Stone Cold Knockout (House of Pain Book 1) (18 page)

“
Where are you from?” Gennifer hedged, grabbing a chip and dipping it in the salsa.

“
Texas. I moved here for school and never left. My sister's here now, too. Joanna goes to NYU.”

“
My little brother Aaron goes to NYU. I wonder if they know each other?” Gennifer said, her attention diverted as their pitcher of margaritas arrived just in time. “Well, probably not. Aaron is in a wheelchair. He can be pretty shy.”

“
Joanna is anything but shy,” Erica said taking a long sip of margarita. Her eyes lit up. “This is good! Really strong.” Gennifer poured her own and took a big drink. A stiff drink was exactly what she needed. “Will you hate me if I want to talk about Hector?” Erica said after a moment.

“
No,” Gennifer murmured, then downed half of her drink in one fell swoop.

“
I like him,” Erica said, playing with her straw. Gennifer winced as the cold liquid hit her brain and nodded, egging Erica on. “We slept together last week. He's really good in bed,” Erica said and Gennifer choked on her drink. “Sorry, is that weird?”

“
No,” Gennifer croaked out.

“
After we slept together, it got weird. Let me rephrase.
He
got weird.”

“
Tale as old as time,” Gennifer said and Erica gave a small smile. “Look, Erica, I've known Hector forever. He's a nice guy, but the man's got issues.”

“
I don't regret sleeping with him. I just wish I didn't like him so damn much,” she said, matter-of-factly. Gennifer snorted out a laugh, liking Erica more and more by the minute. “He's got problems, but who doesn't? Deal with it.” Erica shrugged and took another drink.

“
Don't let him run you ragged,” Gennifer said. “If he doesn't get his shit together, drop him. Cut your losses.”

“
Easier said than done, right?” Erica said, lifting one sculpted eyebrow.

***

Mikhail stared up at the office window. Hector sat there at the desk, his back to him like he didn't have a care in the world. He turned back to the speed bag, forcing himself to focus on his workout. Gennifer had called him and said she wasn't coming, so he didn't technically need to be at House of Pain at all. And yet, he couldn't leave.

He was itching for a fight.

Tate, the big blonde man from the party at Big Jimmy's house, stood to his right, doing squats with an impressive amount of weight. Mikhail gave him a nod and the man nodded back. Mikhail turned back to the speed bag, feeling the adrenaline flaring. He began pummeling the bag, needing an outlet for his anger. He had forgiven Gennifer, but Hector was going to pay for his sin. He had touched another man's woman. No self-respecting Russian man could let that serious of an offense go without a little bloodshed.

As the minutes ticked by, Mikhail filed his anger down to a sharp point within himself. He was not wild and out of control; no, he was focused and contained. He was in the right frame of mind for the punishment he was going to dole out. He merely wanted to send a message, not seriously maim.

When the ring was empty, he climbed up and ducked under the ropes. He hopped from foot to foot to get the blood flowing, the sweat running down his chest in rivulets. He pulled on his gloves, tightening the straps with his teeth. Stretching out his arms, he thought of Gennifer. She wouldn't want him to hurt Hector too badly, but he could imagine her in his corner. His bloodthirsty
solnyshka
would have no problem with him kicking a little ass.

With that thought, he leaned on the ropes and let out a high pitched whistle.

“Hector!” he called out. In the office, Hector turned his head and Mikhail knew he heard him. “HECTOR!” he roared again, his voice booming off the concrete walls of the gym. He watched through the window as Hector stood and went to the door of the office. He stepped out onto the metal stairs and glared down at Mikhail, crossing his arms.

“
What the fuck do you want?” Hector asked, pissed off. Good. That was exactly how Mikhail wanted him. A ruthless smile curled over his lips as the adrenaline coursed through his veins like a drug.

“
Spar with me,” he said, simply.

Chapter 14

G
ennifer poured the last drop from the pitcher into Erica's cup, chuckling to herself. She was learning all kinds of new information that night. She had already learned that Erica had a clit piercing that made having multiple orgasms easier. Also, she was debating about getting her nipples pierced as well. Oh, and Hector a had a eight inch cock that curved to the right, apparently. Gennifer could only laugh, loving that Erica seemed to have no filter when it came to talking about sex, especially after a few drinks. She'd had quite a few drinks herself, and wasn't horrified in the least to hear intimate details about Hector, especially after the shit he'd put her through in the last twenty-four hours.

“
So what about Mikhail?” Erica asked, as she took back the cup Gennifer handed her. “I see the way he looks at you, like he wants to do all kinds of nasty, dirty things to your body. ”

“
No way, white girl. My lips are sealed,” Gennifer wrapped her lips around her straw and shook her head.

“
Come on! That's not fair.” Erica bobbed on her stool to the rock song blasting over the speakers in the bar. “He's such a scary looking guy. I would be intimidated to even talk to him.”

“
He's not scary,” Gennifer said, furrowing her brow. “He's intense. There's a difference.”

“
What's the difference?”

