The Recluse Heir by Monique Moreau
17
The men filed out of the office, down the white-tiled hallway, and out through the back of the restaurant. The narrow alley was surrounded on three sides by tenement buildings, the gnarled black wrought-iron fire escapes rising above us, blocking out half the light coming from the periwinkle-colored sky. Graffiti decorated the walls. A dumpster was lined up against the wall of the restaurant, the ground below it marked with grease stains and other grime. The place stank of garbage and urine. I needed to make sure I stayed on my feet because I didn’t want to get close and personal with the filth on the ground.
The men formed a semicircle around me. Nelu’s bodyguard stood by the exit to make sure no one inadvertently stumbled upon us. I scoped out the area, but there weren’t any cameras situated outside the restaurant or the other buildings. Standing shoulder width apart, I shook out my hands and stretched my neck from side to side, garnering a popping sound when my neck cracked. It was imperative to remain loose and relaxed. If my muscles tightened, it would only cause me more pain. The goal was to take the hits and let them roll through me.
As the patriarch, Nelu stepped up first. With his paunch protruding over his tight belt, he wasn’t in the best of shape, unlike our father who saw physical fitness as a reflection of the strength of his clan and family. I sighed with gratitude at his one-two punch to my chin. It was jarring and hurt like a bitch, but his punches were straightforward. He threw another to my shoulder and it was over. His heart wasn’t in it. Money was Nelu’s primary motivator. If it didn’t line his pockets, he wasn’t interested. Having finished his perfunctory hits, he stepped out of the circle and gave way to Cristo.
Cristo was another story altogether. Not only did his blood run hot, but he loathed me. He may not hate me as much as he hated Nicu, but he harbored enough resentment to make sure his hits would count. I had a trick up my sleeve that would help me come out unscathed. I’d taught myself to mentally disengage from pain during those mindless hours that I was bound and gagged, or during my so-called “punishments.” The goal was to focus on the oncoming punches while detaching from the pain.
Cristo stepped forward, punching his fist to the palm of his hand with a smirk on his face. This was going to hurt. He pivoted to the side, fists raised in front of him. Stable, he threw a double punch to the stomach. Hard.
“Fuck,” I wheezed out as I doubled over, the wind punched right out of me. My stomach muscles throbbed. It felt like a foreign object was trying to force its way out of my throat.
Righting myself, I turned to my side and shifted a little on my feet. When Cristo swung out with a serious right hook, I swiveled backward just a tad, enough to lessen the impact of his punch. The tangy taste of blood exploded in my mouth. Goddamn, that hurt! Red edged around my vision. One more blow like that and I’d have to get my jaw wired shut. I breathed in, reaching deep in search of that detachment. Turned out, after decades of lack of use, I was rusty. Spitting out blood and saliva, I glared up at Cristo.
“You stepped back,” he accused.
“I didn’t move my fucking feet,” I countered, swiping at the blood trickling out the corner of my mouth.
“You moved, though,” he asserted.
“Fuck. You,” I snarled.
“Alright, you got your chance, Cristo. Step back,” interjected Alex.
Grumbling, Cristo turned on his heel and stomped away, murmuring something to Simu as he passed him.
Simu was the one with the biggest grudge. In addition to our feud, he was driven by the trinity of wounded pride, envy, and spite.
“I made her mine before you got your hands on her,” he swore as he stepped up to me. “And I promise, you won’t have her forever.”
He was spewing lies but taunted me with the kisses and touches he’d snatched from her.
I laughed in his face. “Maybe you don’t understand how the blood bond works, bro. Hate to break it to you, but I’ve already had her, so I’m the lifer in this situation.”
Getting smacked around might not rile me up but the thought of him touching Cat, much less taking her from me, got to me. Fury rolled over me in waves. My vision tunneled, turning dark at the edges.
Control snapping, I jeered, “And I will again right after I leave here. You didn’t pop that sweet cherry. I did, and oh, did I make it bleed.”
Charging, Simu roared, “You cradle-robbing fucker. I will fucking end you!”
Gripping my shirt and tie, he threw me against the side of the dumpster. A loud bang echoed off the facade of the buildings. This wasn’t about payback for the blood bond. This was a brawl, and I welcomed it. My pride smarted from Nelu and Cristo’s hits, but Simu pushed me over the edge. Clutching my shirt, he threw a hard punch. I dodged it. His knuckles slammed against the metal of the dumpster with an echo.
“Motherfucker,” Simu swore, shaking his hand before curling it into a fist.
Before he could swing again, I ripped out of his grip and got into a defensive position. Swerving around, he stalked me, throwing punches in the air. He made a quick swipe of my feet that I didn’t anticipate. Stepping back, I slipped on slime and toppled to the ground. Simu straddled me, his stale breath washing over me.
He attacked. Rounding my shoulders, I blocked his blows while bucking up to dislodge him. I might be tall and broad, but he outweighed me enough that I couldn’t throw him off. Risking a flurry of punches to my face, I planted my hand on the ground. Twisting hard and fast, I tossed the beast off me. He fell to his side. I swung my leg out and jumped up into a fighting pose and backed away.
