Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
He’s got a bunch of floodlights set up and loud music playing. A couple empty beers are on the floor and another one’s sweating in the humid evening air. I sit back and watch him work for a few minutes, sweating and grunting with exertion. His mask is down again, and there’s almost no feeling in his face as he moves through the room, putting his body to work.
This is what he does when he’s stressed. Lev doesn’t like to sit still. Even when we were younger, I’d find him in the basement of his family’s house punching a heavy bag for hours. He’s normally good at distracting himself, but sometimes it feels like the darkness he’s hiding gets too much for him, and he has to pull away.
“You gonna stand there and fucking watch all night or are you gonna help?” He looks over to where I’ve been lurking, grabs a beer from the cooler, and throws it over.
I catch it and crack it open. “I wasn’t sure I was welcome.”
“You’re not, but the extra set of hands are.”
I pour down half my beer, strip off my shirt, and join him.
There’s something cathartic about the work. I have to admit, I get why he does it. We work together in silence for nearly an hour, putting up a few panels, drinking a few beers. Sweat rolls down my back and shoulders. Lev slowly seems to relax into himself, and his coldness recedes. He’s not smiling and joking around, but he doesn’t look like he’s about to murder a puppy anymore.
“You want to beat the shit out of me again?” I ask him when we take a break. It’s around one in the morning. I hate leaving Natalya alone for this long, but she should be asleep. IT’s taking all my willpower not to check the cameras, including the one in the bedroom.
Added with her permission, of course. Turns out, she’s as much of a voyeur as I am.
“Not really.” He drinks back a beer and sighs. “You think I don’t get it? The second she fucked up that marriage, I had a feeling I was next.”
“For what it’s worth, it wasn’t my idea.”
“I know that.”
“Adriano wanted it.”
“Like I said. I get it.”
“Natalya’s a mess. She feels guilty as hell.”
“I’d probably feel the same way if I were in her position.”
“What do you want her to do, Lev?” I crush my empty can and toss it aside before getting another. I toss him one too. We crack them open together. “I’m the father of her child.”
He absorbs that in silence for a moment. “I wish she’d done what she was supposed to do. I wish I didn’t have to clean up her mess. But if I’m being really honest with myself, I’m happy it’s you.”
That surprises me. I sit back and study him. “You mean that?”
“If my sister’s going to marry someone, it might as well be a man I consider worthy. I don’t like the way it happened, and I sure as fuck don’t like the consequences, but I’m happy knowing you’ll be there to take care of her. I can’t handle losing another sibling.”
“You have my word, Lev. No matter what. She’ll be safe.”
“I know that.” He sighs and stretches out his legs. “I just wish I didn’t have to marry some fucking Italian girl.”
“You might be able to get out of it. There could still be another way.”
Lev gives me a look, and we both know what it means. But before he can say anything, there’s a noise from the front of the building and a shadow falls across the room.
We both react fast. Lev scrambles for a weapon and comes up with a hammer. I leap to my feet and wind my arm back, ready to hurl a half-empty beer at the intruder to buy us some extra time. But we both freeze.
“I got an alert that someone was in my store again. I didn’t expect to find you two. I also didn’t expect to hear what I just heard.”
Oleg’s standing in the doorway. He’s wearing slacks, a button-down shirt, and has a gun pointed at my chest.
The old man looks furious. Just as angry as the last time I saw him.
“How long have you been there?” Lev asks, lowering his arm.
“Long enough.” Oleg’s face twists in rage. “Were you going to tell me?”
“Eventually,” Lev says.
“Not you. I mean him.” Oleg gestures at me with the gun.
“I didn’t think you’d want to hear from me.”
“I didn’t. I still don’t. And yet you are still a frustrating part of my life. You cut a deal with the Marinos behind my fucking back.”
I clench my jaw, but I don’t move. Oleg’s not the kind of man to be trifled with. He may not be young anymore, but he’s still ruthless and cold as ice. He’ll pull that trigger without much provocation, regardless of whether I’m married to his daughter or the father of his grandchild.