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CARTER
Philip was dead.
I killed him and my insides were numb to the fact. There was no regret, no remorse. I did what I had to do. The world was a better place without that prick in it. But unfortunately, the fight wasn’t over. Nikolai would be coming for me … and I was ready.
However, the second I heard Emma’s name, my blood ran cold. I wanted to think I imagined it, but then I heard it again. Whirling around, I desperately searched the crowd. There were people every-fucking-where. But then, I saw her. She pushed through the crowd and ran toward me, throwing her arms around my neck.
“Carter!”
Wrapping my unbloodied arm around her waist, I quickly searched the room for Nikolai. I had to get her away from him and this place. “You shouldn’t be here,” I warned her, frantically moving away from the ring.
Emma squeezed me tighter, the feel of her hot tears streaming down my bare chest. “I didn’t want you alone.”
My eyes met Nikolai’s from across the room as he stormed our way. Quickly, I let Emma go and blocked her from him. “Stay behind me, Emma,” I commanded.
She took my hand, and her touch was all I could focus on. Not the muscle pain, the deep gashes on my arm or the ribs I knew were broken—just her.
Nikolai’s lip curled in disgust when he closed the distance. “You weren’t supposed to win.”
Letting Emma’s hand go, I threw out my arms. “Well, I did,” I spat. “What are you going to do about it?”
Nikolai got in my face, his nostrils flaring. “I could break your neck with a simple snap of my wrist.”
“Oh yeah? Try it.” I was way past done to be rid of him.
An entourage of seven men charged over, and the one in the lead looked like Nikolai. They had the same blond hair, build and facial features, which meant not only was he Seth Michelson but also one of Emma’s ex-lovers. The only difference between the two men was their eye color.
Seth pushed Nikolai away. “That’s enough.”
Nikolai snarled at him. “This is the second time you’ve interfered tonight. There won’t be a third.” The animosity between them was thick.
Emma held onto my arm. “Seth’s a friend,” she whispered. “I promise.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, we’ll see about that. I don’t trust any of these motherfuckers.”
Seth turned to me and nodded toward the stairs. “We need to get you out of here.”
A gun clicked behind him, and I looked over his shoulder to see Nikolai with his pistol pointed straight at Seth’s head. “Carter’s not going anywhere. I told you to stay out of this, brother.”
Chuckling, Seth turned to face Nikolai with no hint of fear from the gun. “By all means, Nik, pull the trigger. You’ll be dead within two seconds.”
Nikolai glared at him and lowered the gun. “This is my house,” he challenged. “My rules. Carter has my mark.”
Seth tore off his jacket and ripped open his button-down shirt, revealing the dragon tattoo on his back. “I have it too, brother. Or did you forget?” He stepped up to Nikolai. “Carter and Emma are leaving, and I’m going with them. So it seems I’ll be staying in California a while.” He glanced over at his six men, who all slipped their guns back into their holsters. “Get Carter’s things.” Then, he looked at Emma and me. “Let’s go.”
“Wait,” Emma said, nodding over at Nikolai. “He has my phone.”
Seth glowered at his brother and thrust out a hand. “Give it to me.”
Nikolai pulled my phone out of his jacket pocket and slammed it into Seth’s hands. “You think you’ve won, huh?”
Seth shook his head, his voice clipped. “No, Carter did. See you soon, brother.”
He started for the exit, and Emma squeezed my hand. “I’ll explain everything. But, right now, we need to follow him.”
I didn’t like it, but what choice did we have? We were trading one villain for another. Seth marched through the crowd, and everyone gave him a wide berth as we made our way up the stairs to the central part of the house. Once outside, one of his guys handed me my bag, and Seth gave Emma her phone.
“You need stitches,” Seth said, focusing on my wounds. “One of my guys knows how to suture.”
