Page 85 of Nikola

“Your plans to hand over the reins,” Alexei added.

I stared at them, dumbfounded. “I shared that news with him years ago. He’d known it since he was a little boy. What does that have to do with anything?”

Sasha shrugged. “Not sure, but it seems ever since you laid out your expectations, Nikola’s recklessness took a turn.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “Do you realize I’m fucking old? Much older than you two. I could fall over any day. Of course I want Nikola to be prepared. I was prepared.”

“But you didn’t have a choice,” Sasha interjected. “Our parents were blind and selfish assholes who put way too much on you. Should we do the same to our children?”

I glanced down at the screen, watching for the hundredth time as that fucking red Ferrari sped down the street full of people. It was a miracle he hadn’t killed anyone. Although Nikola was an exceptionally good driver, it took one drunken visitor to step out onto the street.

“Nothing’s going to happen to you,” Alexei continued. “If something does, Sasha and I can step in.”

Before I had a chance to answer, the doors to my office opened and my son walked in with a stupid fucking shark smile on his face. It was like being transported back to the past, to a younger Sasha.

“What’s up?” he drawled, throwing himself on the couch. He shifted sideways and propped his legs on the armrest and closed his eyes as if he was ready to go to sleep.

All the reason flew out and my temper flared. “What’s up?” I roared, turning the screen around 180 degrees. “This is what’s up. My son almost killed people in the French Quarter while driving recklessly.”

Nikola waved his hand nonchalantly, not even bothering to open his eyes. “All’s well that ends well.”

I had no idea how I found myself out of my chair and towering over him. “Fucking ends well! Are you out of your fucking mind, Nikola?”

He finally deigned me with a cracked eyelid, those pale blue eyes staring at me flatly. “No more or less than the rest of our family. It’s what makes us fucking special. That and our criminal empire.”

“Those were innocent fucking people on that street,” I roared so loud even my own ears rang.

“Duly noted,” he drawled, closing his eyes again. “Next time, I’ll ensure it’s exclusively criminals on the street.”

I was just about to shake some sense into my son when Bella entered the office and dragged me out, insisting we both needed to cool off.

The fact of the matter was that Nikola was way too cooled off. Any more cooling and he’d be a fucking ice cube.

“Vasili.” My wife’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. “I know it sounds bad?—”

“Sounds? It’s bad,malyshka. Real fucking bad.” We remained sitting in my office after I properly scolded my son—although he deserved to have his ass kicked—because I wasn’t in the right headspace to go out there and not wring his neck.

“You saw the video?” she asked quietly.

“Enough of it.” The truth was there was nothing X-rated to actually see, but Dante Leone and Sasha didn’t see it that way. I couldn’t even blame them because if it were my daughter, I’d fucking rip the boy to shreds.

“That bad, huh?”

I pulled my wife against my chest. “It wasn’t explicit, but it sure did insinuate enough.”

“Oh my?—”

“If I was Dante, that boy wouldn’t be breathing right now.”

“Maybe the fact that Nikola is still breathing is a good sign,” she said hopefully.

“Dante’s unconscious upstairs, thanks to your drugs. Sasha too,” I reminded her, then let out a tired breath. “If he takes his wife back home and comes back alone, then we have to worry.” Isabella shot me a confused look, and I explained. “He would never allow his wife to see him kill someone.”

“Oh, shit.”

Oh, shitwas right. The only time Dante Leone left his wife behind with his family was when he planned on getting his hands dirty. He didn’t like Phoenix seeing that side of him.

Not that I could blame him, because I left most of the corruption of our criminal world at the door before I entered my family home too.