He was panting, his eyes wide with shock and his face twisted angrily. Everyone stared at him in surprise, including me.
Pushing my chair away, I stood up. That was the first time I ever saw Nikolay so tense. His chest heaved with each breath he took. Sweat formed on his red face, veins bulging in his forehead and neck.
“He is dead. The motherfucker is dead,” he snarled through his gasps of breath.
My forehead creased in confusion and I cocked my head to the side in question. Nikolay swallowed hard before answering my unvoiced questions.
And his answer was like a gunshot right through my heart.
“Alfredo is dead.”
“What did you say?” I asked, punctuating each word carefully.
“Alfredo is dead.”
“Fuck,” Viktor growled.
Rage built like deep water currents inside of me. It came out faster than magma but just as destructive. My body was vibrating with it.
Alfredo was dead.
He was dead and it was not me who had killed him.
I didn’t get my vengeance.
I felt empty as the rage consumed me. My skin was scorching and I grew hotter until it felt like I was suffocating. My vision blurred with my fury and all I saw was my mother’s lifeless eyes.
Muscles tensing, neck stiffening and back stretching, I roared, “Damn it!”
I leaned forward and pushed everything off the table, shards of glass flying everywhere. I kicked my chair against the wall and paced.
I was supposed to take his life! His blood should’ve been on my hands! I had to avenge my mother.
But now…
Every muscle in my body was twitching, itching, and on fire.
My hands tightened in fists, so hard, so tight that my knuckles started to hurt and my hands slowly went numb. I gripped my hair and pulled.
“He was mine to kill!” I roared before punching the wall, creating a deep hole. The drywall bent with the force and the paint came off as I pulled my bleeding fist back.
I felt a hand on my back and I swiveled around, wrapping my hand around the person’s neck. Viktor stared at me blankly, waiting for me to calm down. My fingers tightened slightly but his expression still didn’t change.
I released his neck with a snarl and pushed him away. He stumbled back, but quickly gained his footing again.
“Don’t fucking touch me. I won’t be held responsible for my actions,” I growled before taking a menacing step toward him.
Viktor straightened his back before turning toward Phoenix and Nikolay and nodding at the door. They left without a backward glance. When the door closed with a bang, I sagged against the table.
There was too much fury coursing inside of me. I had to release it before I completely lost it.
Shrugging off my suit jacket, I removed my tie and pulled at my collar to loosen it. I ran a shaky hand over my face.
Looking down at my hands, I slowly clenched them into fists, my knuckles cracking. With a frustrated sigh, I walked to the door and opened it wide.
The hallway was empty and my hard steps echoed as I walked downstairs to the gym. My sight was on the punching bags. Without a second thought, I landed a punch on the bag, my bare knuckles hitting it with a crack.
I didn’t know how long I kept at it. Punching. Kicking. Roaring in anger with each punch and kick. My knuckles were bleeding, the skin torn apart. My fingers were hurting and a crippling pain went through my hands and arms, but I kept going.
The pain. It felt good. I needed it.
I heard the door open and stopped in mid-swing. Placing my hand on the punching bag, I stopped it from knocking me down. Hissing through gritted teeth, I turned around to look at the intruder.
Viktor walked forward, his steps slow. I stared at him closely, following his movement with unflinching eyes.
When he stopped a few feet away, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Viktor took his suit jacket off and threw it on the ground before rolling the sleeves of his shirt up, showing the tattoos that covered the length of his arms.
He kept his eyes on me the whole time, and when he was done rolling his sleeves, he reached up and unbuttoned the first two buttons of his white shirt. Rolling his neck around, he took two steps forward and then stopped.
Viktor pushed his legs apart, shoulder wide. He cracked his knuckles before pointing at me and then moving his finger to his chest. “Come at me,” he ordered, his voice cold and hard.
My eyes widened slightly and fury surged through me. With a deafening roar, my feet lurched forward. A red mist of anger clouded my vision as I made the first strike.
We fought. Punched. Kicked. Scrambling around like animals. Viktor didn’t go easy on me. He retaliated. We both fought for power, each of us letting our anger out.
I saw his fist moving toward my face and I quickly dodged it before punching him in the gut. Viktor groaned in pain and went down to his knees, holding his stomach. I didn’t let him go. Pushing him down, I continued my assault. He still fought back.
When I noticed him growing weaker, I pushed him away from me. Viktor laid on his back on the ground, his hands over his chest as he gasped for breath.
Sinking down on my ass, I sat beside him. Licking my lips, I tasted my blood.
“Better?” Viktor gasped, turning his face toward me. He stared at me through swollen eyes and I shook my head.
“Not even close.” My whole body was sensitive and aching, but still, I couldn’t get rid of the rage.
“Shit. I don’t think I can move,” he groaned and then winced in pain. Viktor pulled his head back and bellowed at the top of his lungs.
“Nikolay!”
The door opened and he came in.
“It’s your turn,” Viktor said, his lips turning up in a small smirk.
Nikolay nodded and then took his suit jacket off. After rolling his sleeves the same way Viktor had, he braced himself and gave me a nod. I didn’t wait for another signal. Letting the rage take hold, I rushed forward.
Before I could punch him, Nikolay moved out of the way and landed a punch on my shoulder instead.
It pissed me off more.
Shifting to my side, I kicked him in the leg. He stumbled back but quickly gained his footing and then he was rushing toward me again. We kept going like that, back and forth, teeth clashing together in anger as we reveled in our fury. When Nikolay was done, Phoenix took his place. Adrenaline kept me going. Artur was next.
My body eventually started to weaken and I could barely land a punch. After Artur fell to the ground beside Viktor, Phoenix, and Nikolay, I sank to the ground too and laid there, staring at the ceiling.
These men had my back. They were my brothers, not by blood but by choice.
“Alessio,” Viktor started, but I quickly cut him off.
“Don’t. Just don’t say anything.” I struggled to sit up, then sighed before running my aching hand through my sweaty hair.
Rolling my neck around, I winced at the pain and then stood up on shaky legs. I nodded at them and I walked out of the gym.