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CARTER
The fight was done, mostly everyone was gone, and Rod’s body had been taken away. There was still a dark stain on the concrete where he’d bled out. Nikolai emerged from the dark hallway, this time dressed in a pair of jeans and a dark gray T-shirt, the side of which was soaked with blood from his knife wound. He talked to Emilio and his clan for a few minutes, but they left soon after. The only people left in the warehouse were Scar, his two bodyguards, Nikolai, Wheeler, and us.
Scar’s laugh echoed against the hollow walls. “Well, that was quite exciting.”
Nikolai peered down at his bloody hands and smiled. “Yes, it was.”
Glancing back at Antonio and Bridger, Scar nodded toward the exit. “I think it’s time to call it a night. Let’s go.” He started to walk, but the men didn’t follow him. In that instant, I knew something was wrong. The air around us crackled, and my body went on alert; the same went for Ethan, Braden, Ripp, Kase, and Hunter. They knew things were about to get crazy.
Looking over at Nikolai, his attention was still on his bloodied hands, but his grin grew into an evil sneer. Scar jerked around and grabbed a fistful of Antonio’s button-down shirt. “I said let’s go!” he shouted. “Are you fucking deaf?”
Nikolai reached behind his back and pulled out a gun, holding it at his side. “No, they’re not deaf. They’re just not going to listen to you.”
Scar let go of Antonio’s shirt and stormed around to face Nikolai. “They work for me! I’m the one who pays them!”
Nikolai threw his head back and laughed. “And I’m the one who supplied them to you, old man. They’re part of my family, not yours.”
Braden moved closer to me. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” I whispered back. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.
Huffing, Scar held out his arms. “You son of a bitch. What are you going to do, kill me?”
Nikolai shrugged as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Actually, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” Then, in the blink of an eye, Nikolai pointed the gun and fired, the bullet going straight through Scar’s forehead.
The blood rushed through my ears as I watched Scar’s lifeless body fall to the floor, the thud of it hitting the concrete made my stomach churn. I had no words. I was numb. When I looked at my friends, their emotionless faces were all I could see, but hidden beneath the surface was shock.
Sliding the gun back into the waistband of his jeans, Nikolai marched straight up to me, not even acknowledging anyone else. “Think you can still beat me, Reynolds?”
I met him eye to eye. “Why don’t you find out?”
Nikolai’s gaze narrowed. “Maybe I will. I thought after tonight you’d tuck tail and run, but …” He glanced over at the others. “You’ve all surprised me. Guess there’s more darkness in you than I thought.” Then to Wheeler, he said, “Get the car ready and take them back.”
Wheeler nodded and walked away while Antonio and Bridger followed him to the garage. Nikolai didn’t take his eyes off mine as he addressed the others. “Rushing and Andrews, you get your tattoos tomorrow, and then I want you back in Vegas. You’re not needed here right now.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw them nod. Nikolai then spoke to the others. “Ripp, Braden, and Ethan, you’ll get yours this week. After that, you belong to me. When I call, you come. Got it?”
Braden tensed beside me, and I knew he had a smart-ass comment waiting to fire. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the time or place for it. Thankfully, he kept his mouth shut and so did the others.
Once Nikolai was satisfied, he looked at the others and jerked his head toward the exit. “Go. But not you,” he said, pinning his lethal glare on me.
The guys were hesitant to leave, but I nodded so they’d go. As soon as they were out of sight, the tension in the room skyrocketed. Nikolai hated me and the feeling was mutual. If there was ever a person I wouldn’t regret killing it would be him.
“You have a fight next Friday, Reynolds,” he said, his voice challenging me. “I suggest you get your affairs in order because winning isn’t going to happen.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Nikolai nodded. “Yeah, we will.” His eyes gleamed. “And when you’re lying cold on the ground, I’ll be there to comfort your girl. Or should I say, my girl. She won’t be able to resist when I show her what I can give her.”
Clenching my fists, I wanted to take him out, but I couldn’t without risking my friends’ lives. “Whether I’m dead or alive, Emma will never be with you.”
“We’ll see,” he said, grinning smugly. “Enjoy your last week with her.”
He walked out and my whole body shook with rage. I peered down at Scar’s body, the smell of his blood permeating the air. If I thought fighting for Scar was terrible enough, I’d just been proven wrong. Scar was the old, and now a new generation had taken hold. Things were a lot worse than I ever could’ve imagined.
