Pulling back, I place a hand at the side of his neck and lock eyes with him. “Don’t you fucking dare go after Aurora.”
The corner of his mouth lifts into a sadistic grin. “So the friend is fair game?”
Letting out a sigh, I shake my head.
Armani steps closer, giving Alek a look of warning. “The women will be ignored. I, for one, don’t want to suffer the wrath of Viktor Vetrov and Luca Cotroni. You know women are not fair game in our world.”
Alek shakes his head, and it doesn’t look like he cares much for the rules. “Bullshit. Men, women, children – they’re all fair game. Having akiskadoesn’t set you above anyone else.”
Wrapping an arm around Alek’s shoulders, I steer him in the direction of the dining room. “Come. Food will lessen your thirst for blood.”
“You better wash the blood off your hand if you expect me to eat anything,” Armani mutters.
With a chuckle, I stop at a restroom to rinse my hands off, then we find an open table in the dining room.
While Alek orders half the menu, I glance around, my eyes touching on our enemies and allies sitting down for lunch at their respective tables.
Every now and then, a fight will break out, but no one dares break the only rule at St. Monarch’s – no killing on the premises.
My gaze settles on Marsela Kodra, a sex trafficker. He’s already raped two women and one guy during his stay at St. Monarch’s. It didn’t happen on the grounds, though, but at a nightclub in Geneva. I’ve heard the three people disappeared, and my guess is Kodra’s people have kidnaped them.
Marsela will be a threat to Aurora and Abbie.
It’s not your problem.
I tear my eyes away from the man and pick up the coffee Armani ordered for me.
Just then, Kazuo Jirocho and Takaharu Saturo walk into the dining hall. They’re members of the yakuza, and everyone knows they’re not here for training. It’s all an act because the yakuza do their own training.
Why they’re really here, I don’t know. But I don’t like it, and to make matters worse, they have a new trainee that’s joined this past week, so now we have three of the fuckers roaming the halls of St. Monarch’s.
“You think Instructor Volkov would let us practice torture techniques on those fuckers?” Alek asks, his eyes burning on Kazuo and Takaharu. He’s been thirsting after their blood for the past two years.
I let out a chuckle. “I’m willing to lose a couple of nails to get the opportunity of making them piss themselves.”
Armani glances around the room, then mentions, “It’s a pity St. Monarch’s is open to any criminal.”
“Yeah,” Alek agrees. “And we can’t kill a single one of the fuckers.”
“Not yet,” I murmur. “Just keep watching them. When the two years are up, it will make our jobs easier when we’re sent after them.”
I have no doubt the time will come, and I’ll take great joy in using everything I’ve been taught to kill the enemy.
Every one of them, except for Aurora. I pray that never happens, and once I leave St. Monarch’s, our paths will never cross again.
Chapter 11
Aurora
After the altercation with Misha and his friends, Abbie dragged me to a restroom so I could wash the blood off my face.
Which means we’re late for our first training session with Instructor Nikolai.
Just freaking awesome.
I can’t believe Misha smeared blood on my face.
I knew I was taking a risk slapping him, but my pride couldn’t let him get away with hurting me. I’m not someone who goes looking for fights, and honestly, I’d rather avoid them altogether. But I had to stand up for myself.