“
I don't know. Perspective?” Gennifer shrugged, her cheeks warming as she remembered the look on Mikhail's face as he demanded that she crawl on her hands and knees. As he pushed her up against the wall in the shower. As he shoved her down on his bed and spread her legs open wide.  She felt a little shiver go through her at the memories. Her Russian was definitely intense.

“
I bet he's rough,” Erica said, gazing off, her eyes glazing over a bit. “Does he like to hold you down? Hector likes that.”

“
Girl, you are tripping over him.”

“
If you go from having bad sex or no sex and suddenly—boom!—you're having great sex, how are you just supposed to give that up?”

“
Well if the penis the sex is attached to is no good, you still have to throw it back,” Gennifer said with a laugh. With a self-pitying moan, Erica tipped her head back, downing the rest of her drink. “I had a boyfriend once. Another fighter.” Gennifer continued. She didn't know why she felt the need to share, but she didn't stop herself. “Cute, stupid, and cocky as hell. He was good enough in the bedroom that I overlooked... other things.” Gennifer felt herself frowning at the memory. “Hector is a good guy, though. He may be an idiot sometimes, but at least he'd never hurt you.” Erica lost her smile and set her glass on the bar. “It ended badly, but it could have been worse. Hector actually helped me with that. Told the guy to leave me alone. Luckily, he listened.”

“
Is that why you learned to fight?” Erica asked, leaning in.

“
No. I learned to fight because I'm a stubborn little shit who wants to do everything that other people tell me not to do.”

“
I want to learn to fight, but I'm scared,” Erica admitted. “How can you get in the ring with guys like Mikhail? Doesn't it scare the shit out of you?”

“
I like it. I like the adrenaline rush. The danger. The strategy,” Gennifer said, her mouth curling into a smile. “And I like sparring with Mikhail.”

“
Yeah I bet you do,” Erica said so knowingly that Gennifer couldn't help it—she giggled like a teenager.

***

“You want to fight someone your own size now? Tired of beating up on girls?” Hector asked, dipping into the ring and pulling his shirt over his head. Mikhail didn't respond, just leaned against the ring, waiting for Hector to stop talking and start fighting. The fight was all he wanted. “You think you know G, but you don't,” Hector said, quickly wrapping his hands. “If you knew all the shit she'd been through, you wouldn't let her within a mile of this ring.”

“
Less talk. More action,” Mikhail said, snapping his gum.

“
What did she tell you, huh?” Hector pulled on his gloves and tightened the straps. Mikhail's eyes wandered to the edge of the ring, where Tate stood, watching them. “Did she tell you she used to have seizures as a kid? Did she tell you about the shit she went through with Donny?” Despite himself, Mikhail felt his hackles rise at the mention of the
zhopa
who had touched Gennifer at the party. “No, of course she didn't,” Hector sneered.

Mikhail held out his gloves, silently, ready to tap in. He wanted to know what Hector was talking about, but if he wanted to know about Gennifer, he would simply ask her. Hector slapped his gloves against Mikhail's, and the fight was on. Mikhail didn't waste time. He threw a combination jab and straight-shot, getting Hector in the chest and the nose that sent him reeling. Hector came back with an uppercut that caught Mikhail in the jaw and snapped his head back. A smile curled over his lips, tasting the blood on his tongue. Hector wasn't fucking around and that was good, because neither was he.

Mikhail noticed that Hector dropped his guard, so he took full advantage, pressing in on him with shot after shot to the face. Hector ducked out of the way and got him in the ribs. Mikhail exhaled sharply as the air was pushed out of his lungs, realizing that Hector added the same little twist to the end of his punches that Gennifer did. For some reason, the knowledge made him even angrier. He pushed into Hector's face, jabbing him in the side twice, the last harder than the first. Hector shoved him off and backed away, shaking off the punches.

“
You like to hit her?” Hector asked. “You like knocking her around?” Mikhail felt his muscles tighten at the accusation. “You like seeing your bruises on her face?”

“
Hector,” Tate said from the sidelines, his voice a warning. “Keep your hands up.” Mikhail swiped his glove across his nose, his anger exploding out of the carefully controlled path he'd created for it. He got in Hector's face again, nose to nose.

“
Shut your fucking mouth,” he said, his voice low.

“
Why don't you leave her the fuck alone,” Hector said, trying to shove him back, but Mikhail stood his ground.

“
I give her what she wants,” Mikhail said, feeling a ticking in his eye, signaling his blood pressure was heightened. Then he swung hard, his glove connecting with Hector's jaw. Hector's face snapped to the left and he grunted in pain. “You do not trust her and I do.” He jabbed Hector's ribs again, knowing his right flank was weakening. The skin there was already inflamed. “That is why she is mine.” He jabbed the same spot, harder this time, and Hector stumbled back against the ropes, clutching his side.

“
Cabron
,” Hector mumbled, spitting over the side of the ring.

“
What did he do to her?” Mikhail asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“
She didn't tell you, did she?” Hector snorted out a laugh, shaking his head.

“
What did he do to her?” Mikhail repeated, impatiently.

