The bass thumped steady under Vikentiy’s boots, the subwoofers making the ice in his glass shiver. Thick cigar smoke curled in front of his face; he watched it instead of the stage, at least for the first few seconds.

It was your typical Friday evening; girls danced, idiots bled their savings on them. Business with the Cortez family was going smoothly, according to Nikolay.

Everything was good.

Then movement caught his eye.

Valeria at a table two sections down. Beautiful, glittering, planted right up against some asshole in a navy blazer. The guy leaned in, talking too close to her mouth, his hand on the back of the seat, obviously trying to snake further.

Vikentiy’s jaw set slowly, like a door locking.

He dragged from the cigar, let the smoke burn his throat, exhaled through his nose. The club kept doing what it always did—money flashing, girls laughing, bottles popping—but all of that dropped to background noise.

His gaze remained fixed on them.

The guy talked with his hands, like he thought he had charm. Valeria gave him attention; that was the job. But when the man’s hand slid lower on the seat, knuckles brushing the side of her thigh, something hot and sharp climbed right up Vikentiy’s spine.

He clicked his tongue.

"Sergei."

His right hand turned from the edge of the booth, eyes already tracking where Vikentiy was looking. "Da."

"Table eight, with Valeria ." Vikentiy took a calm sip of whiskey. "Who the fuck is he?"

Sergei leaned out, checked the table, phone already in his hand. A few seconds of tapping. "Eduardo Molina. Some sort of crypto bro with money to throw out. Came last week too."

"Mm." Vikentiy watched Eduardo laugh at something Valeria did, watched him lean, watched her tip her head in that angle that made neck and tits look like a sales pitch. He'd train her well—she was now a pro at selling herself and filling his pockets.

(Too good now.)

"No one told him house rules."

Sergei’s mouth quirked. "Want me to tell him now?"

The pakhan rolled the cigar between his fingers, ash long and unbothered. Eduardo’s hand tried again, sliding more boldly along the back of the seat, fingers inching toward her waist. Heat flared—jealousy, but it wore the shape of disgust in his chest.

Who the fuck did this cunt think he was, touching his girl like that? In his club? Acting as if consequences couldn't take shape in the form of a bullet or a knife between the ribs?

He stood. The booth’s leather creaked as his weight shifted. V smoothed his shirt with one hand, the other flicking the ash into the tray.

"Stay."

Sergei just nodded. "Ne zabud' ulybnut'sya." (Don't forget to smile.)

Vikentiy snorted once and stepped out of the booth.

He moved through his own club, people parting like the sea on his path—they knew better than to stand in his way and face his ire. Two drunk guys shuffled aside without looking, some bottle girl straightened when she noticed who walked past. The closer he got, the clearer he heard Eduardo’s voice, too loud, too confident.

"–told you, I can buy you outta here, girl, you don’t gotta—"

Vikentiy grabbed a fistful of the guy’s hair at the crown once he reached the table, strong fingers digging into scalp. No warning. He yanked his head up and then down.

Eduardo’s face hit the edge of the table with a wet, sickening crack. Glasses jumped, a bottle tipped and spilled dark liquor.

(It'd be a bitch to remove the stain.)

The man shouted, cut off into a wet gurgle; conversation around them stuttered and then snapped quiet in a ten-foot radius.

Eduardo’s nose was already bleeding, red pouring down onto his shirt. He clutched at it, half rising.

"What the—"

Vikentiy palmed the back of his skull and slammed it down again, harder. The table shook. This time, a glass toppled and met its tragic end on the floor, shattered into tiny pieces.

"Sit. The fuck. Down."

His tone brooked no argument.

Eduardo sagged into the chair, breathing through his mouth, blood slicking his lips; his eyes were wide and unfocused. That sort of deer-in-headlight look that came right as a someone realized they fucked up big time.

Vikentiy leaned in, one hand still at the back of the man’s neck, pinning him in place. The other swept his jacket aside just enough to show the matte black of the pistol holstered at his waist.

"You touch my girl again," he murmured near Eduardo’s ear, Russian accent curling sharp around the words, "I put bullet in your skull right here.

(Clear?)"

The man's fingers trembled on his nose. "I– I didn’t— I didn’t know, man—"

"Ne zanimayet menya." (I don’t give a fuck.) He squeezed the back of the guy’s neck until Eduardo hissed. "You look at her, you throw money. You do not touch. You do not talk about buying her out. You don’t even breathe too close, ponimayesh'? (you understand?)"

Eduardo bobbed his head way too fast, eyes watering.

"Good. Now get the fuck out of my club before I change my mind."

Vikentiy released him with a shove that nearly knocked the man off the chair.

Pyotr materialized by his side quietly, reaching for the fucker. Vikentiy jerked his chin.

"Escort this pussy out. If he argues, discard him."

"Da."

The enforcer hauled Eduardo up by his arm, ignoring the blood. Eduardo glanced once at Valeria , like maybe she’d save him, as he was being dragged away into the dark and colored light.

(Stupid mudak. He was lucky to still have eyes at all.)

Only then did Vikentiy turn fully to her.

He stepped closer, into her space, one hand coming up fast to grab her face. His fingers pressed into her cheeks, thumb near her mouth, forcing her chin up so she had to look at him.

"What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Valeria ?" Vikentiy asked. His tone was cold enough to freeze hell over twice. His grip tightened just enough to make her jaw ache. "Letting that clown put his hands near you like I’m not sitting right there?"

The urge to smack her across the face for the affront tugged at him.

(He could do it, should do it—who would stop him anyway? Only reason he didn't was because the night was young, and a stripper with a smarting cheek wouldn't earn him a lot of money.)

"You working," he went on, "or you entertaining? Because it looked wrong from where I sat."

His thumb dragged once along the corner of her mouth—the gesture was almost tender, if it weren't from the strength of his grip.

"You answer me, malyshka. Right. Now."