My heart drops.
Is that what she thinks? That I’m trying to fuck around on her?
“I promise you,zolotse, I’m actually working.” She nods, but still won’t look at me, and I want to dig up Daniil’s corpse so I can punch him in the face for planting this doubt in her.
“Blair, look at me.” I crouch down, forcing her to meet my eyes. “I have a work thing tonight, but I’d rather be hanging out here with you and Niko. You’re the only one I’m interested in going out with. You’re my wife, and I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize that. Tell me you understand.”
She hesitates for a moment but eventually nods.
It’s not the answer I want, but it’s a start. I kiss her, willing her to trust me. She doesn’t have to believe me yet, but I’ll find a way to convince her.
She’s still quiet as we make our way to Alexei’s, and I stop her before she’s able to get out of the car. “Just so we’re on the same page, youdolike Nadya, right? She isn’t being weird, or shitty, or anything like that?”
“What? No, she’s great. I’m really looking forward to hanging out with her. I’ve just…” She slumps in her seat.
“Been burned before and aren’t looking for a repeat?”
“Yeah. That.”
If I thought I could never hate Daniil more than when he asked me to be his best man, I was a fucking idiot. Every time I see how much insecurity his actions caused, I hate him even more.
I wind my fingers through the hair at the base of her skull and lean forward until my forehead rests against hers. “I’ll meet you at the club when I’m done. Okay?”
“Okay.”
She uses both hands to keep mine in hers while we ride the elevator up to Alexei’s apartment. I let myself smile until his door closes behind the girls, and at that same instant he turns his scowl onto me.
“I remember when you were reliable,” he bites out, disgust lacing every syllable. My spine straightens, but I don’t let him affect my resolve.
“Yeah, well.” I shrug. “I take it you’ve given your security a heads up?”
He scoffs, making a show of buttoning up his suit jacket, projecting an air of authority despite his simmering rage. “Of course. Don’t forget, your girl’s going with mysister.If anything happens to Nadya because of Blair, I’ll have your head.”
“I’d expect nothing less.” Though we both know that he won’t do anything to me. It wouldn’t take much for me to make his cushy life disappear, and the stiff line of his jaw tells me he knows it.
Alexei enjoys living his life under the radar. Running Maksim’s main fronts isn’t glamorous, but it keeps eyes off him and, more importantly, off Nadya. It prevents him from having to take on more dangerous jobs that would potentially put her in someone’s crosshairs. As much as he doesn’t want to go to a meeting with a dangerous man on his own, making an enemy of me is too dangerous for him to fight me.
He won’t do anything that could put Nadya in jeopardy. Even if he hates me for it.
“Do me a favor. Don’t get shot,” I call over my shoulder as I turn on my heel.
Lavrov is clever, but he isn’t known for controlling his temper. For that matter, neither is Alexei. If things were different, I’d love to watch them try to navigate a business meeting, but it’ll have to wait for another day. If tonight goes the way I expect, then I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities for those two to square off against each other.
“Don’t worry, I’m only planning on getting stabbed. It’s easier to clean up, you know?”
I almost laugh as I close the door behind me. “You do that.”
***
Being able to break into secure locations is a necessary skill for my line of work. The key lies in being prepared for various levels of difficulty and making an estimated guess of what you’re up against.
If you’re breaking into an average Joe’s place, for example, there’s no point in bringing much beyond the standard lock-pick as long as you can get the alarm disabled, but if you’re breaking into the condo owned by the son of the head of the Chicago Bratva? You should probably expect some more serious security.
I approach Pavel’s door and try the knob on instinct, letting out a deep sigh when it turns freely.
Some people have reputations fearsome enough that they don’t need security; to access their space without explicit permission will ensure you beg for a swift death.
Pavel is not one of those people.
