Page 77 of End It All

"Blake, you follow my lead. Am I clear?"

He shrugged. "This isn't my first time."

I shook my head. My instincts screamed that there was something off, but I couldn't pinpoint it. I should drive off and get Blake back home safe. I'd deal with the Russian shit when I knew he was safe. "Something feels off and if something happens to you?—"

"What, you'd be pissed off?" Blake rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. Who the fuck else will cook for me? I have home-cooked meals now." I opened my jacket and raised my shirt showing off my abdomen. "Abs are even more cut than they were before." I tried making light of the situation, but I wasn't sure what awaited us. It should have been a simple deal in the making, a make up for something that had gone wrong between the yakuza and bratva. At least that’s what little information I received.

I slipped out of the car with Blake right behind me.

"?? ????? ???."We've been expecting you,one of the men said. His gaze dropped to Blake and his scowl deepened. "?? ?????? ??? ?????? ????."You were to come alone.

I shrugged, playing it off. "?? ?????, ????? ????????? ?? ????."He's here to observe me. I grinned, making sure they understood the meaning of my words. "?????? ????? ???, ? ? ?????? ???? ??? ?????? ? ?????? ?? ? ???????."Touch him and I'll cut off all your fingers and shove them up your ass.

"You threaten my men?" another man asked as he stepped out. His black suit was tailored. The fur coat he wore over his shoulders was stereotypical. I knew who he was, Isaak Antonov.He was one of the top members of his family, a tight-knit group who were just as ruthless as they portrayed themselves.

"Threat, no.” I shook my head. "It was a promise." If he thought he intimidated me he was sorely mistaken.

Isaak's gaze cut to Blake, and I stepped in front of him, blocking his view. "You're big talk like we've heard."

"We have business. Can we get to it?” I asked.

"He can't be here," Isaak retorted.

I shook my head. "I don't recall asking. If you're so worried about him hearing anything, we can continue in Russian."

Isaak's lips dropped in a frown. The two men standing on either side of him took a step toward us. I watched as the one on the right smoothly moved his hand into his coat as he moved to the side of us.

"?? ???????? ??-??????? ???? ??, ?????????, ??? ? ???? ???."Do you speak Russian? If you do, answer, or I'll kill him,Isaak directed at Blake.

A gun was pressed to the side of my head but I didn't dare take my eyes off the leader. It was always a fucking battle of the wills with these guys. I just had to make sure mine was stronger, or we would both be dead.

Hands ran over both me and Blake as they searched us for weapons. As he was given the all clear, Isaak stepped forward and shoved a gun against my head.

Holy fuck.

Yeah, I'd wormed my way into going with Quincy, but now I wondered if I should have just stayed home and out of his way. Although if I did, he might still be in trouble. Like he said, something didn't feel right. I wasn't used to doing this kind of stuff, but even to me, the air felt too charged. The gun I had was tucked inside my pants, right beneath my cock. They'd touched it when I was searched a few minutes ago, but hadn't gone further when I grinned at them. The knife, however, was still tucked inside my boot. Which they hadn't bothered to check. At least I had some way to defend myself. And Quincy.

Russian was spat my way and I stared at the man as if he had a second head.Am I supposed to know what the fuck he's saying?I was lucky I even knew English. Languages weren't mystrong suit. I knew some basic Italian because of my mother, but even she barely spoke it. If he thought I could understand him, he was sorely mistaken.

"What the fuck man? How am I supposed to understand that?" I asked, exasperated. "Like he said, I'm just here to make sure this shit doesn't go south. Can you put the gun down?"

My voice was calm, well, as calm as it could be in the situation, but I was a ball of nerves. The gun pressed against Quincy's temple made my blood freeze in my veins. At any moment he could decide to pull the trigger, and the asshole that I loved to fight with would just be... gone.

A pain stabbed me in the chest. I wanted to reach up to rub it, but I didn't dare move a muscle. Being a nonchalant asshole was the best course of action right now. The more I pretended I was laid-back and unbothered, the more they would believe it. Or at least, that's what I hoped. I had to thank my newfound family for this ability to be so calm because the old me would have shit himself.

"I told you, he don't speak it." Quincy laughed. "Why the fuck would I lie?"

As I stared at the man with the gun to Quincy's head, Isaak or whatever his name was, I tried not to even blink. He seemed like he was looking through me, searching me inside and out as he took me in. Finally, he dropped his hand. Inwardly, I sighed with relief. But outside, I stayed quiet and slipped my hand into my pocket. His men watched me, but I didn't move. Just waited for them to get on with their business.

The second he turned and started speaking Russian to Quincy, I was able to breathe. I had no idea what they were saying, but it was better than all eyes being on me. I took in every bit of Quincy. There was none of his usual lightness and bullshit. He was tight. Something was really wrong.

Why did I involve myself in this?

I knew why immediately. There had been something on Quincy's face that made me want to protect him. By now, I was more than aware that whoever he was working for had no problem tossing him to the wolves. So, why should this be any different?

"What are you talking about?" Quincy asked, his brows pinched in confusion. "You were already given what you were owed.”