Junior was catching up, so were Ash and Breaker.
But I think Chase took the cake for the amount of ink covering his body.
My dad probably came in second.
I nodded in his direction and earned a wink back as the bosses waited for Junior to finish.
We hadn’t planned for them to watch this. It was just necessary, and I knew Junior would get it done before the funeral.
“He’s lying,” I finally said. “Junior’s a crack shot.”
Junior’s face broke out into a cruel smile. “She only says that because she wants me.”
“In your dreams, asshole,” I spat.
The bosses just chuckled. They were used to our verbal sparring.
“Leg, I changed my mind, shoot my leg.” Tank stuttered over his words while Junior lowered the gun.
“Ah, man.” Breaker winced. “That’s gonna hurt like a son of a bitch, right, Dad?”
Tex grinned. “Might even get lucky and hit some bone.”
“What the hell is wrong with you people?” Tank roared. “Just get it over wi—”
Junior shot him in the leg, and then fired off another shot in the shoulder, then put his gun away while Tank bellowed and writhed in pain on the ground.
Money exchanged hands between the bosses.
I rolled my eyes. “What were you betting on?”
Chase grinned. “If he screamed.”
“I had a hundred on him crying.” Tex sighed while he handed Andrei his cash.
I noticed Nikolai standing in the background watching with amusement before his eyes flickered to a resting Ash in the corner next to a completely unfazed Izzy and Violet.
I knew that look.
It meant that he was going to wake up soon.
It meant we had to talk about it.
It meant they were going to tell Ash about the funeral.
It meant, as it always did when one of our own has fallen that he had to give Claire’s eulogy.
I was pissed for him, hurt, so hurt that I wanted to hurt someone else, so when Tank groaned on the floor, I kicked him in the back and then leaned down. “Relax, you could be dead, plus Sergio and Nikolai can fix your booboos.”
The bosses slowly moved around the room; a hush fell over everyone as Chase pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the ground. “Who’s first?”
“Me.” Andrei’s grin was pure evil.
And just like that, money exchanged hands again.
I slowly snuck out of the room and prayed that Junior saw me do it, that Junior would follow—because while my dad was sparring in the ring—I wanted to spar with Junior in bed, or maybe even against the wall, I didn’t care.
I just needed him.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Junior
I watched her slip out the door and go upstairs. I looked over my shoulder to make sure all the bosses were busy watching the fight, and then I slowly made my way to the basement door.
Right when I was almost home free, I felt a tap on my shoulder.
Shit, slowly I turned around; it was Breaker and King.
“What’s up, guys?”
They exchanged looks, and then Breaker whispered, “Need us to cover for you?”
I exhaled in relief. “If anyone asks, she had a headache and went to lay down.”
“Ohhh, a headache, nice one.” King smiled. “And your dick is like her Advil or what?”
“Look, you either help me or you don’t, I’m still going up those stairs.” My chest heaved as a frenzy washed over me, the crippling feeling of needing another hit of Serena was almost my undoing.
“We’ve got you.” Breaker said softly. “Please just don’t die, no sex is worth that.”
“It’s not just sex,” I snapped, feeling my blood boil beneath my skin. “I fucking love her.”
“Well, shit.” King paled. “Just don’t get caught. I don’t want to plan another funeral.”
Worth it, my heart pumped while I nodded and then took the stairs two at a time until I was running down the hall in anticipation of her taste.
Her door was shut. I knocked. “Serena?”
“You alone?” She asked through the door.
“Yeah.”
“Come in, then lock the door.”
I quickly opened the door, shut it and locked it, then turned around and nearly died of a heart attack.
She was completely naked except for the ever-present knife strapped to her thigh, her hair was down covering both of her breasts and hanging almost to her waist.
I’d never wanted to pull someone’s hair so desperately in my entire existence. I wanted to wrap it around my fist and tug until her eyes burned with tears, until she screamed my name.
Her lips pressed into a wide smile as she put her hands on her hips, her black fingernails stark against her white skin. “Wanna spar?”
“Hmm…” I sauntered over to her and ran a fingertip down her arm, then looked behind her. Something flickered near her shelf. “Hold that thought.”
I went over and grabbed the sparkly silver crown, the same one she’d worn when she’d won prom queen. I’d been so pissed that her dad even let her go that I crashed it even though I’d already graduated.