61

Chapter 12
Misha
“What are we waiting for?” Armani asks.
We’ve been standing outside Instructor Nikolai’s studio for ten minutes. “I’m waiting for the lesson to end,” I mutter.
White-hot rage burns through my veins. Seeing Seijo Shinoda from the yakuza hitting Aurora was fucking hard. If Armani didn’t have a hand on my shoulder, I would’ve done something stupid, like going into the room and killing Seijo.
I keep telling myself there can never be anything between Aurora and me, but that doesn’t mean I’m just going to let Seijo get away with hurting her.
Fuck, it was brutal.
It’s clear Aurora has zero fighting skills. She was totally blindsided.
What the fuck was her father thinking by sending her here?
Alek shakes his head, an I-told-you-so grin on his face. “Misha is pissed off because Seijo beat up his woman.”
Before I can tell Alek to shut up, the Almeida twins come out of the studio. They give us as wide a berth as possible.
When Seijo comes out, I push away from the wall and step in front of him. Our eyes lock, and I stare at him with barely controlled rage.
“How about a game between the yakuza and bratva?” I ask, trying to sound calm but failing miserably.
Crossing his arms over his chest, the fucker gives me a smug look. “What game?”
“Laser tag.”
Knowing there’s no way Seijo will meet us alone, I have to include the other two fuckers.
“Fuck yeah,” Alek chuckles. “It will be… fun.” Aka. bloodbath.
Yeah, I suppose it’s fun for him.
“What time?” Seijo asks. “In ten minutes.”
He nods, then pushes past us to find his friends. “Laser tag?” Armani asks with a raised eyebrow.
“I want to get him and his friends alone in that dark building where I can fucking beat the shit out of them,” I mutter.
“No killing,” Instructor Nikolai says as he comes out of the studio. “Yes, sir,” I reply, standing a bit straighter.
With Nikolai being the cousin of Victor Vetrov, I have to be careful, but there’s no way I can let Seijo get away with hurting Aurora.
I know it’s training, and she’ll get hurt a hell of a lot more, but my heart refuses to look the other way. It’s one thing for me to threaten her, but I won’t stand for another man laying a hand on her.
Nikolai exhales, then asks, “Are you going to beat up every guy who has to fight her in my class?”
Locking eyes with him, I nod. “Tit-for-tat.”
The corner of his mouth lifts, then he chuckles. “Trust the three of you to make my life hard.”
When Instructor Nikolai walks away, Armani glances at me. “You’re looking for shit.”
Alek throws an arm around my shoulder. “Hey, at least I get to beat up those yakuza scum.”
Armani ignores Alek’s comment. “What do you think will happen if Viktor hears that you’ve got the hots for the enemy?”
I have no fucking idea.
“He’ll probably pat Misha on the shoulder,” Alek mutters. When we both stare at him, he shrugs, “The Vetrovs are known for marrying their enemies. Alexei Koslov married Isabella Terrero. Damien Vetrov married Winter Hemsley. Viktor married Rosalie whats-her-name. They were all enemies before falling in love.”
“Jesus Christ, Alek,” Armani snaps. “You’re not fucking helping.” “It’s the truth,” Alek exclaims with a shrug.
“I’m not marrying anyone,” I say. “Can we focus on the game instead of the past and present bratva bosses’ love lives?”
“Oh yeah,” Alek rubs his hands together, looking way too eager, “How are we doing this? Do we each pick one, or is it a free for all?”
Armani lets out a sigh, shaking his head at Alek.
“Seijo is mine. I don’t care what you do with the others,” I say.
We walk down the hallway toward the armory and greet Instructor Grigory, who’s in charge of weapons training.
“We’re just going to have a game of laser tag,” I tell the instructor.
“Just the three of you?” he asks as he takes three laser guns from the shelf.
“Six of us,” I reply as the members of the yakuza arrive. “Should I be worried?” Instructor Grigory asks.
“Not at all,” Alek answers with a wide grin.
“Right,” Instructor Grigory says drily. He hands us each a gun and vest. “Smoke and music?”
“Please.” After putting on the vest, I hoist the gun’s strap over my shoulder, then look at the other men, “Ready?”
The three yakuza don’t bother answering and walk toward the building. “Let’s do this,” Alek says, the crazy glint he usually gets during action
already in his eyes.
I might push you away, moy malen’kiy olen’, but I won’t let a man hurt you and get away with it.
We all file into the building, and as soon as the door shuts behind us, we’re engulfed in darkness, unable to see anything but shadows and smoke. The strobing lights and deafening beat come on, and the three yakuza run deeper into the building. My eyes track Seijo as he heads up the stairs to
the first floor.
With the red and blue lights illuminating our surroundings every other second, we set off after the yakuza.
Reaching the stairs, I split from Alek and Armani and go after Seijo.
The instant I reach the top, I drop and roll until I’m hidden behind a crate.
The loud beat makes it impossible to hear anything, forcing me to rely on my instincts alone.
Getting ready, I move to the side of the crate. I pull the gun’s strap off my shoulder and hold the weapon like a bat. Taking a deep breath, I dart out from behind my cover and run to where I think Seijo is hiding.
Just as I thought, Seijo peeks out from behind another crate and takes a shot at me. My vest vibrates, but I don’t give a flying fuck.
I see the smirk forming on the fucker’s face, and when I keep coming at him, it falters. Quickly, he discards the laser gun and takes up a fighting stance just as I slam the weapon against his head. The flimsy gun cracks in half, and I drop it to the floor as I crouch down and sweep the fucker’s feet from under him.
