25. Chapter 25

Chapter twenty-five

CAIRO

This is going to go sideways. Especially when I catch Paval leaning against the wall, trying to keep his eyes open. The crowd is heavier tonight because there's nowhere else to go with the campus closed off. Paval is going to end up in a fucking hospital or Tia's going to disappear right beneath my nose. I've been tasked with keeping an eye on her and the twins are my backup. When I look across the arena and see the one woman we've been trying to avoid, my heart sinks into my stomach.

This truly is her game and we're playing right into her fucking hands.

My gaze roams the dimly lit space, Tia perched by the back room, both twins stationed around her. She keeps asking questions but I know she's figured it out by now and she's fucking furious we didn't say anything. Well, Tia has at least figured out that Ada is in this very room and that Paval's fight has something to do with her.

I blow out a shaky breath just as Paval stalks up to me and drags me into a kiss that leaves me wanting. I cling to his shoulders, looking down at his crazy eyes and that wild smile. "What—"

"My dads are here. I get to win, Cairo."

My brows furrow as I try to understand what he's talking about and then everything clicks. Paval was absurdly excited for tonight when we all woke up after fucking Tia. He kept trying to hide his smile, telling us that everything would work out. Why he didn't just explain what was going on then is beyond me but trying to understand Paval is like trying to understand how everything in the world works.

It's just too much.

"How did they get past everything? You mean they're here right now? Because Ada is too and Pav, I really don't want to lose either of you. The kid in the ring is twice your size."

That just widens his grin and I can see that Paval isn't going to lose. He won't let himself and I can't wait to watch him let loose as the woman infecting our lives gets what she is due. "I said that I would protect Tia and you. I didn't want to say anything until I knew they were here, until they got past everything. So, we can protect you both now." He kisses me again and then moves toward the back room to deal Tia the same kisses.

He drags a hand through her hair before tilting her head back and kissing her like a warrior leaving home. There's an edge of goodbye to that embrace that I instantly hate but I have to trust he knows what he's doing. Whatever he says to her after the kiss has her hazel eyes nearly bugging out of her face and I have to hope that Paval knows that people care if he gets hurt—mainly the two people who love him.

Love?

I might not say those three words aloud any time soon but I can see building a future with those two, as chaotic as it might be.

Paval bounds up to the stage, everyone cheering and shouting. I can't tell who is truly rooting for who anymore, just that they're itching for a fight. This was supposed to be another routine night before Ada wormed her way into this. I swallow nervously as the announcer moves into the ring, shouting the names of the current opponents before allowing them to each say a word.

"Kolas, I got money riding on this. Everyone wants you to lose and I'm eager to see blood."

Nothing surprising there. Most fighters are all brawn when it comes to nights like these. They let out a little aggression and we get to enjoy the aftermath. The microphone is passed to Paval and he just grins. "I'm going to make it rain."

That doesn't even make any sense. Is he going to kill the other guy? I move forward, trying to catch Paval's attention but he's already locked into the fight. It's then that I notice he's not dressed properly. While there's no official dress code, most fighters move around in shorts and a tank top or just leave their chest bare. Paval is fully clothed, in what looks to be a sweat suit of all things.

"What the fuck are you doing, Pav?" I mutter to myself just as Paval lands the first punch. It doesn't even phase his opponent, the large guy swinging at Paval. Punch after punch comes at Paval's face and stomach but he ducks and weaves, barely missing each fist.

I get to win.

The determination in his eyes is so fucking different than the man in my apartment who thought he wouldn't be able to protect us. His indecision of what to do would have crippled him in this moment but a push in the right direction has brought back his fury from the very first night. I don't ever want to be on the other side of his fist in moments like these because when Paval throws an uppercut to the man's jaw, his opponent stumbles backward.

The noise stutters as we wait to see what Paval will do but he doesn't look like a man who is going to lose. And suddenly, his opponent is scared, pressing himself against the edge of the ring. I bet that Ada picked some poor sucker, said that he'd win, and paid him a few dollars. Unfortunately, the poor sucker is going to pay for Ada's greed.

Paval charges in, giving his opponent everything he's got, refusing to let up until one of the other fighters has to slide in and peel him off. His opponent's face is a bloody mess, very similar to Heath's as the announcer moves in to grab Paval's hand and declare him the winner. At first, everyone is quiet. Paval obviously wasn't supposed to win but then there's a roar of cheering for those who believed Paval would conquer.

As much as I want to celebrate, I'm wary of what happens now. Ada will use the distraction of the crowd to steal her daughter back which is why I return to Tia's side, making sure my arms are around her. "How bad is it, Cairo?"

"Pretty bad but Paval and his fathers are here. They've got something planned and I think the safest place for us is on that stage." Ada isn't here to hurt anyone. She wants her daughter but she won't take Tia if she's standing in the spotlight. Tia follows without much protest and I help her climb onto the stage before we both join Paval. That wild grin is still on his face as he reaches for the microphone, the announcer confused but compliant.

He stumbles a few steps and then straightens up, that grin never leaving his face. He needs to get checked out but whatever is about to happen, will happen.

"Thank you all for being here even if it's because we're stuck here. However, I didn't know it was going to be a family reunion." A general gasp moves through the crowd as two of Paval's fathers step into view around the ring. Having the Kolas men in this room feels like royalty. We've heard whispers of their past life but no one knows much about anything that actually happened. The newspapers and tabloids shouted a lot of lies but ‘lethal force' was something we all held onto.

