Heart of Fury - Stone and Fire # 2 [17+]

Chapter 10

Mikhail's POV

"You know, I should've hired you as my lawyer. That way you could've put your Harvard-wired brain to some good use."

The clink of a rum filled-glass hits the table. As soon as I'd caught sight of Xavier, I knew his ant and honey type personality would keep me suffering until I'd accidentally pull out my pistol and do something partially regretful. So, I'd brought him inside. Definitely out of goodwill, but because I wanted to wrap up things as quick as possible and send him out before I could finally survive one night without any fucking distractions.

"Always a pleasure meeting men like you."

The smile on his face is what I see when Aurora claims to 'appreciate' one of my kind-hearted compliments.

"I'm being honest." I urge on. "What do you do at home, open textbooks and copy down math problems you haven't gotten the chance to memorize yet?"

"Knowledge isn't always detrimental."

"You're right." I hold up my glass lined with a shot of Elyx. "Too much of it is."

"What makes you think that?" He narrows his eyes the slightest, in curiosity.

"You wanna be the sidepiece every high-school girl comes to for homework help?"

I bring the glass up to my lips, the slightest bit of ice scrambling to tumble down my throat.

"What is it with you Russians and vodka?" His directed eyes rebound off the glass wrapped with my fingers.

"Could ask the same about you Italians and Prosecco."

"Only women drink Prosecco."

"With the amount of information your head retains, you can classify as one yourself."

He stares at me.

"Oh, right." My tongue clicks with disappointment. "I forget how little experience you have with women. What are you, an anti-romantic?"

"Listen. I came here for a reason." 

I can't help it. My humor, by far, defies any other part of my personality.

"To  show off how you're an annoying, half-assed prick? Who can't tell when a girl wants to taste your dick or if she really wants someone else?"

He goes silent.

"What are you talking about?"

The glass is cold against my tongue when I look up from behind it and see his blurry, half-blocked leer on my face.

"Listen.. If I went against you somehow.. in the past? I apologize-"

There it was. As soon as I laid my glass back down I caught the slightest, most brief flicker of peaked amusement in his eyes. 

Noted.

I kept my rising grin hidden down before he could see the surprise in it.

"Save it. What do you need?"

He takes a deep breath, and then starts talking.

"No."

The half-empty glass, once again, hits the wooden table as firmly as my answer.

"I told you, I'd have them polished, reloaded, and cleaned-"

"No."

"That's it? No reasoning?"

"I classify my own word as final. Now whether you do or don't, it's up to you." The table creaks when I lift myself up and stretch out my arms. Exhaustion was near-and-dear, and so was sleep. A sprinkle of day-dreaming, maybe.

"You won't get anywhere in life acting like this."

"Who owns a mansion bigger than your body-count? A garage filled to the brim with every colour, brand, and style of motorcycles? You're not my fucking dad, so before I bring out the big guns, and I sure as hell mean that literally, take your ass out."

The glass twists, like he's contemplating.

"I could put in a good word for you." He pours the remaining rum back into my own glass, the dark brown turning lighter after mixing with the vodka. "To the Pakhan."

I pause my stretching.

"You ever wonder why my family, an italian family, was invited to your brother's wedding?"

If I was being honest, which is quite rarely, the inquiry had crossed my mind. Seeing an Italian family at a solely-Bratva event, it could only mean one thing. That their family had some important tie with the Pakhan. A personal one.

"My father and him, they go way back. Before Nikolas tied the knot with an Italian woman, and way before you were put on the face of this earth." He leans back in the chair. The motive was suddenly as clear as the vodka I drink on a daily basis.

"I know how eager you are to rise up the ranks. Training teenagers on the daily, it must be a bore. Isn't your thirst enough to make you wanna become as strong of a leader as your brother?"

My eyes snap towards him.

Vyskochka.

"You sure do love kissing people's asses, huh? Don't go threatening my position with your endless tribute towards my brother. It makes me wanna gag."

"Oh, no." He dips his chin, and it's not enough for me to notice the smirk lift up his lips. "That's not even close to what I meant. The fact of the matter is, you're desperate." He says it like it's a known fact to the entire Underworld and everyone else. "You wanna become a leader, but you're not good enough."

My hands clench into fists, and my jaw starts to tick. A clock, getting closer to the slow heat burning in my muscles.

"You're pathetic. A mere backlot who can't do anything except train weak men. You know why? because you're-"

That's all he can say before I grab his collar and slam my fist across his jaw. Again, and again. Until only blood covers that sickly grin on his lips. Fire burns through my body, a raging virus that makes my lips stretch into a wide, slow smile. The bruises on my knuckles rip open, each punch drawing blood out of them and smearing it all over his face.

I pull off him and stare at the weak form, struggling to even get back up on his feet. I bend down, so my sneer is a burning hole into his ear.

"I feel bad for Aurora. She took the time to get to know a man who can't even fight."

When I pull back, the tiniest bit of surprise widens his purple-turning eyes. Then it's gone.

"Next time, you won't be able to get back up."

I say on my way out, only turning once to give Lev and Vik a glance.

Clean it up.

They don't waste a breath before turning right back around and entering the same doors I just pushed myself out of.

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short but next one will be back to aurora 🤗🤗

seee uu