Nicolai
I spin out and away from the scene of the ambush without looking back, my heart pounding in my throat.
What the fuck was that?
I'd never seen any of those people before in my life, except for the fucker I shielded Sutton from. I'd seen him leering at her in the club as she played, but I figured he was just another disgusting piece of shit who went to the club to objectify women who are just trying to make a living.
But when I forced myself to leave the club before Sutton could see me, I couldn't help but sense that something was going on. There was too much buzzing around outside; it signaled trouble.
I might not be in Sutton's life anymore, but I didn't want something to happen to her. And something told me not to trust those assholes loitering outside the joint.
So yeah. I followed the car. And I'm fucking glad I did. I remembered enough about Xavier to know that he wouldn't leave Sutton unprotected, but these men had a plan. They came at them from both sides, and while her bodyguard was distracted, that kurac from the club was going to...well, I don't know what he was going to do to Sutton, and I honestly don't want to think about it.
I'm just glad I was there to stop it.
But I hope she didn't see me. I don't want to disrupt her life again, and I certainly don't want to get mixed up in whatever the fuck all that was.
I have enough to worry about with Juri wanting me to work this job. When I report back about the clientele in the club, his beady little eyes will practically flash with dollar signs.
I have to try to get out of it somehow.
I park my bike in front of our headquarters and duck inside. Immediately, I'm hit with a barrage of questions, and not the ones I'm expecting.
"Rođaka, what the hell happened? You had one job. Go in the club, figure out if it was going to be lucrative for business, then come back here and give me details. And then I hear you're involved in some car chase? Koji kurac? What were you thinking?"
My eyebrows furrow and I toss my helmet and jacket onto the chair in front of his ostentatious ebony desk. "How the hell do you even know about that?"
Juri leans back in his chair and crosses his arms over his chest, a smug expression crossing his face.
"I have eyes everywhere." He clicks his tongue. "Glup dečko, you really should learn a little something about playing your hand closer to your vest."
I see red, slamming my palms on his desk and leaning into his face.
"Slušaj, kreten. I am so sick of you calling me boy," I hiss at him. "You have no idea what you're getting into with Xavier Banks' crew. They're bad fucking news, rođaka."
Juri rises and walks around the corner of the desk, standing toe to toe with me.
"What would you know about Banks?" His expression doesn't change, and his voice is flat when he asks, "Can we move product through there or not?"
My eyes narrow and my lip curls as I weigh my options. Juri doesn't know my history with the Banks family or the Ring, and this isn't the time to tell him.
I want to get out of this job, but getting Juri to take me seriously would mean tipping my hand—admitting to a past I've tried leave behind. And then there's no telling what Juri would demand of me, or how many fingers Boss would break.
Regardless of how I feel about dealing with Wicked Sins, I'm in the Gospodari and it isn't as easy as just walking away. No matter how pissed off I am. Like it or not, I have to fall in line.
I take a deep breath and calm myself before I get myself in trouble. "Yes. We can move product through there."
He smirks, standing up taller and forcing me to straighten. "Good. They're just more fuckin' suits. You've cut lesser men's throats, have you not?"
I flinch, not wanting to be reminded of some of the shit I've been forced to do in the situations the crime underworld has put me in.
Juri rounds his desk and sinks back into his chair, propping his feet up on the table. "Now tell me, what were you doing getting involved in that car chase, Nicolai?"
"I just happened to be near the scene after I left the club. I noticed this guy heading toward a car they had blocked in. I had a bad feeling he was about to do something grisly to the people inside."
I don't mention that I knew exactly who the person inside was. Someone I didn't let myself think about. Ever. Until tonight.
I know my insinuation that the man's intent could have been sexual will hit Juri square in the chest. One thing we do not tolerate in the Gospodari is sexual violence. It's an unforgivable crime in our circle. And it makes me sick to admit that I'm probably not too far off, so my lie to Juri rings true.
"Well, sranje, you did what you had to do. But what if someone saw you? We can't be connected to Wicked Sins like that."
"There's no way anyone knew who I was. I had my helmet on the entire time."
"What about your tats?" He motions to my forearms, which are now bare under my black t-shirt, my sleeves on full display.
"Relax. I had on my jacket. No one recognized me, I swear."
"You better be right."
