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He takes his eyes off the road for a moment to smile at me. “Of course. I wouldn’t want to leave without you.”
The ride to town doesn’t take long, but the entire time I can’t stop thinking about what everyone was yelling about. If there’s a problem, Ruslan will take care of it easily. He’s been a hitman for years. He’s the one who takes out our father’s enemies. He goes after the men who want the power Dad has and takes away their greed. He’s like a ghost, always lurking in the shadows, removing threats one by one.
Alek doesn’t know about this. He thinks Dad isn’t doing much, but that’s because Ruslan’s taking care of business for him.
I follow Ruslan down the sidewalk when we arrive. The dark street is filled with the city’s nightlife, everyone drinking and laughing. At some point in my life, I hope I’ll be able to go out and enjoy myself like them.
“Sloane,” he calls, gesturing for me to catch up. He throws his gym bag over his shoulder and walks down a dark alley.
I grab onto the metal railing and step down a short flight of stairs.
A man stands in front of the door at the bottom of the stairs blocking my entrance. He eyes me as if he could break me with his bare hands. But when he sees Ruslan, he steps to one side.
It took me a while to come to terms with the fact Ruslan does this for fun. It’s not even about the money.
And there’sa lotof money.
The second I step through the door I’m overwhelmed by the smell in the air. It’s putrid.
“Remember what I told you?” my brother asks as he wraps some kind of bandage over the skin on his wrist.
I nod. “Don’t talk to anyone. Don’t look at anyone but you.” I repeat his rules.
I don’t like how rules are constantly laid out for me, but I understand they’re for my benefit. I’ll listen because the second I go against the rules, Ruslan won’t take me with him anymore. And I love coming to these matches. They interest me.
It’s not necessarily the fighting I find interesting, but the emotion on the men’s faces. I can often tell if they’re fighting for something or if they just want to fightsomeone.
If my brother took the money he won, he’d be able to live off his savings. But he doesn’t take the money. He donates it.
I’d love to be able to donate someday, but it’s not my place. I don’t even have any money. Everything I have is my family’s.
Ruslan puts a mouth guard over his teeth and taps his knuckles on top of my head. “I’m going to practice,” he says, walking toward a red bag that hangs from the industrial ceiling.
I find a bench and move over heavy bags that smell like shit, but something grabs my attention.
A silver chain with what looks like diamonds on it.
Real diamonds.
I look around to see if anyone’s watching me, but they’re all too busy punching each other.
I shouldn’t take it. Men come here to make money. Most of them need the money.
I intertwine my fingers to keep myself from reaching into the bag. I can’t stand this feeling. It’s as if the chain has eyes and is staring at me, begging me to take it.
I shake my head.That’s ridiculous.
While I wait on Ruslan’s fight, I think about all the things I could do with the chain if I sold it. I could start a life for myself and get the hell out of here. Not that I’d particularly want to sell it, but I do want to have my own life. Constantly sitting in my room for years on end is proving to be a waste of time. I’d rather die out in the world doing something dangerous, something fulfilling, than rot in my bed for safety.
More people flood the small underground room, and my skin crawls. Being around this many people makes me nervous. I’m afraid I’ll mess something up.
Ruslan walks over to me, sweat dripping down his face. “You good?” he asks as his eyes search mine.
I smile through the uncomfortable feeling and wave him off.
Everyone gathers in a circle surrounding the ring. My brother steps up and stares at his opponent.
I watch everyone fight, but I don’t watch him. He’s the one person in my life who never loses anything. But it hurts me to see him get punched over and over. Even though I know he’ll win, it’s a strange feeling watching the strongest people you know take a beating.
