Page 38 of Dangerous Liaisons

He dodged the punch and shoved Sergei; the man stumbling only to regain his footing within seconds.

“Sergei!” Kira grabbed her arm and jerked her backwards. “Let go!”

“No, you must not intervene.” Kira pushed her behind Eddie as he came jogging from the house. She movedaround the men to scoop up Mikhail, who was staring wide-eyed at them.

“Why are they fighting, Kiki?”

“When men have arguments, little prince, sometimes they must work things out this way. Let us go inside.”

Isabella kept her eyes on Sergei and Xavier as Kira carried Mikhail past her into the house. Eddie remained beside her, still maintaining a respectful distance, but able to grab her if she moved.

Sergei reeled back as Xavier connected a clean punch to his jaw. He shrugged off his jacket, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows and smirked at Xavier tossing his black beanie to the grass followed by his tank top.

“Stop this!”

“I would let them duke it out if I were you.”

She was frantic as the two men circled each other. She didn’t fear for Xavier’s safety, but Sergei was ruthless, and sometimes stopping him took every man she had on her payroll. There was only one time, back when Nikolai had been killed, that it had been impossible to stop him in his madness. They continued to trade punches, Xavier connecting a solid hit to Sergei’s ribs. He grunted as two punches to his face sent him stumbling back. Both men were bleeding, breathing hard, and it was obvious the constant tradeof blows was wearing them out.

Wiping his mouth, Xavier glared at the other man, but she didn’t miss how his gaze flickered toward her. It was a move that caused anger to flash across Sergei’s face, but his move forward stopped as Isabella broke free from Eddie and maneuvered herself between them. She looked between them, hands up, as if it would do anything to stop them from continuing their fight.

She turned her back to Xavier and focused on Sergei. She glanced at his hands, his knuckles bloody. “Explain yourself, now.”

“I will not allow this man to dishonor my brother’s memory and take advantage of you.”

“He is doing no such thing!”

“You’re blinded by lust!”

“And you’re blinded by your hate,” she spat. “You’re consumed by it, and it has caused you to lash out at those that would help you, those that are devoted to you!”

Sergei shoved a hand through his hair, spitting blood onto the grass. “If you insist on showcasing your ignorance in front of Mikhail, I will take him back to Russia.”

Her eyes flashed at him. “Touch him, and I will cut off your hands.”

“Mark my words, Isabella, you will lose all that Nikolai built, and all you fight for should you continue to trust men such as this.”

She ignored the way Xavier grunted at the veiled insult. “I am the head of this family. You will obey my instructions, and those instructions are for you to leave back to Russia. You will not interfere in my business, nor will you return until I allow it.”

“Malen'kiy Krolik…”

She ignored the pain behind the endearment. “Am I clear?”

He scooped up his jacket, glaring at Xavier a final time before he nodded. “Da, I will wait for your call.”

Isabella kept her gaze on him until he disappeared from view, startling at Xavier’s hands on her shoulders. Eddie excused himself, going back into the house, and she slumped against Xavier when the door shut.

“Are you okay?”

Sighing, she faced him, unable to remove the frown from her face. “You cannot do such things at my home and not in front of my son.”

“He came at me, Isa! What was I supposed to do?”

“I will deal with Sergei on my own terms. I don’t know how things are handled at your club, but I will not allow violence in my home!” She gathered his clothes, shoving them against his chest. “I think it’s time you left.”

“You’re throwing me out?”

“I’m asking you politely to do so. If I have to call my security, this conversation will take a much different turn. Neither of us wants that.Please, just go.”