14. Chapter 14

fourteen

Leonid

" W hat the fuck do you want from me?” I growl.

Ludis smirks, his eyes the same dark brown as mine. Fucking bizarre.

“I’m here to take what’s mine,” he says.

“What’s yours?”

“The bratva, brat .” He spits to the side.

“The bratva,” I repeat, stepping closer. Our breath mingles, his reeking of cigarettes and trouble.

A drunk stumbles into the alley, mumbling off-key. Ludis’s beast of a bodyguard is on him in a flash, hurling him away like a bag of trash.

Ludis tilts his head, smirk widening. “Heard about your little fancy restaurant problem. Shame, that.”

Red-hot rage surges through me. This classless piece of shit. Thinking he can fuck with my operation. My jaw tightens, and I step into his space, staring him down.

“So it was you,” I bite out. No wonder we couldn’t pinpoint the bastard behind it—too daring for a professional outfit, too bold for the usual rats.

“How fucking dare you?” I snarl. “You think you can just waltz in, destroy my property? Who the fuck do you think you are?”

Ludis shrugs, casual as can be.

Like we’re talking about the fucking weather.

“Just letting you know what I’m capable of, brat . What I’ll do if you don’t play nice.”

I narrow my eyes, refusing to back down. “You destroyed one of our restaurants. You think I’m just going to hand over everything I’ve built to some long-lost brother I never knew existed?”

Ludis laughs, a harsh, grating sound. “I was just sending a little welcome gift. A taste of what’s to come if you don’t agree to my terms.”

I shake my head, my lips curling into a sneer. “You’re out of your goddamn mind if you think I’ll ever let you near my bratva. Brother or not, you’re nothing to me.”

“I want what’s mine, Leonid. What should have been mine from the start. I’m the eldest son!”

He steps closer, his breath hot on my face. The stench of cigarettes and booze is almost overwhelming.

“That old man threw me away like garbage. Left me to rot while you got everything. The money, the power, the fucking respect.” His lips curl into a sneer. “But I survived. I clawed my way up from nothing. And now I’m here to take what I’m owed.”

I narrow my eyes, feeling the old familiar rage build in my chest. This piece of shit thinks he can just walk in and take what’s mine?

“You’ve got balls, coming here,” I spit. “Thinking you can fuck with my operation and get away with it.”

Ludis chuckles, low and mean. “Oh, I haven’t even started fucking with you yet, brat . That little stunt with the restaurant? That was just a taste.”

He leans in close, his eyes glinting with malice. “I’m going to burn your precious bratva to the ground. I’m going to take everything you have, piece by piece. And I’m going to make you watch while I do it.”

My face twists with rage, and I lunge forward, my fist connecting with his jaw in a brutal punch. He staggers back, spitting blood, but quickly regains his footing.

Without warning, the fucking sky opens up, rain pouring down like icy needles. It soaks through my coat, turning my hair into a sopping mess, but I don’t give a shit about the cold. All I can see is this prick in front of me, this twisted reflection of myself, staring at me with eyes full of hate.

Blyat ! Fighting him is like fighting a fucking fun-house mirror.

Every punch, every grunt, it’s all too familiar. It’s like beating the shit out of myself, and it’s seriously fucking with my head.

Blood mingles with rainwater, turning pink as it drips down our faces. The coppery tang fills my mouth, but I barely feel the pain. All I can focus on is the satisfying crunch of my knuckles against Ludis’s flesh.

“ Suka !” Ludis spits, his lips curled back in a snarl. “You think you’re so tough, so untouchable. But I’m going to rip everything away from you, just like Papa ripped it away from me.”

Ludis comes at me with a flurry of punches, his fists moving in a blur. I block and counter, my own knuckles splitting against his flesh. We’re evenly matched, trading hits with brutal efficiency.

“You’re pathetic,” Ludis sneers, blood streaming from his nose, mixing with the rain. “Always hiding behind Papa, behind your little soldiers. You don’t know what real pain is, what real survival means.”

He punctuates his words with a vicious side kick, his boot slamming into my gut. I double over, the breath exploding from my lungs in a rush. Ludis presses his advantage, raining down blows on my bent back.

But I’m not that easily beaten. I surge upward, driving my head into his chin with a satisfying crack. Ludis staggers back, spitting curses, and I press forward, hammering his ribs with punishing jabs.

We’re both panting now, our faces bruised and bloodied. The rain washes the blood away as quickly as it wells up, leaving us slick and shivering in the downpour.

“You don’t know shit about me,” I snarl, my fists clenched tight. “You think you’re the only one who’s suffered? The only one who’s had to fight for every scrap?”

Ludis laughs, a harsh, angry sound. “You’ve had everything handed to you on a silver platter, brat . You don’t know the first thing about real suffering.”

His words ignite something inside me, a white-hot fury that burns through the pain and exhaustion. I lash out with a roar, tackling him to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

“You don’t know shit about me, mudak ,” I growl, my face inches from his. “And you don’t get to touch what’s mine. Khuy tebe !”

Ludis laughs. “I’m just getting started, brat . You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

Suddenly, the rapid thud of footsteps echoes through the alley. Misha and the bear-like bodyguard rush toward us, ready to intervene.

“ Nyet !” Ludis and I snap in unison, our voices identical. I’m irritated.

No, I’m fucking furious.

Ludis shoves me back and rises. We circle each other, slow and cautious.

But as much as I want to deny it, there’s something else there, too—a connection, a bond of blood and shared history.

I can see it in his eyes, even as he tries to gouge out mine. A flicker of recognition, of understanding. We’re two sides of the same coin, forged in the same fire.

But that doesn’t change anything. He’s still a threat, still an enemy. And I’ll put him down like any other dog that bares its teeth at me.

Our chests heave with exertion, but the fight is far from over. I see Ludis’s hand drift toward his waistband, reaching for a gun. I mirror his movement, ready to draw my own weapon.

But Ludis is faster. His gun clears leather in a flash, the barrel leveled at my head. I freeze, my heart pounding in my throat.

BANG!

The shot cracks through the air like thunder, the bullet slicing a hot path across my cheek. I feel the sting of the graze, the warm trickle of blood down my face.

Ludis smirks, a cold, cruel twist of his lips. “Next time, brat , you won’t be lucky.”

He steps back, his gun still trained on me as he moves toward his car.

I watch, seething with impotent rage, as he climbs behind the wheel and guns the engine.

The red taillights fade into the stormy night, leaving me alone in the alley with the bitter taste of unfinished business in my mouth.

I touch my fingers to my cheek, feeling the slick heat of my own blood.

A reminder, a promise.

Ludis wants a war?

So be it. I’ll give him a fucking war. Ludis may have drawn first blood, but I’ll be the one to end this.