Chapter 59
MILA
Squeezing my thighs together doesn’t relieve any of the intense pressure he’s built up in me. It’s even worse on the drive to Mikhail’s casino as memories of sitting on the roof of his Hellcat floods my thoughts.
“Mikhail has his own stipulations for giving you the drive.” Nikolai pushes the button for the elevator to the top floor.
“I’m not giving your brother a blowjob.” I have my limits.
Nikolai chuckles. “No, I’m afraid it’s worse. He wants to talk.”
I stick out my lower lip. “Then why can’t you help me to take off a little bit of this stress before we get there?” Pressing my body against his, he leans against the clear glass overlooking Vegas as the sliding doors close. “I mean, we have twenty three whole floors to go. How many times can you get me off on that ride?” I bat my eyelashes, begging him.
Pulling his hand down, I watch the smile tug up the corner of his mouth as I push his fingers between my legs.
“Do you think you deserve it? Niet. Only afterward.” He cups my needy pussy, but doesn’t push past the fabric to give me what I want.
Fire burns in me as I watch the numbers climb on the panel.
“I didn’t undergo torture to save you, just to have you deny me,” I grumble. But, as we step out into the cool hallway, my lust transforms into nerves.
Mikhail is so much more intimidating than Niki.
I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s because I can see Nikolai’s softer side.
But Mikhail, he’s a mystery to me hidden behind his mask.
I know almost nothing about him. And the way he commands a room, it says he has more than enough ability to back up any order he gives.
Wiping my sweaty palms on my skirt, I give Nikolai a nod that I’m ready to go in.
His knuckles drum on the heavy wood door before a muffled, gruff voice invites us in.
It smells like leather and cigar smoke when I step in.
Mikhail moves around his desk and leans against it, but I can see how tense his muscles are. He’s poised like a cat ready to strike.
I guess I made an impression.
“Hello, Mila Sidorova.” A deep, smooth voice says my name from a table in a shadowy corner.
Tugging on Nikolai’s elbow, I raise on my toes to whisper to him. “He knows my full name.”
Niki nods. “That’s Enzo. He’s our personal Wizard of Oz. He sees everything behind the curtain.” He puts his hand on the small of my back and leads me to an overstuffed couch.
Enzo unfolds himself from behind the laptop and extends his palm. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Your tech guy is quite good.”
His piercing blue eyes beneath his dark hair throw me off. “Oh, you must be talking about Tyler.” I shake quickly and interlace my fingers with Nikolai’s on my lap.
It hurts to think about Tyler.
“He didn’t make it.” Nikolai finishes for me.
Enzo rakes his gaze over me before returning to his computer. “I’m sorry. I just have a few questions before I give you a copy of the drive.” His jaw tightens as he clicks on the keys.
“What importance is this information to Tatiana?”
I feel my pulse in my temples. “I have no idea. It’s not my job to ask those kinds of things. She paid me to pick it up, not to read it. Shit, she’ll probably kill me because you did.”
And I thought Ivan was bad. Tatiana has made quite the reputation for herself at retaliating against her enemies.
Ivan is like a bear, charging in and leaving a wake of destruction.
Tatiana is a snake. Silent, deadly, and nearly impossible to see coming.
Enzo leans around the side of his screen, fixing me with his eerie eyes. “Fine. We’ll switch gears. Fill me in on all of your aliases.”
That should be expected, but it still makes me swallow hard.
In my line of work, anonymity is often the only thing that keeps me alive.
“You know what telling you means?” I glance at Nikolai.
This is the ultimate vulnerability. He’ll know everything.
Mikhail crosses his arms. “You either trust us, or you don’t. There’s no middle ground here for you.”
Fuck.
“Milania Sodovich. Melanie Smith. Natasha Pushtriv.” I’m wracking my brain, but I think those are the ones I can remember.
Enzo’s fingers fly over his keyboard, but the only expression he gives is just the occasional raising of one brow.
Mikhail growls, and the next thing I know, his fists are braced against the table in front of me and his masked face hovers just inches from mine.
“What—” he growls. “—was the last name you just gave?”
Not good. I have a feeling I know where this is going.
“Natasha Pushtriv.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, he turns and smashes his knuckles against the closest wall.
Nikolai jerks forward, throwing one arm across my chest.
Cute, but I don’t think he’s a match for his own brother.
Mikhail’s cheeks are red and a vein pulses in his forehead as he turns back. “I know what you did!” He grits. “You killed Malachi!”
