Vengeful Matrimony | ✔️

Chapter 66

NICHOLAS

"Evander told me you were a complete sap, and I didn't believe him. Looks like he was right," Ambrose's disinterested voice said, tearing my attention away from Giselle, who Alessa had somehow convinced to take a swim in the ocean.

I snorted, looking up at him. He was clad in a pair of dark slacks and a crisp white shirt, an expensive wristwatch donning his wrist. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen him in anything other than what he was wearing. At times, he threw his jacket on, but then again, I wasn't one to talk when I lived in suits myself.

He had his mother's green eyes and dark hair, but his face? It was all his father. Sharp jawline, angular face, and an aristocratic nose. He could easily pass for Byron's twin.

"And there is the asshole in all his 6'3 glory."

"6'5," he corrected. "I grew, cuz. And it's funny that you think you're taller than me. Zeph said you're like 6'4." He lowered himself into the chair opposite me. "You look like a creep."

"She's my wife."

"Sure, sure. That gives you the right to be a peeping Tom. Maybe I should get married myself," he mused, stroking his beard.

"You?" My lips tipped up in amusement. "What poor girl caught the attention of a monster like you?"

He grinned at me. "Your words hurt my heart, Niko."

I might have believed I hurt him if only his tone wasn't flat and his eyes expressionless.

"If only you had a heart."

He chuckled. "True. Don't let Grams hear you, though. She thinks there's a nice, beautiful lady out there that'll bring warmth into my life."

"For her safety, I hope she doesn't exist."

"Aw, come on now, Niko. I'm a changed man. You're the one going around doing all the killing. I haven't even touched a gun in years."

"Look me in the eye and tell me you don't have a knife on you." He was more efficient with a knife, anyway.

He waved me off, a shadow of a smile crossing his lips. "That's beside the point."

I leaned back in my chair with a smug smile, crossing my arms in front of my chest. "That's what I thought."

Unlike me, Ambrose had been kidnapped by our uncle years before I arrived. I didn't even know he was my cousin when I first saw him. He'd been our uncle's third-in-command, and they had tasked him with giving me a tour.

Luckily for me, he knew who I was, and because he was there longer than me, and knew the ropes, he took me under his wing. That didn't make my stay enjoyable, but sometimes it earned me a few perks amongst the other boys there.

For a long time, I looked up to him. He was older - even though it was just by a few years - and wiser. It all still felt like yesterday, and that still hadn't changed. He was like the brother I never had, and a father mixed in between. Hence, my relationship with him was strong, even though he could be quite an asshole.

He pulled out a cigar and a lighter from his pocket, lighting it up. His need for oral fixation still hadn't changed.

He took a long drag, blowing a cloud of smoke in front of him before he spoke. "I got your information on hand. Vlad was last sighted with Gregorio two days after the time of attack against you."

"I fucking knew it. I knew that stronzo was working with Gregorio."

"That's not all. I caught wind of a younger brother. Amedeo Novikov. He's deep into the underground, too, but it seems he wants nothing to do with his brother. I reached out. Fucker set his wolves on me."