AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I finished eating quickly and washed up the dishes. I wanted to be gone before Nikolai arrived. Once I had my tennis shoes on, I grabbed my gym bag, and Carter walked with me into the garage. He pressed the button to open the garage doors, and there behind his silver Range Rover was Nikolai’s SUV, blocking us in. Nikolai hopped out of the driver’s side, and the behemoth of a man with him got out from the other. Nikolai wasn’t in a suit like last night but dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt. The giant with him had on an expensive suit with his gun tucked away in the holster under his jacket. I’d seen several mafia movies in my time, but I never thought I’d be trapped in one.
“Good morning Emma,” Nikolai said to me, completely ignoring Carter. “Where you off to?”
Carter stepped in his way. “That’s none of your fucking business. You’re here for me.”
Nikolai scowled. “Unfortunately.” He nodded toward his vehicle. “The blindfold is in the backseat. Let’s go.”
Dismissing him, Carter turned to me. “Be careful.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded. “You too.”
He kissed me quickly and disappeared inside the SUV. I couldn’t see him through the tinted windows. Nikolai grinned at me as he backed out of the driveway, making my uneasiness worse. From here on out, every time Carter left, I’d never know if he’d come back.
Opening the door to Carter’s car, I tossed my gym bag across the seat and hopped in. I backed out of the driveway and pressed the button to shut the garage door. I could see Nikolai’s SUV a little way down the road, and fought the urge to follow them. If I were in a different car, I would. Next time, I had to plan better.
The drive to Fightanium didn’t take long, and everyone was already there when I arrived. Before going in, I texted Carter just like he requested so he’d know I was safe. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to message back, I slid my phone into my gym bag and headed inside. My dad was in one of the fighting rings with Ethan, Ripp, and my uncle Camden. Reagan was in the other with Braden and Paxton. The second they all looked at me, it was as if time stood still. Since the meeting was just last night, Carter and I hadn’t had the chance to speak with them. I wanted to tell them the whole truth, but I couldn’t yet.
My dad leaned over the ropes and smiled. “You training with us today?”
Plastering on a smile, I nodded. I could use all the fighting practice I could get. “Yep.
He waved for me to join him. “Come on then.”
After I climbed up into the ring, I went straight to Ethan, leaning against him while I pretended to fix my shoes. “What happened?” he asked, his voice low.
I whispered back, “I promised Carter I wouldn’t say anything unless it got worse. I feel that’s going to be sooner rather than later.”
Ethan grumbled under his breath. “Fucking shit. We knew this was coming.”
“Yeah, we did. We’ll talk later.”
I’m ready for the day to end.