My heart races. “Yes. He deserved it.”
One of his dark eyes close as he stares at me. “Sometimes the spiders keep the flies at bay. He was one of my few contacts who was close enough to my father that I could get reliable information from.”
Crap. “I didn’t know. He was heavily involved in weapons?—”
“Yes. But do you know his replacement deals in women? Something that should never be allowed.” Mikhail turns to his brother. “Can you really trust her? Someone who will kill so randomly without thinking of the repercussions?”
Nikolai doesn’t move his arm from across me. “Yes.”
I feel like I’m trapped in a battle of wills between the two of them.
“Nikolai, she killed your nanny over words she didn’t agree with.” Mikhail’s voice is deadly quiet.
That makes me mad.
Pushing Nikolai’s hand off of me, I stand up and get into Mikhail’s covered face. “You have no idea what that woman was doing to that little girl. When I had the opportunity, I didn’t pass it up. What she was doing to my Elena was evil.”
Mikhail doesn’t budge, but his stare softens. “Your Elena?” he asks.
I hadn’t thought of her like that before. But she is. “Yes,” I say firmly. “She’s special to me. Anyone who hurts her will pay.” I glance over my shoulder to Nikolai. “I’d kill her all over again. I’m half tempted to make Elena’s bitch of a teacher disappear, too.”
I cross my arms to match Mikhail’s and meet his glare.
He might be huge in comparison to me, but he’s no match for my stubbornness when it comes to protecting those I love.
Mikhail’s left eye twitches for a moment before his cheeks rise.
I can only guess he’s smiling.
“Good.” He sits back on the edge of his desk. “But, no more bodies without checking. Cleaning crews are busy in this town.”
Enzo clears his throat behind me, breaking the tension in the room. “Here’s a copy. I’ve removed only a few incidental files.”
I’m still amped up from the exchange with Mikhail, so I turn quickly around. “Why would you do that? She wants everything that was on the original.”
Enzo narrows those bright blue eyes. “No. I don’t want anyone else seeing those.”
Frustration sneaks into my tone. “Who cares? It’s not your neck on the line. Tatiana will come after me if things are missing.”
This time, it’s his turn to get worked up.
Standing quickly, his shoulders are still as he holds out his arm. “I care! I know who they’re about, and I’m not going to put her in danger, too.”
He holds out a USB drive.
Nikolai stands and moves between us, taking the device. “Enzo, I’ve never seen you get worked up over anything. What’s this about?”
How can he be so calm when it feels like everyone in here is attacking me?
Enzo takes a deep breath before falling back into his chair. “I never thought I’d see that girl again. It’s a shock, and a long story.” His gaze flicks between me and Nikolai. “And, not one for today.” Shaking his head, a lock of his dark hair falls forward over his forehead. “I wouldn’t even know where to start,” he whispers.
What the hell? Everyone has their secrets it seems.
The clear pain on Enzo’s face shows that there’s a much bigger history than he’s admitting. But, the set of his jaw says he’s done talking about it.
“Are we done here?” Nikolai asks Mikhail.
With his nod, Nikolai cups my elbow and leads me into the hall.
“That was pretty amazing,” he murmurs, pulling me closer. “Seeing you defend Elena like that.”
“Your brother made me mad. But, what was the deal with Enzo?” The look on his face has my mind reeling.
Nikolai shakes his head. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen him lose his cool. And, we’ve been in some serious shit together.”
The elevator door dings, and as it opens it reveals Jax with his daughter, Maeve, in tow.
“Hi, guys. Maeve, you remember Mila?” Jax picks her up and sets her on his hip so she’s eye level.
“Hi. Your hair is pretty,” she says shyly before burrowing her face against Jax’s shoulder.
“Thank you. Elena helped me brush it out this morning. I love your curls.” I smile at her, but she’s turned away.
“Sorry, we’re both a little tired.” Jax tries to move himself so she can see me, but she keeps hiding.
“New baby keeping you up?” Nikolai asks.
Jax nods. “Thought I’d give Sofia a chance to catch a nap with him, so Maeve and I are out for ice cream and to drop some stuff off for Mikhail.”
“Ah. Well, hope you get some rest.” Nikolai pats Maeve on the back as we pass.
“Thanks. I missed this part with Maeve. It’s so different.” Jax wipes his face with his free hand before heading down the hall.
“Enjoy it.” Nikolai calls after him as we step into the elevator.