Juri's phone buzzes and he snatches it off his desk, holding up a finger to signal me to be quiet. I roll my eyes and perch on top of his desk, earning a glare from him as I listen to his one-sided conversation.
"Zdravo. Yeah, hey, Jovan." He pauses and his head cocks to one side. Jovan's the jeweler who makes all Boss's gaudy ass jewelry, and a rat at that. "Oh. Oh, shit. Thanks for letting me know. Yeah, yeah, all right, vidimo se, ćao."
Juri ends the call and drops the phone with a light thud.
Jumping off his desk, I motion for him to tell me what he just learned. "Well? What was that all about?"
Juri cracks his knuckles and looks up at me.
"You better hope no one recognized you, and you better lay low as hell when you go back. Xavier Banks's daughter was the target of that ambush. Whatever's going on in there, we don't want to get mixed up in it. We're only in this to skim their clientele."
My stomach churns. Obviously Juri isn't telling me anything I didn't know. But to hear confirmation that Sutton was their "target" makes me want to find every one of those men and slit their throats.
How can I walk away knowing she's in danger?
I steel my expression so Juri doesn't see the fire burning inside me. He wants me to play my cards close to the vest? I'm about to do that.
But I need more information first.
"I understand. I'll go back Monday," is all I say. I tell Juri I'll focus on which customers will make the best clients for us and implement a plan where I can stay under the radar.
But that's not all I'll be doing.
***
Jillian: Nico baby, what are you doing?
Rolling my eyes, I stare at the message on the screen. Jillian is a woman I've been hooking up with off and on for about a year now. Friend-with-benefits is a nice way to put it. If I answer, she's just going to keep texting, and she's going to think there's going to be a hookup tonight.
There won't be. I've got too much on my mind, none of which involves getting laid.
Not to mention, I hate it when she calls me Nico.
Instead, I swipe away the message and dial the number of someone who might actually be able to help me.
But of course, that's a dead end too.
"I told you, Nic. I don't know why the hell he'd have her playing at the club. Last I heard, she was doing the books."
I'm talking to Ezra King, one of my friends who doesn't work for Wicked Sins anymore, but still stays in contact with Anthony, Xavier's younger brother. I thought he might have some useful information about what the fuck is going on at the club, but he knows about as much as I do.
"Why would Anthony let this happen?" I ask, peeling the label off the bottle of beer I just drained.
Anthony might be Xavier's brother, but he's a decent guy who seems to want to keep the business legit and safe for everyone. But since Xavier is older, he always overrides Anthony's wishes.
At least that's how it was when I worked there.
Ezra scoffs and echoes my thoughts. "You know how Xavier is. Whatever his reasons are, I'm sure they were more important than Anthony's objections. Plus, Anthony isn't around much from what I've heard."
Interesting. Wonder where he is. "That's sort of Xavier's MO. As long as he's happy, everyone else should be, right?"
"Yeah, but don't forget about Jason; he's gotta be happy too."
I curl my lip and take a deep breath, getting to my feet and throwing the bottle into the trash so hard it shatters. "Jason's still around?"
Ezra clears his throat. "You alright?"
"I'm fine." I repeat my question, and I don't like my friend's answer.
"Yeah, man. He's still around. He's got almost as much power as Xavier these days. Anthony can't stand the prick, but we all know how that goes..."
Hearing that Jason has any power in the Ring makes me nervous as fuck, because that means he has power over Sutton. And I don't like that.
Ezra coughs once and breaks the silence. "Listen, man, I need to go, but if I hear anything I will call you. And I'll try to think of a way to ask Anthony about this without coming off suspect. If I can track him down. All right?"
"Okay. Wait, one more thing. Have you heard about anything shady going on around the club? Like, another mafija sniffing around? Causing problems?"
"No, why do you ask?"
"No reason. Thanks for the info," I say, grateful I have someone at least sort of on the inside of the Ring I can trust.
"Of course. Stay safe, Nic."
I end the call and stand in front of my kitchen counter, looking out over the city. Memories of the day I left Sutton and the only life I'd ever known come flooding back, washing over me and threatening to pull me under.
But I can't let that happen. I won't let her down again.
I need to risk getting close to find out what the hell is going on and who is targeting Sutton before her attackers show up for round two.
Even though she may hate me, I will always protect her with my life.