“
Smacked her around. Treated her like shit,” Hector said, pushing himself off the ropes. “When he sent her to the hospital, she wised up and kicked his ass to the curb. She'll do the same to you,
pendejo.
Eventually.”

“
Fuck
,” Mikhail hissed, wishing he'd beat the
zhopa
's ass when he had the chance. Mikhail punched Hector in the face for the insinuation that he was anything like Donny, and Hector repaid him with a shot to the kidneys.

“
I do not hit women,” Mikhail said through gritted teeth.

“
Could have fooled me,” Hector said and Mikhail punched him again, for good measure.

“
Christ!” Gennifer's voice cut through Mikhail's haze of pain and anger and he couldn't help but smile. “I leave you alone for two hours and this is what happens.” Mikhail cut a look her way.  She was standing beside the ring, Erica beside her, looking at him with a mixture of both humor and exasperation. His loss of concentration earned him a jab to the ribs and he barked out a laugh as the pain coursed through him. “And what are you doing Tate? Just standing there while they beat the shit out of each other?” she asked and Tate shrugged his big shoulders. “Well, who's winning?”

“
Can't tell,” Tate said.

“
I am winning,” Mikhail said, throwing another punch to Hector's weak side. Hector growled in anger, hunching over. Gennifer went to the side of the ring and pulled herself up on the ropes, leaning in.

“
Are you done yet?” she asked Mikhail.

“
Almost.”

“
What about you?” she turned to Hector.

“
No, G,” he said, straightening up with a wince.

“
Me and Erica are just going to chill over here then, until you're done.” Gennifer said, hopping down off of the ropes.

“
Erica?” Hector asked, glancing over at the redhead, finally noticing that she was there.

“
We bought a bottle of vodka and a bottle of tequila,” Erica said, holding up one brown paper bag in one hand and another bag in the other. “Figured we would cover all the bases.”

Mikhail chuckled and blew out a deep breath, his ribs aching. His anger flowed out of him as well, and he realized he had made his point. He caught Hector's eye. “Do we have an understanding?” he asked, not yet dropping his guard. Hector didn't reply, his gaze shifting back to the redhead on the sidelines. Understanding immediately, Mikhail took a step back and dropped his hands.

The fight was over.

***

“You didn't have to beat his ass,” Gennifer whispered in Mikhail's ear as she stood over him and pressed a bit of clean gauze to his nose.

“
He deserved it,” Mikhail said, staring up at her with humor dancing behind his eyes. One was going to be swollen shut by morning, she was sure.

“
Yeah,” Gennifer murmured as she glanced back at Hector, who was leaning on the ropes and talking to Erica. “He did deserve it. Hopefully you beat some sense into him.”

“
He has a hard-on for the redhead,” Mikhail observed, pressing his chin to the side and cracking the bones in his neck.

“
I know,” she said.

“
As long as he does not have a hard-on for you,” Mikhail said, pulling her close and pressing his nose to her belly. “I do not care.”

“
Fair enough,” she said with a smile, running her hands down the back of his neck.

“
Where is the vodka?” he asked, his lips brushing the cotton of her T-shirt.

“
If you ask really nice, maybe I'll bring you some.” She took a step back and frowned. “You got blood on my shirt,” she admonished him. He grinned and pulled her back to him, rubbing his nose all over the front of her.

“
There. Now it is properly stained.”

“
Jerk,” she said with a laugh, pushing him away. She strolled across the ring, keeping a bit of distance from Hector and Erica. They were whispering to each other as Erica stroked Hector's cheek, staring into his eyes. Gennifer rolled her eyes. Erica wasn't going to be kicking Hector to the curb any time soon, from the look of things. Hopefully, Hector had learned his lesson. She knew she had.

“
Genny thinks we should all do shots, don't you Genny?” Erica said, glancing up at her with a mischievous smile.

“
Sure. Why not?” Gennifer shrugged and ducked out of the ring. She hopped down and jogged up to the office, in search of cups. She found a stack of red plastic cups from a long ago party under Big J's desk, and hurried back downstairs. She grabbed the bottles and carried everything back to the ring. “Tate, you get over here, too,” she called out. Tate didn't argue. He dropped his weights and sauntered over to the ring.

“
What are we going to toast?” Erica asked, opening the tequila. Mikhail reached for the vodka.

“
Tequila for me,” Gennifer said, giving Mikhail a look, daring him to challenge her choice. He simply smiled and pinched her ass.

“
Tequila,” Hector said, stepping closer to them, although still keeping space between him and Mikhail.

“
Tate? Tequila or vodka?” Gennifer asked, glancing up at her other brother.

“
Vodka.”

“
Are you Russian?” Mikhail asked Tate.

“
I don't know.” Tate shrugged. “Could be.”

“
I think Genny has a little Russian in her,” Erica said, taking a sip from her cup. Gennifer narrowed her eyes at her, but laughed along.

“
I do not understand,” Mikhail said, pouring a healthy amount of vodka into Tate's cup. “You are Dominican.” His eyes glittered in amusement, though, and Gennifer didn't buy his confusion for one second.