CHAPTER 10
IRIS
I look at him flatly. "No." He grins. "Come on. We've been locked in this house for what, two, three days? We need fresh air."
"There's no fresh air with floor-to-ceiling windows," I shoot back.
"I don't know what other fresh air you're looking for, but I'm fine.
The AC works, the heater works, my feet are warm.
I'm not about to go out chasing wind." He frowns.
"You're no fun. Trying to chase you is like trying to gain the trust of a ginger cat.
You look like a small ginger cat, actually. I hear they all share one brain cell."
I squint at him. "Are you discriminating against gingers now?"
"Never. I like ginger cats. They're mini lions."
"Whatever. I'm not going anywhere. Don't bother me. I'm going to bed. And no, I'm not staying in your room tonight. Good night." I turn and walk away without looking back.
***
The next morning, I wake to a knock on my door.
Groggy, still half-asleep, I drag myself over and open it.
A huge bouquet shoves into my face. Roses, lilacs, peonies.
The whole damn garden. The scent hits me all at once, and I blink fast, trying to steady myself before I die from pollen overdose.
The perpetrator of my soon murder is beaming down at me, for heaven’s sake, who’s happy at eight in the morning.
"Flowers in the morning," he says with that smug grin, "for the woman who bloomed today." He pauses. "Or something like that."
I stare at him, deadpan. "Yeah, thanks." I take the flowers, walk back inside, dropping them on the nightstand. I try to slam the door shut, but he jams his foot in the doorway.
"What do you want?" I snap. "You delivered the flowers. What more could you possibly want?"
"I came to discuss the case."
"I can handle that perfectly well on my own. Don't you have people to shoot or something?"
He laughs, deep and genuine. "Do you really think mafias just go around randomly assassinating people?"
"Yes! Absolutely yes!"
He steps closer. "Look, my hands aren't exactly pristine, but I don't engage in killings just for the thrill of it.
I mean, sure, I find it exhilarating, but you probably wouldn't consider me dashing if I indulged that habit right before your eyes.
" His voice lowers. "Though I've heard that some women are drawn to the mystique of danger. "
I recoil, scrubbing at my ear. "Fine. But you're going to sit right there. You sit quietly, with your mouth zipped. The moment a single word escapes your lips, I swear, I will lose it."
"Fine," he says, hands raised in surrender.
I retreat to the bathroom for a quick wash, When I return, he's holding that ridiculous bouquet again, pulling out two red roses and placing them in a little vase.
"Why not just stick the entire arrangement in a larger vase instead of dissecting it? " I ask.
"It's better this way," he says. "These two represent us. Don't you see that?"
I scoff. "Oh, please." I turn toward the closet. When I reemerge, fully dressed, he greets me with that amused expression. "Wow," he says. "I could never tire of seeing you in different outfits."
"And I could never tire of that obnoxious smirk on your face," I shoot back, rolling my eyes.
We sink into the couch, files sprawled between us. But productivity isn't on the agenda. He starts fidgeting. Adjusting the vase. Making noises. Tapping his foot.
I do my best to ignore him, trying to focus on case details. Then, suddenly, he plucks one of the wet roses from the vase and tucks it behind my ear. He leans in and pecks the side of my lips.
Something inside me snaps. Without thinking, I swing my fist and connect hard with his jaw.
His head snaps to the side and my eyes go wide. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, oh God, that must've hurt, I'm so sorry! You just, you're so—"
Before I can finish, he closes the distance and kisses me.
I'm falling deep into the kiss. His mouth moves over mine with hunger, and I unconsciously kiss back.
Wait. What the hell are we even doing? I pull back just as his hands start getting too comfortable, fondling me as if we aren't in the middle of a damn case and I didn't just punch him five seconds ago.
Anger flares again. I punch him again, this time on the other cheek. His head turns slightly from the impact. And we sit through another stunned silence. I panic again.
"Why did you do that?" I ask, breathless and mad. "Why did you kiss me?"
"You were so close to my face," he says, rubbing his jaw. "I thought you wanted a kiss."
"I hit you in the face! And the only thing going through your head when my face got close was to kiss me?" He shrugs. "You invited it. I couldn't help myself." I raise my hand again, ready to slap some common sense into him, but he catches my wrist in a gentle grip.
He brings my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles. "Hands like this," he murmurs, "aren't meant for violence." I flinch back. Maybe it's the softness of his voice or the boldness of him kissing my hand after everything, but my body reacts before my mind can process it.
