Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Charleigh

Niko’s office door flies open, startling us both. I drop my Perrier bottle, and it tumbles to the plush carpet below, where it begins to empty.

I gasp and snatch it up as fast as I can.

Vadik looks between the two of us and scowls. My heart jumps into my throat. Have I done something wrong?

But Niko is unfazed and without hesitation, crosses the room in two long steps and grabs a cloth napkin from the bar cart. I move my knees aside to make room as he dabs at the wet carpet next to my stocking feet.

And hell if he doesn’t smell nice. With him crouched so close, I watch a lock of blond hair fall onto his forehead, and have a strong urge to push it off his face. I sit on my hands to resist the temptation, and he finally scrapes it back with his own free hand.

What the hell is wrong with me? These guys are keeping me here basically against my will. I say basically, because I signed that damn contract, but what choice did I have? It was me or Pops.

Or Evie, God forbid.

Urges aside, I am not here to be Niko’s friend, nor his brothers. No, I’m here to ‘work,’ whatever the hell that entails. So far, it means serving cocktails to creepy, handsy men, and avoiding slimy troublemakers in the corridor.

Oh, and trying not to piss off the mercurial Dominika.

Dream job, yo.

What a hellhole I’ve fallen into.

Vadik places a hand on my bare shoulder. It’s warm and soothing, and once again I’m cursing myself for thinking it could be anything more than it actually is.

These guys don’t give a rat’s ass about you, idiot.

He gives me a light squeeze. It’s neither sexual nor inappropriate. Just kind of… friendly. “Charleigh, it’s time for lunch. We’d like for you to join us.”

There they go again with the being nice bullshit. But I know it’s just a matter of time before the other shoe drops. I’ve watched enough crime drama to know I’m being groomed. They make you think you’re special, that they are there for you, and that you’re safe. Then one day it all blows up. They do something horrible, worse than you could ever imagine. And you’re surprised because you didn’t see it coming through the flattery.

God help me when that happens. Because I know it will.

My feet are happy to have had the little break they did while I chilled on Niko’s sofa, but when I pull my shoes back on and get to my feet, they silently start to scream again. Vadik gestures toward the door and both brothers allow me to pass first, as if they are real gentlemen or something.

Gentlemen who are ready to off my father at a moment’s notice.

And as I step into the dimly lit hallway, trying my best not to limp, who do I nearly run smack into but Dimitri. Again.

This should be interesting.

He smiles, his yellow teeth failing to hide a waft of his cigarette breath, and my head snaps back in involuntary disgust. With more presence of mind, something I clearly need to work on, I could hide my revulsion.

“Well, if it isn’t my pretty new friend, Charleigh,” he booms, grabbing my hand before I can think to move out of his reach.

I back into the wall behind me, anyway.

And what does he do, but move closer.

Which, with a glance in their direction, makes Vadik and Niko unhappy.

Correction. Very unhappy.

There’s some serious history here, and it isn’t pretty.

Niko takes a step toward him. “Dimitri, I told you hands off,” he growls.

Vadik looks among the three of us, quickly assessing what’s going down. It doesn’t take him long.

He smooths his hand over his shaved head, a casual, innocuous gesture, I can tell intended to keep the situation calm. Which means the situation probably won’t remain calm.

I’m fascinated, bizarrely enjoying my front row seat, and at the same time wishing I were anywhere else on Earth at the moment.

“Dimitri, did my brother have a talk with you about Charleigh?” Vadik asks with a pleasant smile.

These guys are good. Like, Academy Award good.

And Dimitri, either stupid or masterfully antagonistic, waves him off like an annoying fly. “Oh, Vadik, everything is fine. Niko is just a little… protective of your latest girl.”

While new to this shitshow, even I can see that Dimitri’s pushing his luck, probably on purpose, to get a rise from the guys. And to further double down, he pulls me close with a tight arm around my shoulder.

Again.

Talk about poking a bear. The man’s crazy. And he clearly has something up his sleeve.

My mouth grows dry when Vadik steps closer to Dimitri, getting in his face, where I’m perfectly situated in the line of fire. I gently twist to get out of his grip, but he doesn’t budge.

“Let her go,” Vadik warns, his voice taking a warning edge. Close up, I can see tiny lines between his eyebrows, lines I’m pretty sure indicate his current mood.

Which is not happy.

Dimitri laughs. Because of course. He knows exactly how to push the brothers’ buttons. These grievances are old. Longstanding. And infinitely deep.

And even when it looks like they’re all about to come to blows, I still can’t free myself. That does not bode well. I’ve seen a few fistfights in my day, and know the best thing is to get as far away from them as possible.

Niko takes up position next to his brother. “Vad, Dimitri here is under the impression he’s somehow entitled to Charleigh. I told him otherwise, but for some reason the message hasn’t sunk into his vodka-addled brain.”

