Page 16 of Anton

“Funnily enough, so have I,” Ash grinned again.

“Well then, I’d better go place mine too, especially now that I’ve had a special tip-off,” I said, amused by Vlad’s playful mood. I hadn’t known he had it in him. Usually, he was so stoic; seeinghim smile and joke with us was an eye-opener. I guess bare-knuckle fights put him in his element—who knew?

With another wink, he turned to Miki. “I’m going to get changed.” Miki nodded, and I watched Vlad walk away. His muscles rippled under his tight black t-shirt, and I realised I’d never noticed them before, probably because they were usually hidden beneath the suits he wore as Miki’s bodyguard. But now, the way they stretched the fabric was, frankly, distracting. If I didn’t already have the hots for Anton, I might’ve been left a panting mess.

“So, how do I place a bet?” I asked Ash. I wasn’t much of a gambler, but I was definitely going to support Vlad.Wonder if he’ll be fighting bare-chested?Lord, I hoped so. I bit back a snigger at the thought. I might’ve been celibate waiting for a certain Mr Sexy Soldier to notice me, but I sure as hell wasn’t dead. Images of hot, sweaty men pummelling each other danced through my mind, and suddenly the room felt too warm. I tried not to fan myself. Oh, my—I was definitely going to enjoy the show.

“I can put a bet on for you,” Ash said, pulling me back to the present.

“Oh, great, thanks.” I handed him a hundred quid.

“We’d better give these two to Nonna to take home before the fight starts. See you later, Marcie,” Gracie said as they walked away with the twins.

“We should go join our Irish guests. Enjoy the fight, Marcie,” Miki told me as he and Eilidh said their goodbyes and headed over to a lively group gathered around several tables. I guessed they must be the Irish Mafia—the Bratva’s new allies. An older man stood to shake Miki’s hand, making room for him and Eilidh to join them.

Luca was there with Claire, chatting to two young men. One of them, dressed in shorts and a robe with his hands taped, wasclearly Vlad’s opponent. He was a bit smaller and a few years younger than Vlad, less muscular too, but scrappy and radiating a dangerous aura that said he wasn’t to be underestimated. Still, my money was most definitely on Vlad.

Standing alone, I scanned the room, convincing myself I was just taking in the atmosphere—not impatiently searching for Mr Sexy Soldier, even though I knew he wasn’t here yet.

The space around me pulsed with electric anticipation. Glitz had shed its usual refined glamour, transforming into something raw and unfiltered for tonight’s fight. The dance floor was gone, replaced by tables draped in dark linens arranged in a wide circle around a boxing ring at the centre, each seat offering a perfect view of the action to come. Tall bar tables lined the back, giving the standing crowd a place to gather with drinks in hand. The overhead lights were dimmed, casting an edgy glow across the large room, while subtle metallic accents gleamed under the spotlight directed at the ring.

Derrick had done an incredible job at organising this event, just as I’d expected him to. He’d been my assistant since I started Exquisite Events, but he was far too skilled to stay in that role. As excellent as he was as an assistant, he’d make an even better partner. The company had more work than I could handle now, and I was ready to expand. As soon as my lawyer drafted the paperwork, I was going to ask Derrick to come on board as a partner so we could grow the business together.

I was still lost in thoughts about the future when Claire and Luca returned to my side, pulling me back to the present. Luca handed me my drink with a smile.

“Sorry we took so long. Luca was talking to Sean and Finn, the two Irish lads who were in prison with him,” Claire explained, speaking about them casually, with no hint of discomfort. I guessed she really had come to accept Luca and his role in the Bratva after all.

“I’m glad you had them there to watch your back,” I told Luca. I really was. If it hadn’t been for them, Luca might not have survived his short stint in prison. The MP had been determined not only to ruin Luca’s reputation, but to have him killed. I shuddered at the thought.

Luca gave me a wry smile, clearly aware of how close he had come to the edge. “Yeah, they’re a good couple of guys, and I think our alliance with them will be a good thing for everyone,” he said, pulling Claire close. “But it was this beautiful, sexy lawyer that really had my back. Without her determination to free me, the MP might have had his way and killed me.”

He leaned down, kissing and nibbling at Claire’s neck, making her giggle. I grinned at the sound, so unlike Claire. Luca had most definitely thawed the Ice Queen out, and watching her turn into a puddle of gooey love in front of my eyes made me want to laugh.

Despite the difficulty of the last few months, it had clearly brought them closer. I guessed some good had come out of all the mess with the MP after all.

The MP was how we referred to the corrupt politician and UK government member, Timothy Evans-Hughes, who had tried to set Luca up. From what Miki had told me, he’d been an enemy of the Bratva for years, working behind the scenes with others to exact revenge on them for something that happened about twenty years ago when they first arrived in the UK. I didn’t know all the details, but the MP had been a thorn in the Rominov’s side, and they were determined to take him down.

But his issues with them weren’t the only reason he had to be stopped. The guy was twisted—downright evil. He ran a company, Darkest Desire Productions, where rich, perverted bastards paid to hunt men and women for sport. The Bratva might be criminals, but there were lines they didn’t cross, and hurting women or murdering innocents was one of them. Tothink he had once been one of my clients… I shuddered at the thought.

When Miki was formulating a plan, he came to me for help, and I was glad I had been able to aid in bringing the madman to justice. The Rominov’s had used an event I was arranging at the MP’s country estate as a distraction for a heist—one that would get the information they needed to bring the bastard down. They used one of my catering trucks to pull it off. I’d played dumb, pretending the truck had been stolen and used as a getaway vehicle, and luckily, the MP hadn’t suspected my involvement.

The MP had also been a client of Anton’s, and it was through that relationship that Luca had got in undercover as one of the MP’s personal bodyguards. Unfortunately, Luca’s disguise was eventually compromised after the MP was arrested. In an act of pure revenge, the MP killed one of Luca’s ex-girlfriends and framed him for the crime.

Thankfully, Luca had been exonerated and was now free. The MP had been killed in jail just a few days ago, and with him gone, and no longer a threat, we could all finally breathe easy again.

As I sipped my drink, a sudden prickling sensation washed over my skin, making me more alert. I glanced across the room, instinctively searching for the source of the shift in my awareness. There it was. Anton had arrived. It was as if my heart had its own Anton radar, tuned perfectly to his frequency. The minute he was near, everything inside me went off like an alarm—every nerve ending lit up, telling me he was close.

He was chatting with Miki, but it was his gaze that found me. My heart leapt at the sight of his gorgeous face.

Anton’s eyes locked onto mine, and my breath hitched. I longed to walk over to him, to speak to him after all this time, but I knew better than to approach.

I fiddled nervously with the earrings he’d given me for my birthday. I’d hardly taken them off since. Could he see I waswearing them? My body warmed at the memory of when he’d told me they reminded him of my eyes and called me beautiful when he gave them to me. Compliments from Anton were rare, and I’d cherished every single one.

That unruly lock of hair fell over his forehead, and he pushed it back in annoyance. I fought back a smile. God, I wished I could be the one to do that—run my fingers through his hair, tug his head close to mine, and kiss him.

Turning away quickly, I snapped my eyes closed and tried to shut down the thoughts. Shit, I had to stop doing this. I was only torturing myself with things that could never be.

Claire and Luca were still caught up in each other next to me, and while I was happy for them, I couldn’t help feeling like a third wheel.

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