Then, like I was possessed. I lean in suddenly, as if I'm about to share a secret, and kiss him. Hard. Biting his lip just enough to make him bleed. He goes stiff, and I feel him smile against my lips. His hands are still on my waist as I pull back, locking eyes with him, as I say the words he didn’t expect to hear, "Get out.
" I stand up, my heart was going a million miles an hour, and he confuses me, I needed space.
He stands up and walks out with a grin on his face.
Once he's gone, I sink to my knees, grazing my lips he kissed with my fingers.
"Arrogant jerk," I whisper. He never backs off. Always trying to kiss me despite my warnings. Always pushing. Always testing boundaries. He had it coming. That was harassment. And he's definitely going to owe me double for what he put me through. "Stupid mafia jerk."
***
After he leaves, I try to engross myself back into the file but then my phone rings, snapping me out of my focused haze. I look at the caller ID and a smile spreads on my lips
Tessa.
I pick up immediately. "Hey, tess. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing good," she says, her voice bright despite the exhaustion I can hear underneath. "The protest is going well. I think the judges are about to fold."
I sit up straighter. "Wow. I wish I could be there to really take on this case with you."
"Oh, no, no, no. Don't worry about it. I'll take care of this case here.
She'll get justice. It's just we're going to have to take one more month in this city.
But there's good news, which is what I wanted to tell you.
So we were outside, and somebody saw us sleeping in tents and offered us their house to stay in for the night. "
I freeze. "Wait. You're sleeping in tents? Outside?"
"Yeah. Outside the courthouse steps," she says casually.
"It's not like we have the money to stay in a motel for a month.
So we're camping outside. The police come here and there to harass us, try to move us out, but we just come back and sleep.
Then in the morning, we go to the public showers and take a bath. "
I shake my head. "Well, I do have a few euros with me now. I can send you money for you guys to stay in a hotel. "She laughs. "Oh, and where did you get that fortune from? Did Aladdin come out of a lamp in your bedroom and give you a thousand dollars?"
I hesitate. "Well, here's the thing. I might or may not have gotten involved with ilay"
There's a pause on her end. Then she says, slowly, "Oh, boy. Wait. Did you sleep with him or something?"
"No! I didn't. I mean, he's making moves and all that, and… he bought me a car."
She screams so loud I almost throw my phone down. "He bought you a car?! Wait. What kind of car is it, and why haven't I seen it?"
"Because I didn't want to distract you," I say. "But yeah, he did buy me a car."
"Wait. What kind of car?"
"It's a Porsche."
"Oh, damn, girl!" Tessa practically yells. "I can't wait to wrap up this case so we can just cruise around in that car. You've gotten a stroke of luck, girl. Wait. He's not asking for anything in return, is he?"
"What he's asking for is me helping him on a property case. And there's no murder involved. So I believe, you know, it's safe." Tessa says carefully, "Well, trust your gut instincts. They're never wrong. If you think anything is going in a strange way, just dip. You don't have to stay."
"I do hope I don't have to," I say. "I mean, he doesn't ask for much in return. Though… I did just punch him in the face." Silence. Then she says, "You what? You punched your benefactor in the face? Look, I may be your friend, but that is just ungrateful."
"Just calm down!" I say quickly. "I had good reason for punching him in the face.
This man put a flower behind my ear and then proceeded to kiss the side of my mouth.
Not only did he do that, but when I was concerned about him, trying to check if he was alright, he proceeded to pull me in and start kissing me again. So I punched him again."
Tessa pauses. "You know what? You're right.
He needs to learn how to keep his mouth to himself.
I would have punched him twice too. Hell, I would've kicked him in the balls.
But just make sure you be very careful around him.
From what I hear, you know, he's a big deal in Russia.
Okay? He's a very powerful Russian mobster.
You should be careful with how you deal with men with those kinds of influence.
If not… let me just say it's not gonna be good for both of us.
And I already know our futures. I see myself in that dumpster.
I might not like the smell, but I see myself there, girl.
So we gotta prepare to go to the afterlife.
But I do see us in heaven. You know? The rest of them can go to hell. When I die, I see myself in heaven."
"Amen, sister."
"Anyways, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later. Okay? Oh, and wire me that money. Like, two thousand."
I nod even though she can't see me. "Alright. I'll send it now. Just get a hotel. Okay? You and the rest of the NGO girls."
"Alright. Thank you. Bye."
"Bye."
I hang up, shake my head, and go back to the files.