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Misha grinned at me, knowing that I wasn’t done yet either. “Gazelle, you’re getting better at focusing through your anger. I know you’re still angry, but you’re controlling it, which is making me have to work harder.”
“Maybe later I’ll thank you. You know, when I’m done kicking your ass,” I said, smiling at him.
He was right. I was getting better. I always had fun when I sparred with them, once I got the basics, but there was a hint of nervousness in the beginning. I felt overwhelmed, trying to constantly fend them off. The first time Andrei pissed me off, all I could see was red. Now, I was beginning to learn how to use my anger to my advantage and I had to admit, it was fun. It was like they woke the beast, but I was learning to control the beast.
We hadn’t been paying attention to the growing crowd that was now forming by the other guys. Armando and Giana had gotten up and come outside to find us. Trino and Martin had also gotten up and wandered to the beach when they noticed we were out there. A few of Trino’s men were also making their way to the beach, as Misha and I continued.
I was starting to wear down and I knew Misha was too. He was starting to get slower. I had to pull a few punches so they wouldn’t land, as he was too slow to dodge them. I didn’t really want to hurt him. He rallied and managed to push me back a few steps. As he was coming at me, he said, “I think we should stop, gazelle. I’m hungry anyway.” I could see him smirk. He likely knew that telling me he was hungry was going to make my stomach join the party.
“You’re just trying to wake my stomach up, so she’ll take over and you’ll get a break,” I said, dodging and blocking his hands.
“Maybe a little. But there’s lots of people behind us now too. I don’t know how much of a show you really want to give them,” he said.
I slowed, remembering my shirt was somewhere on the beach at this point. “Solid point, my adorable Russian guardian.” We were both out of breath. He reached out and pulled me in for a sweaty hug. “Eww gross, how did you get so sweaty?” I asked, laughing.
Adrik had walked over to us when he saw us stop. He pulled his shirt off and handed it to me, knowing I would want to cover up before going any closer to the rest of the people. I smiled at him, taking his shirt. “See, this is why I love you,” I said, pulling his oversize shirt over my head. He leaned in and whispered in my ear so Misha couldn’t hear, “Are you ready for a shower yet, solnishko?” He had that sexy smirk that I loved on his face, as he walked back toward everyone else. I was sure my cheeks got even redder, thinking about showering with him.
Giana walked up to us, leaving Armando talking with Trino and Martin. “Wow, Sephie, I had no idea you were such a badass,” she said, her caramel eyes wide as saucers as she tried not to stare at Misha’s shirtless torso. Misha laughed, shaking his head as he jogged off to grab our shirts. “You guys missed a good party last night. Why didn’t you guys stay?”
“Eh, it’s not really my thing, but I’m glad you had a good time,” I said to her. Misha walked up, handing me my shirt.
Giana continued, quietly saying, “Why do you cover up, Sephie? Your body is amazing. You should show it off more. I would totally show it off if my body was like yours.”
I laughed. “Some things are meant to only be seen by a very select group of people. And your body can also be like mine. You just have to work at it. I wasn’t born this way. Just like Misha wasn’t born looking like that either.”
“Hey, you speak for yourself, gazelle. I came out incredibly handsome. My mom told me so,” Misha said, laughing. He purposely left his shirt off because he knew it was making Giana all hot and bothered. I grinned at him. I held up my shirt, asking him, “Do you mind so I can give Ghost his shirt back?” He nodded and stepped between me and Giana, providing a visual barrier, so I could change back into my shirt.
Giana, still puzzled, asked, “Are you like super religious or something? You act like my grandmother about some things.”
I was about to answer as I walked from behind Misha, but instead he asked, “Why is it so difficult to understand that she doesn’t want everyone to see her body? You realize she’s got way more to offer than just her body, right? Do you want men to only think about your body or would you prefer they respected your mind too?”
I leaned into Misha as he was talking. He just slung his arm across my shoulders as he continued asking Giana questions. Giana was flustered for a moment, not sure of how to respond.
I smiled at her. “Much like the party last night, showing off my body is not really my thing either. But I can talk to Andrei about finding you a trainer when we get back if you want yours to look like mine. It’s not a bad idea for you to know how to defend yourself anyway, whether you stay with Armando or not.”
She was quietly contemplating what I had said to her as Misha pulled me away toward Adrik. He said, in Russian, as we walked away, “Ten bucks says she won’t do it.”
I cut my eyes up at him, “That’s an unfair bet, my adorable Russian guardian. We both know that’s the only outcome of that situation. There’s only a very slim chance she’s going to work that hard. If only she could get fit by shopping. If we could figure out a way to make that happen, we’d be rich!” I said, laughing.
We walked up to Adrik and the rest of the group. I traded Misha for Adrik, handing him his shirt back. Trino spoke when we walked up. “Ah, I’m glad to see you two don’t really hate each other. It was difficult to tell earlier.”
Misha chuckled. “That’s not even possible.”
Adrik pulled his shirt back on, then opened his arm for me to tuck myself into his side. He leaned his head down and kissed my forehead as I leaned against him. I looked up to notice Trino watching us. He had a serious look on his face, but his eyes were smiling, almost like he was lost in thought. Giana joined us, walking up to Armando, who grabbed her hand. They were still a new couple and unsure about showing affection in front of people. She shyly looked at him but stepped closer to him. If that moment hadn’t been so awkward between them, it might’ve been sweet.
Adrik asked, in Russian, if I was ready for that shower yet. I grinned at him, nodding my head. He turned to everyone and excused us for a few while we showered and changed. He told Trino he had more business to discuss once he was fully awake later. The guys all came with us, as they needed showers as well after our morning Syrian workout on the beach. Once we were closer to our rooms, I motioned for them all to follow us into our room.
Once inside, with the door closed, I said to all of them, “I know what happened to Trino’s nephew, but I’m scared to tell him. I don’t want to bring even more attention to me, but it could also keep Trino in debt to Adrik, which could be quite useful, so I don’t know what to do.”
I noticed Adrik raised an eyebrow when I mentioned keeping Trino in debt to him, but he waited for the guys to think it over before speaking. It was one of the many things I admired about him. He always took their thoughts, opinions, and suggestions into consideration before making decisions. Especially if those decisions affected all of us. He was, after all, the King of the Underworld. He didn’t need to take anyone’s opinion into consideration, but it was clear that he trusted the guys and sought out their opinions regularly.
Viktor asked, “What are your thoughts on Trino after spending time with him?”
“I think he’s trustworthy. I don’t think he’s holding anything back from us, except maybe the extent of his hatred for Massimo. He’s trying to be respectful of Adrik, so it’s understandable. From what I’ve seen of Martin, he’s also trustworthy, but he’s slightly more difficult to gauge because he rarely talks. They both respect Adrik and Armando, although not as much. I’m not sure if it’s because they know Armando doesn’t have as much power or if they just don’t know him as well. I didn’t get the feeling it was anything bad. It felt like they were awkward because they didn’t know each other well. There’s clearly no love lost between Trino and the other bosses, however,” I said, smiling.
They were all silent for a few more minutes. I could see Misha running through scenarios in his head, checking out each possibility. I think the others were waiting for him to speak first, honestly.
Ivan spoke up, “You’re positive you know what happened to him?”
