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Feet apart, knees bent, I barked out a sharp laugh. “You beat her half to death, you dumb fuck.”
That got him.
He came swinging. I pulled back in the nick of time. He stumbled forward, and I plowed a fist into his face, catching him in the jaw. His head jerked back. Crack. It smacked against the wall, leaving an imprint.
Stegan stepped forward, but I waved him back. This was long overdue and I was more than ready to take him on.
Bouncing on the balls of my feet, I waited. Cristo massaged his flexing jaw as he shoved off the wall and righted himself.
Shoulders hunched forward, he barreled toward me. I sidestepped him, and he ran passed me and crashed into a vase on a pedestal. Shards of porcelain flew everywhere. The sound reverberated throughout the room as he slammed into the wall. Twisting around, he hurled toward me with a roar.
I blocked his uplifted hand and threw a series of punches—one-two, one-two, one-two—into his flank.
“You think I’m a pussy ’cause I don’t street fight anymore,” I grunted out. Hands flying up, his body jerked back with each round. “Think again.” I gave him a little jab with my right fist just to mess with him.
Pulling his fist back, this time he swung and connected with my cheekbone. There was a burst of pain. Fuck! With a growl, I shoved my shoulder into his chest, driving him back until his back smashed against the wall. Plaster fell in chunks around the outline of his body.
Hand wrapped around his throat, I pinned him in place. His fingers grasped my forearm, fighting my grip. Leveraging my weight, I pushed forward and smacked him into the wall again. His nails tore my skin bloody, but I held tight. Strengthening my hold, I squelched his breathing. Hissing like a pissed-off animal, spittle flew from his mouth.
Teeth bared; I shoved my face into his. “Don’t fucking touch me again.”
Thrusting him hard one more time, I unclenched my fingers and stepped back.
Legs buckling, he slid to the ground, gasping for air at my feet. With a death stare on him, I casually adjusted my tie, flicked nonexistent dirt off the lapels of my jacket. “In case you’re wondering, it’s your temper that makes you such a bad fighter.” He glared up at me, chest heaving as he regained his breath.
I spat at his feet, as I had done to his father. With a jerk of my head to Stegan and Nicu, I marched out. I’d gotten what I wanted. Now, it was time to return to my woman.
???
On the ride home, I ordered Stegan to have Una move in with him so he could keep an eye on her for the time being. I wouldn’t put it past Nelu or Cristo to kill her for her betrayal. They’d lost face, and that wasn’t going to go down well for her. The way I’d humiliated them would be seared into their brains for a long time to come.
I was walking out of the elevator onto my floor when Tatum poked his head out of his apartment.
“How’d it go?” he asked, eyeing the blossoming bruise around my eye.
“As well as could be expected. I made my position clear. He didn’t exactly have the clout to do much except to agree to my terms. Three months of free supply is going to hit him where it hurts. You know how stingy he is. Haggling is his damn religion. Everything okay?” I asked with a nod to my front door. It had been five days since Nina came back, and I’d basically forced her to spend every minute of it with me.
“Yeah. Not a sound. You must have worn her out,” he replied with a smirk.
That got a chuckle out of me. “The walls are thick. You wouldn’t be able to tell if she was out of bed.”
He shrugged. “If you say so. Listen, I think I’ve got a trace on Tasa. Nothing conclusive yet, but a contact thinks she’s been spotted in Montreal.”
I raised an eyebrow. “It’s still weeks before the workshop is supposed to start.”
“Like I said, nothing conclusive. I wanted to give you a heads-up so you can be ready to leave the second we get a lock on her location,” he said.
My eyelids dropped closed. Thank fuck. While this might be a false lead and too soon to guarantee relief, I felt it in my gut that we were getting close. Other than learning about Tata’s betrayal of our family, things had been going my way lately.
“Call the airport and make sure the plane is ready. The moment you get a confirmation, you let me know.”
“You want me to come with?”
I clapped his shoulder, squeezing to communicate my appreciation of his support. “This is between Tasa and I. We need to settle our differences on our own.”
“She may not want to come back,” he warned me.
I blew out a breath. This was something I had already thought of. When my sister first left, I was ready to drag her back at all costs and lock her up until I married her off to someone who could keep her safe. After Nina helped me realize Tasa hadn’t left like a spoiled toddler having a fit, I decided I wouldn’t force her to return, despite my deep desire to have her directly under my protection. I’d still do everything in my power to convince her to come back. This was her home. This was where her family was. But as long as I could assure her safety, I’d indulge her in her wanderlust. For a while. At this point, I had nothing more to lose. I’d already lost her, and that was on me and my arrogance.