Seijo drops but immediately flips back onto his feet in a smooth move. Like I said, the fuckers aren’t here for training.
He takes a swing at me, his fist connecting with my jaw. After years of being in the bratva, I hardly feel the pain. But I do remember that first punch when I was six. It hurt like a bitch and knocked me out cold.
That’s what Aurora felt.
I tackle the fucker to the floor, and straddling him, I pound my fists into his face.
I see the blood trickling from her busted lip, the confusion and pain in her emerald eyes, the absolute helplessness, and it’s all too much. I keep fucking hitting, the rule of no killing nothing but a forgotten thought.
Suddenly, hands grab hold of my shoulders, and I’m yanked off an unconscious Seijo.
I didn’t even notice the lights coming on or that the music had stopped. Instructor Nikolai shoves me at a guard, snapping, “That’s enough,
Misha!” To the guard, he says, “Take him to Carson.”
I drink in the sight of a bloody Seijo, and with my mouth lifting at the corner, I follow the guard out of the building.
As I step into the sunlight, Armani and Alek come toward me. Alek has a busted lip and a cut above his eyebrow, but he’s grinning from ear to ear.
We follow the guard into the castle and down a hallway. Armani shakes his head at me. “Was she worth it?”
Yes.
Not answering, I look down at my bloody hands. My knuckles are fucked.
“It was worth seeing the look on Kazuo’s face when I handed his ass to him,” Alek says, still hyped from the fight.
“We’ll see if you still feel the same when Viktor hears about this,” Armani mutters.
He has always been the level-headed one between the three of us. Where Alek is most likely to become a serial killer, Armani is calculating as fuck.
Me? I’m somewhere between the two. Not quite as crazy as Alek and not as calculated as Armani.
We’re escorted into Director Koslov’s office and stand in a line in front of his desk. Director Koslov finishes writing something before he bothers looking up.
For an intense minute, he only stares at us before he stands up from his chair. “What part of no killing on St. Monarch’s grounds don’t you understand.”
“We just roughed them up a bit,” Alek mutters.
Director Koslov’s eyes snap to Alek. “Take a seat on the couch, Mr. Aslanhov.” Then he looks at Armani. “You can join your friend, Mr. De Santis.”
Once Alek and Armani have taken a seat, Director Koslov turns his attention back to me.
“I wasn’t going to kill him,” I answer.
“Right.” He chuckles while shaking his head. “Should we watch the footage?”
Grinding my teeth, I shake my head.
The trained assassin who runs this place in his brother’s stead moves closer to me. “One more minute, and there would’ve been a target on your back.” Lifting his hand, he places it on my shoulder while leaning closer. His voice is low as he murmurs, “I see everything.”
I nod, knowing it’s no use arguing. I did what I did, and I don’t regret it. “You can’t keep her alive if you’re dead.”
My eyes snap to his, my heartbeat instantly speeding up.
Seeing my reaction, Director Koslov smiles. “I told you, I see everything that goes on in St. Monarch’s.”
Nodding, I reply, “I understand, sir.”
“I’m going to punish you for the stunt you pulled today.”
A frown forms on my forehead. “But I didn’t kill anyone. Everything else is fair game.”
“Still, you disobeyed Viktor’s direct order. You’re only here to train and not engage in fights.” He moves back behind his desk, then his eyes snap to mine. “The last thing this world needs is a war between the bratva and the yakuza because you decided to beat up one of their soldiers.”
“Got it,” I mutter.
Director Koslov stares at me for a moment, then he says, “You’re to assist Instructor Nikolai in training the new attendees. There are only five this year, and we’re short a body for training sessions. You’ll be paired to fight Miss D’Angelo.”
Christ. No.
“Sir?” I practically gasp like a little bitch.
“I trust you won’t leave her bloody after a training session?”
“Ah… no?” I’m so stunned by the punishment I’m struggling to gather my thoughts.
“You may leave.”
I have to train Aurora?
How the fuck am I going to do that without hurting her?
Jesus. This is not good.
“Sir,” I say, and when Director Koslov looks at me, I ask, “Why pair me with D’Angelo? I would’ve thought you’d want to keep us apart, seeing as we’re enemies.”
“Are you?” he asks.
“Enemies?” I check to make sure I’m not misunderstanding the question.
“Yes,” he replies.
I nod. “Last time I checked.”
“Then it’s time you check again, Misha. I’m ordering you to train the girl. It’s not up for negotiation.”
“Yes, sir.”
Still stunned, I turn away from the desk and leave the office. Alek and Armani are right behind me as we walk down the hallway.
“I don’t understand,” Armani says, sounding as confused as I am.
“I told you earlier. The Vetrovs and Koslovs have a soft spot for star- crossed lovers. If you ask me, this is either to test your loyalty, or they’re seriously trying to set you up with Aurora.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Armani barks. “Since when does the bratva get involved in romances?”
“Since arranged marriages were invented,” Alek dead-pans. “Jesus, the two of you are slow. Maybe Viktor is looking into a peace treaty with D’Angelo and Sartori.”
I let out an incredulous burst of laughter. “Did you knock your head during the fight? There are fucking hits out on Aurora and Abbie’s lives. That doesn’t sound like the bratva is working toward a peace treaty.”
“Whatever is going on, just watch your back and don’t get involved with the woman,” Armani says. “Let’s just do as we’re told and get through the next two years in one piece.”
All this talking hasn’t helped one bit. Tomorrow I have to train with Aurora.
How the fuck am I supposed to touch her and not get a hard-on? More importantly, how the hell am I going to fight her without hurting her?
Christ, this is a fuck up of epic proportions.