Paval clears his throat, his head tilting ever so slightly as he walks to the edge of the ring and then hangs off the top rope. "Because you see, a certain someone wanted to meet. She's been dying to meet me, Tia, and my fathers for years. However, she's been going about it all the wrong way." Pulling Ada into the limelight might not be the smartest choice but I have to trust Paval knows what he's doing. "You have her to thank for these nights of betting and fists flying and the general hush as activities pass beneath everyone's nose."

I don't want that to make sense but it does. We went from nothing to suddenly having the funds and the area for this little place. And when I met Tia, I always wondered if it was something more than coincidence. The way she stumbled into this life was too perfect and the people demanding her to pick up the bets while offering her enough money to stay in law school became too many coincidences at once. However, I was so in love with her that I couldn't see all the connections at that time. I wish I had.

"What are you talking about, Paval? My mother couldn't have started this ring." Tia tightens her arms around her chest as Paval twists around, his expression much darker than a few seconds ago. "Paval, are you telling me that my mother did all of this shit? For what?"

"Control," he bellows into the mic. "However, she didn't expect me to be… so stupid as she told me. Losing would mean I couldn't protect you. Winning meant she would approach you. But there's a third option, Ada." He whips around to face Ada again. "One that you didn't plan on because I'm still that little scared kid from twenty years ago to you. The third option is where I put my family above all else while trusting them at the same time."

A cackle breaks through the silence as Ada makes her appearance and I can see that this is exactly what Paval has been trying to do for the last several minutes. Ada's obsession and need for control will be her downfall. "You don't have the ability to trust or to love or do any of those other things that involve feelings . My daughter was ripped from me and it's taken everything I have to stay in her life."

There's no fucking way this woman has had a hand in everything from the beginning. Tia wraps her hands around my arm, her body shaking and I can't tell if it's from rage or fear. When she speaks, I figure out which one pretty quickly. "You mean to tell me that that woman helped fund my law degree? That she's been in my life even though I didn't want her to be? Cairo, she tried to kill my family. She tore us apart and she wants me to go back with her willingly. I'm not doing that shit."

She stalks up to Paval and taps his shoulder, snatching the microphone before he can stop her. All of the students stuffed in the arena are confused but intrigued. We don't get a lot of big drama here as everyone is trying to stay under the radar. "I'm not going with you. I don't care what you created to stay relevant in my life but you lost the privilege of being my mother when you decided to sell your family for a motherfucking program."

The pain in Ada's eyes makes me laugh. She accused Paval of not having feelings or being capable of emotion but I think that it's just Ada projecting. She's stunned, about to say something else when two officers crowd her, the woman struggling between them. "Hey! You're my detail. Back off. I'm not leaving here without my fucking daughter!"

One of Paval's fathers steps forward, Paval all but trying to dance on stage. "Ada, you've tortured enough people with your mind games but that's all they ever are and money only goes so far when someone else can pay out what you have and then some. Your men aren't loyal to you because of your ideals or plans or anything else. They're loyal to you for the green you put in their pockets and when someone offers just a bit more—it's good to know we had some backup."

I kind of hoped there would be more chaos and blood and screaming on Ada's part as they yank her hands behind her to cuff her. She's still struggling, growling at Paval's father like an animal. "I'm not done here."

"You are," Paval purrs into the microphone. His father doesn't seem the slightest bit perturbed at Paval's antics. "You violated a protective order and endangered every last student in this room, using them as pawns to get to a woman you don't have access to. She also doesn't need your money, Ada." I watch in awe as the man unzips one of his pockets and pulls out several bills before throwing them up into the air. He continues as he works through all of his pockets and that has to be a few thousand littering the floor by the time he's done. "Because Tia has her family and it doesn't include you."

Paval drops the mic and turns to Tia before dragging her into a kiss, bending her backward and showing off just how much he loves our woman. I don't think he meant for the mic drop scene but it's fucking glorious. Especially when Ada starts screaming obscenities and Paval's just tasting Tia's lips, whispering how much he loves her. Everyone else is stunned, torn between cheering for the display and following what just happened with Ada.

In the end, they rush around the stage, grabbing what they can of the money, and then peel out, leaving us up here to fend for ourselves. There's excited shouts and confusion and chaos but the best kind because it's kind of over, isn't it?

I'm dragged into the embrace seconds later, Paval nibbling on my ear as he tells me, "See? I made it rain."

One of Paval's fathers follows the guards, more of them appearing from places I would have never thought to look. His other father steps into the ring, Paval discarding us to hug him. "I'm so proud of you for protecting them both, Paval and as much as I'd like to officially meet you, Cairo, Paval needs to be checked out. Do not argue with me. You're leaning to the left and you're not walking straight." His father glares at Paval with a look so full of love and concern my heart hurts. I've been wishing from day one that I had a father who cared enough about me like that.

"Is she really gone, Gianni?" Tia asks. Her voice wobbles, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. "It's never that easy."

Gianni barks out a laugh, dragging her into the hug as well. "She had an entire corporation behind her last time—resources, true connections, and a lot of money. This time, she mostly had her words and a few extra bucks to her name. She endangered the entire campus with this scheme and don't worry, we'll make it known that anyone who participated did so out of obligation, trying to keep their degree rather than of their own free will."

"But that's lying," Paval pushes out.

I can't help but laugh as Gianni nods to me. "And it's a lie I'm happy to tell. There's room for one more, Cairo or are you too grown up for hugs?"

"God, never." Falling in love with two people wasn't on my bingo card but finding a father figure or multiple ones? That's a fucking dream come true.