Page 56 of Nikola

My threat must’ve been ineffective because the next afternoon, I got a notification on Instagram that brought me to a selfie of Kostya and Skye. Then to another shot of them in my family’s restaurant, laughing and having a grand old time.

I’d jumped into my car and driven like a fucking maniac before I could even exit out of the app, pulling up right behind Kostya’s ugly red car.

I’d always been impulsive, but that impulse took on a new shape the day I saw a boy torment Skye, mocking her deafness. In that moment, my impulsiveness—courtesy of Uncle Sasha—twisted into unhinged violence. Why? Because I saw, right then, just how effective it could be. Nobody bothered Skye from that day on.

But today, that rage erupted like a wildfire—hotter, fiercer, and more uncontrollable than ever before. It wasn’t just anger; it was a storm tearing through me, unstoppable and all-consuming.

The moment I saw those two seated at that cozy, romantic table, I lost my shit.

Eyes fixed on the two of them, I instructed the staff to clear out the restaurant.

Skye reached for his tie, fingers brushing the fabric before giving it a gentle tug, pulling him closer. With practiced ease, she straightened the knot, her movements fluid and deliberate, all while nodding in rhythm with his animated signing.

A strange, unwelcome sensation coiled in my stomach, and my chest tightened as if gripped by an invisible hand. I couldn’t tear my eyes away, caught between curiosity and something far more unsettling.

“Why are you standing like a statue and glaring at those two?” Lena, my last-minute date, asked in her annoyingly whiny tone. She worked at The Den of Sin and was always open for anything. Even being used. However, she had a completely different thing in mind when I told her I would use her.

When I messaged her, I’d instructed her to meet me in front of the Sazerac Bar. I thought I would clear things up when she got here, but it didn’t appear we had the time. I was about to blow the top off my rage.

“Because that’s my woman, dollface,” I gritted, anger surging through me when Kostya reached out and brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. It rose fast, flooding my chest with a fierce, uncontainable heat that drowned out every rational thought.

He wastouchingher.

My cousin was a dead man. He’d been warned, and so had she. Did the two shits listen? No, of course they didn’t. And now they were about to see exactly how crazy Nikola Nikolaev could get.

Skye pushed her chair back and stood up, excusing herself to the bathroom. This was my chance, and I didn’t intend on wasting it.

“Things are about to get ugly,” I said, never taking my eyes off my cousin’s table. “So get lost, Lena.”

“It’s not Lena. I’m?—”

I stopped listening as she stomped off, huffing and puffing. People started trickling out, but there were still some guests seated around.

No matter though. They’d see soon enough.

I stalked toward Kostya, who flicked me a bored look. “Oh, hey.”

Fury simmered, burning me from the inside, but I managed to offer a tight smile.

“That’s all you have to say to me… fuckinghey?”

He yawned. “Nice to see you?” He framed it as a question, clearly set on pushing me.

“Fuck. You. Cousin.”

Kostya scoffed, while his expression told me he was ready to choke me out.

“I warned you she was off-limits.”

My voice shook with anger, and for the first time in my life, I felt obliged to choose someone over family. Even though to me, she had been part of the family from the moment Sasha and Branka brought her home.

Kostya was on his feet and in my face with a harsh expression.

“Then put a ring on her finger.” I stepped closer to him, the toes of my shoes pushing against his, just like our words. “Admit it, Nikola, you want her.”

I tilted my head. “Don’t worry your pretty head about me and Skye.”

“Keep playing, and you’ll lose her. Maybe she’ll realize there’s someone better out there than your crazy ass.”