With all of them in an angry standoff, I nervously look from one to the other. If anyone loses his shit, I will end up with a black eye, broken nose, or worse.

I clear my throat quietly. Maybe I can attract their attention. They’ll realize they need to get me out of the way. “Hey, guys, do you mind if I—"

But I stop. Even though I am intentional and confident in my tone, it is clear my appeal will do no good. I’m standing right before them, but it’s like I’m not even there. As if I’m invisible. The expressions on their faces, like angry bulls, tell me they won’t hear anything I have to say. While the conflict of the moment is about me on one level, it’s anything but. These guys could be fighting over a cookie and would be just as threatening, vying for the position of top dog, remembering nothing but past insults, grievances, and betrayals.

I’m just an excuse for another thing to fight over.

It’s not about me. Not at all.

The grin on Dimitri’s face starts to falter, and I sense things are getting more serious. His grip on me loosens and I quickly step out of the way. Which is not to say I relinquish my front row seat. On no, I’m not doing that. The more I learn about these guys and their operations, the better off I’ll be at understanding what I’m up against.

And that will inform how I respond to things. It’s all about self-preservation now. Nothing more. If these guys have the bitter, long-standing rift they appear to, I will find a way to exploit it.

* * *

Charleigh

Like I’m some sort of masterful criminal strategist.

What a joke. If my bookkeeping instructor could see me now.

“This club,” Dimitri finally says, spraying his rank saliva, “wouldn’t exist without the largesse of my father. Your family would still be pushing shitty black-market vodka like they were when they got off the fucking boat. You’d be nobodies just like you were when your father first came from Russia.” He scoffs, inches from their faces, with no concern for consequences. After all, he’s outnumbered, his posse nowhere in sight.

Vadik widens his stance and pulls himself to full height. He’s already taller than Dimitri, but this is what animals do when they fight. Make themselves as large as possible.

Dimitri remains unfazed. At least on the outside.

“Get the fuck out,” Vadik says quietly and evenly, in the same tone as if he were asking if it might rain tomorrow.

Dimitri’s mouth twitches, but that’s the only part of him that moves. “Vadik, need I remind you that the truce between our families is fragile at best? You, my friend, need to be on your best behavior. Because I can take you down. I can take away everything you have and leave you with less than nothing. Like your family was before the time my father took pity on yours. He had to teach your father everything before he was finally able to stand on his own two feet. He had to wipe your father’s fucking ass.”

Dimitri delivers a masterful smirk, one that could easily be wiped off his face, along with his gross teeth, with one big Alekseev hand. And yet he doesn’t look worried.

Who has the power here? It’s impossible to tell.

Maybe that’s the reason for the conflict.

I take a couple steps back and then another for good measure. While I want to witness what’s going on, I have a feeling it’s going to get violent. And I do not plan to get stuck in the middle of flying fists.

Still, my heart is pounding.

For once, I wish Dominika would happen by.

Vadik bares his teeth when he speaks. “Dimitri, our debt to your family has been repaid many times over. It is long-erased. We owe you nothing except maybe a swift kick in the ass for showing up here and making trouble. You need to accept that times are different now, and that you, to put it simply, are no longer relevant, if you ever were. Further, you know there is no truce between our families. There never will be. You’re only allowed in here as a member who spends a lot of money.”

“And we’re happy to take your money, Dimitri,” Niko adds. “Just because the Pakhan has forbidden us to declare war on you, doesn’t mean we’re friends. There is no peace between us. There never will be.”

Vadik nods slowly. “The absence of war does not indicate a truce.”

The guys might not call this face-off a war, but it sure seems like one to me. Dimitri, perhaps defeated in this latest battle, turns on his heel and leaves, heading straight for the elevator, alone, defeated, and muttering under his breath.

He says nothing more, doesn’t look back, just presses the elevator button and gets inside when the doors open.

After they close, I take a deep breath. I know this isn’t the end of whatever these guys have going on, their protracted grievances, but for the moment, things go back to calm and quiet.

“So, anybody hungry?” Vadik asks with a smile when my growling stomach gives me away.

I played it safe as a fly on the wall during the brothers’ exchange with Dimitri. But I am a fly no more as they turn their focus to me, smiling, leading the way to lunch.

“Glad he’s gone,” I say once we’re in the dining room, taking my chances on bringing up a sore subject.

I need to find out where I stand with all that’s happening. Gather whatever information I can.

Find the guys’ Achilles heel, so to speak.

If they think I’m just going to sit around and see what comes my way, they are completely insane.

But until I find a way to save myself, I’ll plow through the crap they throw my way with a pleasant little smile. That way, when I do make my move, they’ll be caught completely unaware.

At least, that’s what I’m banking on.