Before - Bethan-Kris Page 0,10

money. Nickie will have your bonus ready in the back before you leave. Take care of me, I take care of you. You get me?”

What?

He didn’t get the chance to ask. As fast as Andino had left his seat, and the companion he brought along, the man turned on his shined Italian loafers and headed back into the crowd.

“Who is that?” he heard Gigi ask behind him.

“Winner—Lev Arsov!”

The man who acted as the ref for the fights stopped him from answering—not that he particularly knew how exactly he would answer her question. He didn’t know anything at all about Andino Marcello except the most important thing.

Don’t fuck with him.

Lev’s wrist found its way into the ref’s hand before being lifted high to a still-roaring crowd inside the bar. It looked like the guys in black were finally beginning to get his opponent to come around where he rested on the floor. He, however, was too busy watching Andino retreat into the crowd.

And the man waiting for him.

His companion from earlier.

Except now, the guy didn’t look pleased. He certainly wasn’t as friendly as he had been earlier with Andino when the one man offered a hand to shake, but it was left hanging between them. The two men eyed one another before Andino’s companion’s gaze traveled to the ring, stopping on Lev for only a second before drifting to the man being helped up from the mat.

His lips moved. The words silent to Lev from his position, yet clear all the same. He didn’t have to hear them to know what the guy said.

“You said fair, Andino.”

In response, Andino only shrugged.

Then, he walked away.

Men in suits, situated in different spots within the bar, moved to follow Andino. Probably the same people who had come in with him. Lev’s attention was still on the guy Andino had left behind, and the growing rage that darkened his features as the fighter who had lost against Lev was pulled from the ring, clearly dazed, confused, and not in a very good state.

The guy tipped his head to the side, taking in the scene. Then, he lifted two fingers and placed them at the bottom of his throat. Who the order had been given to, Lev didn’t know. He knew what it meant, though, and the way the guy turned to leave in the opposite direction of Andino, well, he thought the intention was clear.

Lev could have left it alone. Maybe he should have. Gigi’s hands were still soft. His cock was still hard. Soon, he could celebrate the win, possibly even buried in a new, tight pussy.

Wouldn’t that be fucking pure?

Words lingered in the back of his mind.

Take care of me, I take care of you.

The ref had barely released Lev’s wrist before he pushed away from Gigi behind the ropes. Slipping under the designated wall of the ring, he didn’t care about the shouts behind him as he headed in the direction Andino had gone earlier.

Already, the warning came from his mouth.

“Marcello!”

There were certain things people who occasionally dabbled in the criminal world didn’t do. Ever, if they could help it. One was draw unneeded attention to themselves. Another was draw any sort of attention to a man like Andino, but especially when he might have been doing business that he didn’t want on anyone else’s radar.

Lev smashed both of those unspoken rules with one call of Andino’s name.

Near the side exit of the bar where Andino was taking a coat being held out to him by a man waiting in a black suit, he turned at the call of his name. He must have recognized Lev’s voice because he looked his way, that same cold gaze nailing into him with an intensity that hadn’t diminished at all.

He put his fingers up to his throat and cocked his head to the side. A clear indication of the trouble that might be waiting to follow him.

Apparently, it didn’t matter. Or Lev’s warning just came too late.

Gunfire exploded in the bar.

The last thing Lev saw before he turned to run for the woman he’d left behind at the makeshift ring was the splatter of blood and brain matter of Andino’s man that painted the exit door.

Well ...

That was unfortunate.

Four

“WELL?”

Lev did his very best to keep the chuckle forming to himself. He didn’t think the woman standing across from him on the quiet sidewalk would appreciate his humor at her current state. Even in her distress, hugging her arms tight to her middle to keep the