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“I can see it in your eyes that you don’t know.” Petrov sits back in his seat, the power radiating off him like a man who’s never had to work hard a day in his life. “I’d question Killian if I were you. Something is going on, and I can assure you, Antonio, it’s not me. You’re married to my daughter. I’d never entrust a man to her I didn’t trust myself. You understand that, right?”
I do. Petrov and Nina might have some issues between them, but that’s just family stuff. It has nothing to do with business.
I thank Petrov for his time and head off to find Killian.
* * *
Killian isat the fight club in his normal booth, drinking a beer and watching a fight. I storm up to him. “How do I know you’re not the spy?”
Killian doesn’t look at me. “I’m not going to justify that with a response. I’ve been with you every step of the way.”
“Were you the one who warned Franco about the drug shipment raid? Is that why he wasn’t there and all the drugs were gone?”
With a sigh, Killian finally faces me, setting his beer down slowly. “I. Am. Not. The. Spy. Why don’t you ask your good friend Petrov if he is.”
“I did, and he made it very clear he wasn’t. He would never marry his daughter to the enemy. He just wouldn’t, and you know it. So, there are only so many people who could have given Franco a tip.”
“It wasn’t me,” Killian stands up and says right to my face. “Maybe the reason Petrov married his daughter to you is because she’s the spy. You tell her all your plans, same as me, same as Petrov. She’s the only other person it could be. Maybe that sweet, little, innocent act she has going on isn’t real.”
I see red.
With a snarl, I grab Killian and knock him back against the table. “I told you to keep my wife’s name out of your mouth.”
“What if I’m right?”
“No.” I lunge at Killian and land a punch to his jaw. Killian grunts and stumbles back. “Nina is innocent.” I land another punch to his cheekbone. It tears the skin on my knuckles, but I don’t care.
“How do you know?” Killian grabs me and wrestles me to the ground. People in the crowd start to turn and look at us. He punches me in the nose. I can hear the crack before I feel it break. I growl and push Killian off me, managing to get on top of him. I start raining down punches on his face.
I only stop when Killian stops putting up a fight. “You want to know the secret she told me? Her dad cheated on her mom, and it’s tearing her up inside. So, if Nina seemed like she was keeping any secrets, that was it. Don’t ever talk about my wife like that again.” I stand up, leaving him there to bleed on the ground.
But Killian isn’t over yet. “Someone’s the spy, Antonio. You might want to figure it out before it gets you killed.”
With a snarl, I whirl around and punch him so hard upside the head that Killian flops back to the ground and passes out. I leave the shocked crowd to help him as I depart the club, my knuckles bruised and paranoia swirling in my head.
* * *
The dayI realized how evil my uncle could be was the day he cornered me in the gym after our fight session. He no longer sent a group of men to attack me for our sessions. Instead, he fought me one-on-one.
I was only thirteen at the time. Puberty had finally hit me, but I still had a long way to grow. Franco dominated me with his height and muscle.
“You’re getting better,” he said, still hovering over me.
“I know.”
He chuckled darkly. “I like your confidence, kid. You know, we’re spending a lot of time together. Just me and you. I’ve been doing you a favor by teaching you how to fight.”
I wanted to correct him and tell him it was my dad who first taught me how to fight, but there was something in Franco’s eyes that stopped me.
“I think it’s time you returned that favor,” he said.
“How?”
“By taking off your pants.”
His words sent a chill over me. I almost thought I’d misheard him. “What?”
“You see, Antonio. Your mom and I … we’ve gotten close over the past year.” I didn’t understand what he meant by that, but I could only assume. “Now, I think it’s time you and I also get close.”
