Luca's pov
"What do you mean the Russians are meeting up with the polish?" I grunted as I deftly weaved the blow Dominic aimed at my temple.
He attempted a second hit with his leg but I quickly blocked it with my lower arm.
"I'm as surprised as you are." Dominic said in a huff before feigning an attack to my solar plexus then aiming for my jaw.
He got me.
I tightened my jaw, grinding it as I welcomed the sweet pang of pain, getting more excited and charged than I was before.
Since I became don, I hadn't been in as many fist fights as I had in my teenage and college years. Men were too scared of me to challenge me to one and moments like this was the only chance I got to showcase my fight skills. But it wasn't half as satisfying as being in a real fight.
Dominic came at me again and I dodged past him, my elbow connecting with his ribs. I whirled around immediately, a dark smile on my lips. He was the only one who had the balls to challenge me to a fight. The only one who was just as good as I was. We learnt everything we know together after all.
He took the elbow jab like a fucking champ, his expression showing no indication that he had just been hit even though the side of his torso was turning a deep shade of red.
"Both the bratva's pakhan and the polish don tried to keep it under wraps but thank God Grigori is damned good at his job." Dominic said, his eyes intent and I knew he was calculating his next attack.
I let the information marinate in my mind. That fucking Alesky, if the fucker thinks he can negotiate business with me then go behind my back to consort with my enemies then he's in for a fucking big surprise.
Also it was taking Grigori more time than usual to gather intel on the Russians, I wondered how large their arsenal of skeletons and lores were.
Dominic made his move, his lunge so quick I barely dodged the blow. Not giving me a chance to recover, he caught me in the chest. I hissed and swung at his shoulder, disarming him. But he didn't back down, he kept coming at me even when his dominant arm was momentarily made useless by my punch. It was one of the many reasons why I respected him.
He speared at me and we both stumbled to the ground, panting and laughing as both our bodies throbbed with the effects of our sparring.
I got up first and helped him to his feet and we both swung over the boxing ring and headed to the small lockers on the other side of the room. I pulled out two bottles of water from my duffel bag and threw one at Dominic which he caught with his good arm.
I downed more than half of the bottle, already feeling refreshed as I did. Dominic sipped at his then put it down.
"So what do you plan to do?"
What did I plan to do? Well, a lot of my next activities will involve teaching the polish don not to get too greedy.
I pulled out a towel from my bag and wiped the blood stained sweat trickling down my body. "I'm sure the Mexicans would be pleased at the news, lord knows they've been bitter about having to pay the fee the polish charged them for shipping through the polish territory. Knowing their impulsive ass, they won't even hesitate at the opportunity of suppressing Alesky."
I reached for my phone and turned it on to check my notifications. No new messages from Sergio and it's been over eight hours. The soldier usually updated me every two hours.
I dumped the device unceremoniously in my duffel and gulped down the rest of my water, trying not to freak out about what could have gone wrong.
Dominic was watching me in that irritatingly knowing manner of his. "What?" I spat.
He shifted his gaze. "Nothing from Sergio yet?" He asked.
I blinked. "What?"
His gaze coasted back to me. "Your stepsister."
My eyes narrowed. This fucker. How the hell did he know?
He must have seen the question in my stare because he suddenly said, "come on Luca, I've known you since you were a toddler."
My lips curled up in a sneer, "why do you say it like you weren't also a toddler at that time?"
A soft chuckle left his lips and he stood up sharply, wincing at the pain the movement caused to his side. "I don't know man, but I think she's a bad idea, a very bad one."
I sent him a death glare knowing fully well that he was right. Did he think I was a willing participant in whatever it is that was happening with my stepsister?
He raised his hands, "I'm just saying. Take it as advice from your consigliere."
"Well I don't expect my consigliere to be nosy about my personal business." I mumbled.
"You now refer to her as personal business." He shot me a smug smirk. "Are you that downbad?"
I wish it was his neck I had dislocated instead.
But he was right, there was no hiding my uncomfortable obsession with Cara. She was a constant itch in my brain. And my c0ck too. It was stupid but I felt so fucking proud of myself for desisting to see her these past few weeks. It had also been an embarrassingly difficult task too.
Dominic's expression was back to serious. The astute bastard was going to say something I already know.
"You should really nip it in the bud, whatever is going on. Her mother is still the old don's wife."
I decided not to award him any reply. His opinions were for me to take or discard after all. And like the wise man that he was, he desisted from pushing the subject, a deep frown on his face.
The doors of the boxing arena swung open and three of my soldiers strode in. I recognised Sergio among them and I wondered in rising annoyance why he was here and not wherever Cara was, keeping an eye on her.
Sergio halted when he was a couple of feet from me and bowed in respect. I grunted my approval and waited for him, hoping he had a very good reason for slacking off on the very important job I assigned to him.
Another soldier came in, pulling a beat up man along. Dominic looked from them to me and my brow raised in questioning.
"This is Fergus, one of the chronic debtors from our gambling houses."
My brow shot up even higher. Fergus or whatever his name was wasn't a concern of mine. Insignificant beings like him were handled by my soldiers. What the f uc k was Sergio thinking by bringing him to me?
"And what does this have to do with protecting Cara like I asked you to?" I asked, annoyance filling my lungs.
Sergio visibly swallowed, stilling himself before answering. "We caught him attacking the young miss."
Something ignited within me.
"Repeat that." My voice was a deadly growl.
"He," Sergio glared at the shaking form of the bastard on the floor, "followed Miss Cara and cornered her and would have done worse if we didn't arrive when we did."
"And how did this happen under your watch?" I could barely keep from breaking something, preferably bones, preferably Sergio's and the bastard's.
Sergio's eyes flickered in fear or embarrassment or both. "She left through the back door and was gone by the time we realized."
Very on brand for someone as spontaneous and unpredictable as Cara. My anger surged and I felt the strong urge to find her and shake her until she went dizzy.
Cara had been endangered, something terrible could have happened to her. The thought of her getting hurt turned me to a wounded animal, murderous and vengeful. I was going to raise hell on anyone and anything that so much as tries to touch a strand on her hair.
I slammed my locker shut so hard that the entire thing shuddered and everyone except Dominic visibly flinched, my steps slow as I slinked to where the man cowered on the ground. I crotched to his eye level, my icy smile contradicting the raging inferno in my veins.
"What did you do to her?" If my voice could cut through things, it would have sliced him to smithereens.
He backed up, "I didn't do anything I swear. The bitch ran away before I could. And these guys caught me after that. That's all, I swear on my life."
My fist connected with his jaw in a satisfying crack and he screamed in pain. "You'll mind how you address her." I drawled.
He nodded like a reprimanded child, nursing the likely broken jaw.
I was going to do a lot more breaking on him, and I was going to be so brutal that he would beg for death. A plea I would deny him.
I rose to my feet and turned my gaze on Sergio. "Take him to the basement, make sure not to lay a finger on him."
Dominic got up as well, "I can come along." He proposed but I gave a firm shake of my head, a twisted smile playing on my lips as I bored my eyes into the bastard that had dared to touch what belonged to me.
He was mine for the killing.