Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 76222 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76222 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
I was clearly in an apartment. That much was evident by the view from the bedroom I’d been in. But it was confirmed by the massive floor-to-ceiling windows just off to the side, showing the city right outside.
I braced a hand on the wall beside me as I silently made my way down the short hallway. It was only when I rounded the corner that I heard the clink of something being set down. My heart was racing, and I froze.
I knew I had limited time to get out of here before Nikolai and Dmitry arrived. Even if I was right past the city limits of Desolation, it would take a good twenty minutes for them to get here. That meant I had like ten minutes to get my ass going, if the timestamp on my brother’s text was anything to go by.
“Come out here, little Russian doll.”
The voice… I knew it.
But it couldn’t be his… right?
I made slow work of moving closer and rounding the corner to enter the living room. The kitchen was on the smaller side and tucked into the back of the apartment, but it was sleek and modern and reeked of high-end everything. Especially the appliances.
I could see Gio, my sister-in-law’s brother, sitting at the two-seater breakfast counter, wearing only a pair of gray sweatpants and nothing else. I felt a rock suddenly lodge itself right in the center of my throat and started twisting my hands together nervously.
His short, dark hair was disheveled as if he’d just woken up, and my gaze was drawn to all the tattoos that covered his arms and chest, even the wide expanse of his back.
I’d never seen him in anything but a suit, and the sight before me was breath stealing… in a totally inappropriate way.
Although it was pretty obvious he was the fighter from last night, it was still shocking to realize he not only killed his opponent but also my assailant.
D’yavol. The devil.
He shifted on the barstool to face me, one arm braced on the marble countertop of the breakfast bar, the other one resting on his lap. He held a black, ceramic coffee mug and looked relaxed, but I could see his gaze sweeping down my face before stopping at my neck.
Instinctively, I swallowed and then winced as the pain in my throat made itself known.
I saw something darken in his otherwise bright-blue eyes and took a step back—though I knew this man wouldn’t hurt me.
My initial shock came crashing back to me, and panic settled inside my gut once more. “I have t-to go,” I stuttered out hoarsely. Even talking hurt like a bitch.
There were so many questions running through my mind from last night.
Why was he fighting in the underground circuit?
Why did he keep his identity hidden?
Did anyone know he was killing people in illegal cage fights?
Why did he bring me back here?
“My brothers are coming,” I spat out like word-vomit. “They know where I’m at, and I don’t want to stick around and cause more problems.”
Gio didn’t say anything, and his expression showed nothing. I was pretty sure he could handle himself if it came to a fight with my brothers, given the fact that I’d seen him kill a man with his bare hands last night. But I wasn’t so confident that he could take on Dmitry and Nikolai at the same time.
My brothers were ruthless and vicious. They didn’t get the reputation of being psychotic for no reason.
When Gio still said nothing, I started making my way toward the front door, looking between him and the exit, thinking he might try to stop me. But he just sat there and drank his coffee. I tried not to focus on how big he looked, sitting on that little barstool, his muscles defined and bulging.
I’d never been one to appreciate tattoos. My brothers were covered in them, and every single man who worked for them had some sort of permanent insignia inked onto their bodies. But looking at Gio’s had my heart fluttering a little and other parts of me warming.
He was just so… big.
But it was when I got to the door that I realized I had no way to get home. That was when I felt overwhelming heat at my back. I spun around to see Gio standing a foot from me, his head downcast from his towering height as he focused on me.
His massive, imposing body took up every single inch of my eyesight.
“You don’t need to run away just because you’re afraid of how your brothers will react. They should probably learn what happened, no?”
His gaze went to my throat, and I lifted my hand to lightly touch what I assumed was horrendous bruising. It was so tender and felt so swollen. But I was shaking my head before he even finished speaking.