I saw a few men dressed in dark fatigues close to where we were seated and noticed how they nodded to Nikolai and Dmitry. I knew they worked for my husband and brother-in-law and were dispatched to watch over us as well.
I would have scoffed at the overprotectiveness, but this place was utter pandemonium, and I felt a hell of a lot better knowing I had Dmitry at my side.
We didn’t have to wait more than a few minutes before everyone in the room went absolutely wild. My ears rang from the earsplitting screams.
I didn’t have to wait long to see what everybody was so excited about. A moment later, a massive man jumped into the ring.
He had a shock of dark red buzzed hair and eyes so green I could even make out the vibrant color from this distance. He had a frightening dragon tattoo that covered one shoulder, the hind legs and wings slithering down his arm.
I could see a nasty scar that sliced across his forehead and down one cheek. He also had a sour as hell expression on his face, as if he were waiting for his opponent so the bloodshed could begin.
I felt a strange anticipation as adrenaline rushed through my body, exploding to fill every space in me. Everybody quieted down for a moment, and then there was an uproar of absolute chaos.
People stood up and shouted, raising their hands in the air as they screamed vile, aggressive things.
I looked at Amara, who winced and covered her rounded belly. The noise was obviously too much. Nikolai pushed the long fall of her hair off her shoulder and said something to her. She shook her head, and after a narrow-eyed look, he handed her a pair of earplugs, which she took and put in with a grateful smile.
Dmitry had offered me a pair before we left the car, but I’d declined. Right now I was kicking myself for not taking them.
Nikolai wrapped his arm tightly around Amara’s shoulder and pulled her closer. He placed his free hand over hers, which rested protectively on her rounded belly. I looked at Dmitry to see him watching me. He wore a concerned expression on his face.
He leaned in close and murmured against my ear, “Detka, how about we go back to the hotel room? I’ll lick every inch of you until you’re begging me to fuck you, and then I’ll fill you up nice and good and make you come three times.”
I shivered at how those words did wicked things to me. He pulled back, his nose nearly touching mine. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him I wanted exactly that, but I pushed my arousal down and shook my head.
“I want to stay here. I want to watch the fight.” I wanted the confirmation that D'yavol was actually my brother.
To my left, I saw people moving out of the way. Even from this distance, I could see the man they were parting for. He was a head taller than everyone else. He was as tall and broad as Nikolai and Dmitry.
And when he effortlessly hopped onto the stage, I knew without a doubt I was staring at my brother.
He’d kept his identity ambiguous, what with the skull mask covering the lower half of his face. He wore black boxing shorts, tape wrapped around his knuckles, and nothing else.
Everyone was shouting, “D'yavol!” repeatedly, and it was clear he was the fan favorite.
In any other instance Gio’s tattoos could have been identifiable, but Gio had always been so careful about showing them off. In fact, thinking back through my childhood, I didn’t remember a time when he’d ever shown them off. The most I’d ever seen were his forearms and the sides of his neck.
And now I realized he’d done all of that on purpose. If he couldn’t be identified by his tattoos, and his face was covered… no one would know who he was.
I felt Amara looking at me, and I glanced her way. Her eyes were wide, her gaze bouncing between me and the skull-masked man in the center. I knew what she was saying without uttering a word.
That’s Gio.
I nodded slowly and stared at my brother.
Gio wasn’t looking at us, but I knew he was fully aware we were sitting front and center. He’d been at lunch when Nikolai talked about us going. But even if he hadn’t been, Gio—like a lot of men in the underworld circuit—had this sixth sense about… everything.
And because he hadn’t stopped us from coming here tonight, a part of me wanted to believe he wanted us to know, to find out this way.
I felt Dmitry’s hand slip along my back, and I turned my attention to him. Now it was my turn to feel like my eyes were wide with shock.