When I pull up in front of his building, Alexei’s waiting for us, arms crossed over his chest. I don’t realize until I lay eyes on him that I was half expecting him to be holding a gun, ready to shoot me before I even got out of the car.
Unlike Blair, he hasn’t asked me about Pavel’s murder, but he’s not stupid enough not to have worked out what happened. And he’s smart enough to know what I’m planning on doing now, too.
I race around the car, holding the door open for Blair and Niko, who’s managed to cry himself to sleep.
Alexei’s face is stormy, like he can’t figure out whether to start yelling or go straight to throwing punches, but when he takes in our appearances and Blair’s red-rimmed eyes, he hurries us into the lobby.
The doors close behind us with a gust of wind as he shoves a piece of paper into my hands.
“I take it I’m looking after these guys tonight?”
I nod. “You keep them safe, and we’re even. You won’t owe me a damn thing.”
Blair presses herself into my side, her weight a welcome comfort that I don’t deserve.
I wrap an arm around them both, kissing the tops of their heads. This whole fiasco is even more miserable to bear after such a wonderful day, and I only hope I’ll be able to have more days like it in the future to make up for it.
“You’re going to come back?” There’s a hitch in her voice that sounds like she’s holding back tears, and I clench my jaw hard enough that my teeth hurt.
“If I can.” Her watery eyes meet mine, and I wish that I could reassure her.
I want to promise her that everything will be alright. That I’m going to come home and hold her while she sleeps. But even if everything goes according to plan, I’m probably still walking straight into a trap.
I can’t promise her that I’ll be able to walk away at the end. But I’m sure as hell going to try.
I grip the back of her neck and pull her into a searing kiss, desperate to feel her against me for as long as I can.
“I love you,” I murmur against her lips.
Alexei guides her away from me, herding them toward the elevator, and, crucially, away from the massive glass windows that offer no privacy or protection from the street. I smile at her, taking in every detail of her face as the elevator doors slide shut behind them.
In the next heartbeat, I’m pulling out my phone.
The sooner this is done and over with, the sooner I can come back to them.
***
I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Marcell Renzuto before, and I also can’t say I’ve ever wanted to.
He has a reputation for being as charming as he is calculating, the kind of man who will do anything to get a new car or another source of cash. He’s treacherous, but no more than any other man around him.
He stands to greet me as his gold rings glint in the dim lighting. The smile on his face is as welcoming as a shark’s. It does nothing to distract me from the five men placed strategically around the room, each standing with their hands clasped in front of them, a firearm displayed prominently on their hips.
Yeah, I’ve never felt more welcome anywhere in my life.
“Andrei Voronov, in the flesh.” His eyes glint with malice, and I feel the absence of my gun like a physical ache. I’m notmaking the smartest choices today, but I don’t have a death wish. When his man searched me at the door, I didn’t hesitate to surrender my weapons.
If Renzuto wants me dead, there’s nothing I can do to prevent it. My weapons would do nothing but accelerate how quickly he’d make it happen.
“What brings you to our part of town? You don’t strike me as the sort of man to offer condolences for our fallen friend.”
“I’m not.” I shrug as I take the seat across from him. “Especially not for a man that was so inclined to bring trouble on himself.”
The private room of his restaurant is flooded with dark red and black accents, the gold lights and candle holders sparkling in the low lighting. If there were less guns around and the air wasn’t filled with a malevolence that promises harm to anyone who dares to linger, hell, it might even look romantic.
Each man is dressed in a tailored suit, not a hair out of place. It only serves to show exactly how out of place I am in my jeans and the hoodie I had to steal back from Blair.
Something tells me that no other man in this room would dare to be caught dressed in anything but their Sunday best.
