I head into Andrei’s study, where he and the men sit furtively discussing something I’m only able to catch the tail end of.
“—will pay for this,” Andrei growls. His face still has a big bandage over his left eye from where Ronan clocked him with the crystal tumbler. That was a sight to see for sure. One second, Ronan is chilling in his chair, and the next he’s flattened Andrei. It was impressive. Made me almost like the Ronan guy a bit.
Almost.
Only because Ronan doesn’t seem to be as big an asshole as Andrei. At least not from what I’ve seen as of yet. Smashing the glass into his face aside.
Truth be told, they are all a bunch of assholes just worse than others.
I look back and forth between the men, waiting for someone to catch me up on what’s going on. None seem ready to talk.
Time for me to perform. I jump on my toes a few times and shake my arms out. “Who’s gonna pay? Tell me, I’m ready.”
Andrei considers me for a moment before rising from his chair and coming to stand before me. “I think perhaps you are not ready.”
“Really,” I scoff. “You should see the body I just left downstairs.”
“He is dead, no?” Andrei asks.
“He is dead, yes,” I answer.
“And what will you do if this new person is a friend?”
“Of mine? I don’t have any friends.” I keep with the story that Viktor came up with. I’m a lone wolf, no attachments, no commitments. Unless Andrei’s found out who I really am, in which case I’m pretty sure I’d be dead, he can’t know of any friends of mine.
“You know her father, no?”
I laugh. “That depends. I try to never meet a lady’s father, if you know what I mean?” The men laugh, Andrei remains stoic. I stroll to his bar cart and pour myself a healthy serving of vodka. Holding up the decanter in question to see if anyone else wants a refill. Andrei motions for me to bring the decanter to him, back at his desk.
“Okay, Rico. I will trust you this one time.”
“Put me in, coach,” I joke. Not a one of them get it. I take the seat opposite him on the front side of his desk, tempted to put my feet up on it, such as he is doing, just to see if I can get away with it.
“Daria Limonov must die.”
I falter slightly. Hopefully, none of them see it, I try my best to cover by bringing my glass to my mouth and drinking. I take a moment to compose my thoughts before responding. “Isn’t she some kind of famous femme fatale who can pretty much kill a guy twice my size with one hand tied behind her back?” I chuckle nervously, pretending to be afraid of her. Though, in some ways, I’m not lying. When Viktor fully explained the full extent of Daria’s skill set, I was floored.
“She has talents, yes,” Andrei says. “But surely someone such as you can conquer a mere girl, no?”
“I don’t hit women,” I say flatly. Knowing that’s not going to get me out of this, but wanting to take a stand against something that’s not going to immediately get me killed. At least I don’t think it will.
“How fortunate for you,” Andrei laughs. “If I didn’t know better, I would say you are afraid.”
“Of course, I’m afraid. That chick is legendary.”
Andrei waves his hand in the air dismissively and grunts something in Russian. “She is nothing.”
“Why do you want her dead?” I ask, not sure I want to know the answer.
“She killed my brother.”
“That’s a good reason,” I play along. “How do you know it was her?”
“I just know.” Andrei studies me for a moment, too long to be comfortable. Something’s up, I just don’t know what.
God, I hope he doesn’t know who I am.
He turns to one of his men and says something in Russian, then back to me as he says, “Go with them. Bring me the girl.”
