Page 28 of The Fighter

With a grunt, I tore my wrist out of Tav’s grip and shifted to stand next to him. He didn’t like that, immediately snatching me again.

“Put down the knife, or I’ll put a bullet between your eyes.” Nik’s arm holding the gun didn’t even tremble.

Fuck, I needed to de-escalate this.

“Tav, put down the knife,” I turned with my back to Nik to show he wasn’t a threat. “This is Nik. My bodyguard.”

Tav’s remained still and tense. Only his eyes shifted from me, to Nik, and then back to me. He exhaled. “You sure?”

I smiled at him and reached for the knife. “I’m positive. He might want to kill me sometimes, but today is not that day.”

As I pried Tav’s fingers from the knife and set it down on the counter, Nik grunted. “The day is still early, boss.”

I turned with a scowl. “You’re not helping.”

Tav’s heat blanketed my back, his chest still vibrating. Nik’s gaze went over my shoulder, and he snarled. “Why is there a shirtless man in your kitchen holding a knife? Why wasn’t I informed you had a visitor?”

“You’re not my mother, Nik.”

“I’m responsible for keeping you alive and not letting some madman with a knife stab you in your own home.”

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Can you shut up? Since when are you chatty?”

“Since I had to pull my gun on someone before nine a.m.”

Tav’s breath fluttered the hair on the side of my head. I pointed to Nik. “Leave.”

“No.”

“No, what?”

“I’m not leaving.”

“Who pays you?”

“You. That’s why I need to keep you alive.”

I was done with the crazy Russian. I reached behind me for Tav and circled my fingers around his wrist. “Nik, this is Tav. He’s… he’s Tav.”

Nik looked extremely unimpressed, but he studied Tav for a moment. “Yeah, he’s the guy you brought home from Collar.”

“You remember him?” I couldn’t have been sure. It had been dark when Nik had last seen Tav.

“Yeah, of course. Not a good bodyguard if I don’t.”

I was seething. “Then why did you pull a gun on him?”

“One in seven men experience intimate partner violence?—”

I pointed at my door. “Get the fuck out, Nik.”

He looked put out. Like this was my fault. “But my coffee maker is broken, and I wanted to use yours.”

I stalked toward him. “You know what, give me your gun.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fuck, okay, Conrad. I’ll leave. Usually you’re in a better mood after you get your cock wet.”

I was never a prude, but his crude words in reference to Tav made my anger spark. “Nik. Watch it.”