Simu rolled up to standing. Around and around, we circled each other, the sounds of heavy breathing broken up by a car alarm down the street. The Popescus and my brothers had moved back to give us more room. Keeping far from Simu, I kicked his legs to rile him up. Kick, slide, kick, slide. He swung at me, but I ducked and gave him another hard strike. He buckled to the ground with a hiss.
Sliding from side to side, I taunted, “Come on, get up! You were too much of a pussy to take her when you had a chance. Don’t be jealous ’cause I was man enough to do it.”
Roaring at the top of his lungs, he hopped up and barreled toward me. I stepped to my power side, further luring him toward me. Loading my back foot, I drove through my hips and struck my arm out. His momentum propelled him into my fist. Down he went. His skull bounced off the ground with an ugly crunch. Laid out on his back, he went limp.
Turning to the men, I pounded my chest and let out a roar of triumph. Fuck, yeah. That felt good. Cristo rushed to Simu, fury written on his face. A bemused smile played on Nicu’s lips while Alex raised an indulgent eyebrow at me. Flexing my shoulders, I fixed my tie, buttoned up my jacket, and adjusted the cuffs of my sleeves. Cristo helped Simu roll to his side and sit up. Simu shook his head, flapping his lips like a horse.
Nelu came forward. With a staying hand on my chest, he stretched out his other hand for Simu to take. With that, the fight was over.
Nicu and Alex approached me, laughing and clapping me on my back. Those good-natured slaps made my ears ring from the hits I took to the head, but whatever. My jaw ached like a motherfucker. I touched my cheekbone gingerly. I’d soon be sporting a few rainbow-colored bruises.
Simu glowered at me as he rubbed his temples.
I smirked back at him because he knew what I knew.
I’d won.
Whatever dreams he’d harbored of Cat were officially dead. Topping Simu certainly hadn’t factored into my decision to take Cat, but I’d glory in it anyway. Without a backward glance at the Popescus, I took my time exiting the alley. As I rounded the corner, I took a moment to shake off the spinning in my head and made my way to the car, where Stegan was waiting.
“They worked you over good,” he observed.
“If you think I look bad, you should see what I did to Simu,” I countered.
“Yeah?”
“The fucker rushed me. It was no holds barred after that. I clocked him, and he went down like a fucking pussy.”
“Good,” he grunted as he opened the back door. “Hate that smug asshole.”
I shot off a text to Cat, but she didn’t respond. A couple of hours had passed since I left her in my apartment, and I expected her to be waiting by her phone. Worry settled in my chest.
Moments later, Alex slipped into the passenger seat up front, and Nicu came in beside me.
Alex said, “I told Nelu you’d bring Cat by their house tonight so we can get that shit over with. While she’s there, she should pack a few bags. Where are you going to be, the penthouse or in Westchester?”
“I figure it’s best to stay at the penthouse until we settle everything with her family and bring her around to Mama. Then, I have to put a ring on her finger and show her off in public so everyone will know that I’ve claimed her.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Alex approved, turning to face forward as Stegan pulled out into the street.
Nicu and I hadn’t talked on the ride to meet the Popescus, but it was now time to fix this. Although he didn’t care for Cat, Nicu had a healthy dose of pride, like all the Lupu men. My main worry was to make sure he came out of this with his reputation intact. Alex had already done a lot to protect his image. I wasn’t too worried about Nicu’s feelings. On a scale of one to ten, Nicu’s sentimentality hovered near zero.
“You seem more than okay with this,” I began.
As he turned to meet my gaze, I said, “I didn’t expect this to happen, Nicu. I never meant to hurt you and the last thing I want is for you to feel humiliated.”
“Hurt me? Humiliated?” he sputtered out, followed by a laugh. “I’m fucking relieved that I’m off the hook. You’ve saved me from a loveless marriage. Christ, it’s not like I ever hid the fact that I thought you should be with her. She was always yours, but you were too much of a stubborn ass to see that. When I caught the way you looked at her at the engagement party, I started plotting how to get out of this marriage.”
My eyebrows shot up.
“Yeah,” he went on without skipping a beat. “That’s why I gave her the cold shoulder and insisted that you drive her to her classes. Luca, do you seriously believe I would’ve passed that task on to anyone if I intended to fuck her, much less make her my wife?” He shook his head like I amused him. “Come now, I’m no idiot.”
“The fuck…” I muttered under my breath.
Nicu clamped a hand on my shoulder and said, “Not everyone is as oblivious as you are. The two of you were meant to be together. You would’ve seen that earlier if you hadn’t been so busy fighting everything and everyone. If I had tried to step in, you would’ve resisted, so I stepped back and let you find your own way. For once, you finally did the right thing.”
I was so relieved that I chose to ignore that last jab. Nicu was right. I’m not sure how I would’ve reacted if he’d been straight with me. Either way, he didn’t feel betrayed, and that was the most important thing.
“So, everything worked out for the best,” I said.
“Damn straight it did,” he retorted.
With the air cleared between us, I checked my phone for a text from Cat. Still nothing. I shifted in my seat, antsy to get back to her. Her lack of response was a worrying sign.
