But that was not true and Roman knew it. I did have to fight; it was too late to back out. In my line of business you did not back down in situations like this. I would lose all the respect I had gathered over the last few years if I did not fight Nikolai. You did not turn the other cheek but respond to an insult with a clenched fist. Besides, Roman’s bodyguard was bouncing in front of me like a raging bull and I wanted to wipe the floor with him. I wanted to kill him. “I want to fight,” I said.
