Page 27 of Born into Blood

I’m just waiting for a bit to see if anyone shows.

A few minutes later I get several photos of Pip with his new toys, and the final photo is of him curled up next to her on her bed, because he’s a smart cat and has decided that it’s far better than the bed we got him. She’s tried to cut herself out of the photo, but he’s nestled by her thigh, and the sight of it has me remembering how damn soft her skin is.

I never thought I’d be jealous of a cat. I’m picking you up tomorrow at seven. Get some sleep, Lara, and text me if you need me.

I’ll meet you out front. Night, Luka. Thanks again for everything.

I put my phone away when I hear footsteps. Whoever it is is trying to be quiet, but they’re not very good at it. Keeping my back to the wall, I peek out and see a guy headed my way. He’s in a hoodie, despite the heat, with a baseball cap pulled low, partially obscuring his face. If that wasn’t suspicious enough, then the way he’s walking would be. He’s keeping to the shadows as much as possible, turning his head to make sure no one else is around to see him, and to really clinch the deal, he stops to inspect a red Honda Civic on his way to the stairwell. It’s the nicest car in the parking garage, and when he sees that it’s locked, he gives up and starts heading my way again.

Pulling back, I press against the wall, waiting for him to come to me, and as soon as he walks through the doorway, I shove him against the wall. I hadn’t wanted Lara to feel my gun, so I’d left it under the seat of my bike, but I don’t need a gun to deal with this idiot. When he tries to reach for his weapon, I punch him in the ribs.

“Fuck!” he yells, trying to clutch at his chest, but I hit him again, this time hard enough to crack ribs. He wheezes and collapses to his knees, not even trying to block the next punch. His nose breaks easily, and the poor guy is left trying to decide if he should cradle his ribs or his nose. He goes for his nose, trying to staunch the blood as he falls back onto his ass.

Leaning closer, I fist his dirty hoodie, waiting for his eyes to meet mine. “Are you the fucker who’s been robbing people here?”

“What?” he asks, coughing and choking on blood while also trying like hell to get his pea-sized brain to process what I’m saying.

I repeat the question much slower because I’m still in a good mood from Lara and I’m trying to be helpful.

“Yeah. Who the hell are you?” The words come out nasally and I laugh.

“Are you aware that this area belongs to the Melnikov Bratva?”

That gets his attention. His eyes widen before they fill with fear.

“So you’ve heard of us. Good, saves me from having to explain it very slowly to you.” I haul his ass up and then quickly let go because the guy is fucking filthy. “Come back here again, and I’ll fucking kill you. Understood?”

“Yeah,” he quickly says, nodding as fast as he can while also pinching his nose to try and stop the blood. “I won’t come back.”

“Good, now get the fuck out.”

He stumbles out of the stairwell and starts running through the parking garage, clutching at his ribs with one hand and his nose with the other. When I’m sure he’s gone, I text Val.

Hey, is Sveta with you? Think she can come tag something?

His response is immediate and not surprising.

I’m with Yelena, but we’re on our way. Sending a text for Sveta to join us. Where are you?

I text him the address and wait. Yelena is our cousin, but she and Val have always been close, very close, and we’re all still in the we’re pretending we don’t see it phase of things. They’re not related by blood, so it’s not like it’s against the law or anything, but it’s still weird enough that they haven’t admitted anything to anyone. At some point they’re either going to have to let it go or come clean about it. Judging by the way they look at one another, my money is on the second option.

I text my brother while I wait, letting him know I haven’t forgotten about his math homework. I send him the emoji that looks like a stack of books and a thumbs up, knowing he’ll figure it out. He responds with the thumbs up and the remote control emoji, letting me know that he doesn’t give a shit and he’s playing video games. When Damien was younger, one of the doctors my parents went to suggested video games, especially fast-paced, action ones, as a way to help improve his reading speed. He’s been hooked ever since.

While I wait, I look through the photos Lara sent me, making the one of her and Pip my lock screen photo. When I hear my cousin’s Jaguar, I pocket my phone and lean against the wall by the elevator so they’ll see me. He parks the beautiful car near my motorcycle, the burnt orange color looking pristine as usual. I don’t think he allows dirt on his car, at least not for long. He and Yelena get out and walk over to me.

“What’s going on?” he asks, looking around and trying to figure out what the hell I’m doing here.

“People have been getting mugged in the stairwell here. I caught the guy and left him with a broken nose and a few broken ribs, but just in case he or any of his friends decide to come back, I thought we should remind them of who owns this area.”

“So what’s really going on?” he asks again.

I shake my head at him and give a soft laugh. He knows me too damn well to be fooled by my vague answer, so I settle on, “Dominic’s newest second-floor waitress lives here. I don’t want her getting mugged.”

He raises a dark brow and looks over at Yelena. My cousin has the same eyes as my Uncle Matvey, so dark they look black, but she has her mom’s build—more lithe than curvy, and she has the same quiet nature as Val. She’s beautiful, but unlike him, I’ve never seen her as anything other than my cousin. She’s more like a sister to me than anything else. Besides, I much prefer the curvy beauty who’s sleeping above us. Just the thought of Lara’s perfect, round ass has me almost salivating. I don’t understand the effect she has on me, and I’m helpless to stop it.

“She’s working the second floor?” Val asks.

“Yeah, she just started up there.”

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