She leaned forward, and I got a better look at her. Dark brown hair fell in waves past her shoulders, and her eyes, hazel, seemed full of light. With her lips painted red and a skin that glowed with life, she looked positively beautiful in a real way.
I hated that I noticed.
“I'm here because someone needs to knock some sense into you,” she said, her eyes flashing with defiance. “Your sister just had a baby, and you're here drowning yourself in whiskey and self-pity instead of being there for her.”
My hand tightened around my glass so hard I thought it might shatter. “You've got a lot of nerve talking about my family.”
“And you've got a lot of nerve calling yourself a brother when you've abandoned her over your stupid pride,” she shot back.
I scowled. “Is that what you think? That this is about pride? Your brother took my sister right from under our noses. In any other circumstances, he'd be dead, and your entire family with him.”
Elena raised her eyebrows and threw me a look one might give a little child. “We both know it didn't stay that way. They fell in love. It happens. Even to people like us.”
“People like us,” I repeated, leaning forward. “There is no 'us,' Ms. Lebedev. There's my family, and there's yours. And yours has been a thorn in my side for too long.”
“And yet here we are,” she said, gesturing between us. “Your sister and my brother are raising a family now. Whether you like it or not, we are connected.”
I studied her, trying to understand her angle. What the hell made her walk up to me, to think she could change my mind? The audacity of it all.
“Your brother sends you to do his dirty work?” I scowled in her direction.
She rolled her eyes. “Nobody sent me. I came because Larissa is heartbroken that you never visit or call. Do you know she cries after every family gathering because you're not there?”
Something twisted in my chest. I pushed it down, hard. “Don’t try to manipulate me.”
“It's not manipulation if it's the truth,” she said, her voice softening just slightly. “Look, I get it. You hate us. Fine. But this isn't about the Ajellos and the Lebedevs anymore. This is about a baby who deserves to know her uncle.”
Her uncle. My niece. Of course, I thought of her often. When very drunk, I sometimes asked Carlo and Dino to tell me of their visits to see the baby. I was curious to know who she looked like, if she was healthy. If she slept well or cried through the night.
I took another drink, using the moment to collect myself. She was getting under my skin, and I couldn't allow that. I wasn’t prepared to let the child be used as leverage against my beliefs. No matter what.
And then, as I watched Elena sit in front of me, an idea began to form in my mind. I set my glass down carefully and schooled my features into something resembling reasonability.
“Maybe you're right,” I said, watching surprise flicker across her face. “Maybe it's time we had a real conversation about this situation.”
She blinked, clearly not expecting this response. “Really?”
“Really,” I said, sliding out of the booth and standing. “But not here. It’s too loud. Maybe we can talk somewhere…quiet?”
She hesitated, just a little.
“I'm not going anywhere alone with you,” she said.
I gestured around the club. “We're hardly alone. I just want to talk somewhere quieter.”
I could see her weighing her options. The fact that she'd approached me alone meant she was either incredibly brave or incredibly foolish. Maybe both. And something told me she was going to make that same mistake again.
“Fine,” she finally said, standing. “Lead the way.”
As we walked through the club, I noticed at least two men watching her—bodyguards, no doubt, but keeping a distance.
Idiots. They should never have let her get this close to me in the first place.
I guided her through the dance floor until I was certain we were out of view, knew that the bodyguards would think we went to the bar or something, and led her toward the back stairs. But instead of going up to the private lounges for conversation, I steered her down a hallway that ended in a service door to the alley out back.
She was saying something behind me, but I hardly ever registered a word, too focused on my plans. The Lebedevs had taken something precious from me. Perhaps it was time I returned the favor.
Chapter 3 - Elena
