’t stay in one place too long.”
“A dangerous habit,” he murmurs, his thumb tracing the rim of his glass. “Keep moving long enough, and you stop belonging anywhere. Or perhaps that is the point.”
He gestures to the empty stool beside him, a challenge glinting in his eyes. “So, where to next?”
“I’m planning an extended stay in Veridian Bay.”
“Any particular reason?”
“Strictly business.” I know he’s trying to provoke me.
“Mmm. Then you’d best watch your step with the Korolov brothers.” He takes a slow, deliberate sip of his drink, his eyes never leaving mine. “They went back on our arrangement.” He stares at me. “But then again, you probably knew that, being as close as you are to Gabriel Kayde.”
“He might have mentioned it, but he didn’t elaborate. Quite frankly, I don’t care. It’s not my business.”
“Well, it all went downhill after his whore of a sister stabbed me in the leg.”
My hand grips my drink so hard I may break it. My other moves to my pocket, where I hold on to my brass knuckles.
“The sister? Veronica. Stabbed you? What did you do?” I say with uninterest, the words leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.
“I just danced with her. She’s such a sweetheart.”
He watches me, hunting for a reaction I refuse to give. Sensing the stalemate, he leans in to egg me on.
“She’s currently living in your building. Right across the hall, no?”
The realization hits; he’s been watching her.
“It’s all business,” I say, keeping my voice flat.
He steps back. “Well then, I plan on making peace with her. You never know, I may even get a fuck out of it. I heard she loves a good party and has a reputation for locking herself in a bathroom.”
I throw my glass at him and don’t hesitate to punch him straight in the nose. I hear the cracking of bone underneath my brass knuckles. He lands on the floor, and I grab his collar and continue to throw punches. I know I did damage. I hear a commotion all around me. Two of his bodyguards grab me, while another lands a blow to my eye, then my stomach. He lands a couple more punches. Shit, I think he broke my rib.
The bodyguard freezes, his hands flying up as the room’s atmosphere shifts from a brawl to a standoff. The two are still holding me; I’m bentover in pain. I pull myself back up, breathing hard, my knuckles slick with Eric's blood.
Damon is the first to speak. “Now, boys, you need to back the fuck off, or I’m going to have to start putting bullets in someone.”
The guards go rigid, their eyes darting between each other and their boss, who’s writhing on the floor with a shattered nose and a broken jaw.
“Drop your grip on him,” Felix adds, his voice a low, dangerous growl. “Now.”
“How did you find me?” I ask both men.
“You aren’t the only tracker in the group,” Felix tells me. “Now, let’s get out of here before Damon gets trigger-happy.”
Felix heads for the exit. I follow him, and Damon covers me; his guns sweep across the room to cover my back. Once we clear the building and hit the cool air, both men turn to face me. Their looks alone are the question.
“He sent Veronica a package,” I say, getting straight to the point. “To her apartment. I intercepted it before she saw what it was. It was jewelry with an apology note.”
“I’m going back in there to kill him.” Damon immediately pivots, marching toward the entrance with murder in his eyes, but Felix steps in his path and manages to steady him. “If you kill him, we won’t be prepared for the retaliation. This is our city; we need to be prepared.”
“We need a meeting,” Damon says, his jaw tight. “I’ll call the brothers and have them meet us at the bar. Where’s Veronica?”
“She’s with Miguel and Abigail,” I inform them.
