The Russian Fighter (Mafia Men #1)

The Darkness He Hides

Chapter 13

Edited

I was stupid.

Furious at Maksim, and my passionate heart, I kept my head down as I marched to my first block.

What was it about my horrible choice in men? Do I just attract all the wrong ones? Not that Erik was a asshole in the beginning.

Then again most nice guys secretly harbor their dark tendencies.

Rounding the corner I halted at the sight. Standing adjacent the door to my Mrs. Murray's class were Erik's friends, two large giants I was going to have to ward off.

What the hell? I slowed my pace as I approached the duo.

One was brunette and the other blonde with beefy arms and a cigarette, unlit, between his lips. The brunette slouched against the closed door, ankles overlapping. When I drew nearer I noticed them to be Tyler and Robert Donnelly, brothers on the football team as they chose to wear Letterman jackets with our school's mascot dancing on the back.

"Korina," said Tyler: the brunette.

"What are you doing here?" I said, annoyed.

I started between them, but Robert clamped a hand on my arm, dragged me away from the door. Most students had already fallen into class, speaking amongst each other. I had nobody to alert unless I screamed bloody murder. Where were they taking me?

Tyler fell into step behind me. "Erik wants to talk."

Of course he would send his friends to bring me to him.

"We have nothing left to talk about," I said trying to go back to the classroom.

"He apparently thinks so," said Tyler.

"He's delusional," I snapped. "And so are you guys for doing his dirty work like this. Now let me go before I make a scene."

"Don't scream," Robert threatened, squeezing my wrist. "You owe him at least this. Two years you've been a couple, and he never once pressed you on anything. But he knew."

"Knew what?"

Tyler decided to speak up. "You were still in love with his brother."

Guilt hurt. It hurt worse than any wound that tackled me. I hadn't realized Erik would notice, but the fact he had a substantial enough reason to be angry with me threw caution to the wind as I followed his goons down several cases of stairs to a lonely door that read:

Boiler Room.

Weird choice for having a conversation. It put me on edge, too.

Robert opened the door and shoved me in. "He's inside. Take it all the way down and turn left."

The door shut behind me, and darkness crept from all corners of machinery flanking me. A redness, almost like being under UV light, shone down on me. The heat of the pipes all around hooted to the beat of metal, making me sweat. Steam was in the air, pushed out every few seconds.