Chapter 15
Scarlett
The next morning, I find myself in need of a dress (no clothes were required for the remainder of Sunday).
“None of this shit is going to work,” I groan, slumping down on the edge of the bed and trying my damnedest to get used to mixing my bestie time with my men time. Right now, there’s no difference between the two because we just established new rules.
None of us is allowed to leave the presence of the others without good reason.
Figuring out what dress I’m going to wear to my politically complicated mob-sponsored reception is not a good reason.
Ash is standing in the middle of the room with his arms crossed, eyes skipping across the mess of clothing that’s exploded all over our room.
Bohnes is seated beside me, concerned with the emotions he can see brewing in my face.
We’re taking inventory, going through all the items that Alexis chose for herself.
It’s a weird little trip, the way my mind goes over all her possible reasons.
She took this dress as an emergency fund, in case Ash bailed on her and she needed something to sell.
This one she chose because she thought she’d look hot in it.
That one was picked because I looked hot in it.
Burying my face in silk and embroidery, I breathe in the scent of the dress and remind myself that I’ll never be going back to Gram’s place again. No more sitting on the back porch with Auntie Anita and Geneva and Alexis. Gram, looking at me like I’m not a failure. Like I’m not a monster.
“Does the dress really matter that much? You’re so hot, you could wear a garbage bag.” Widow picks up the gold dress that belonged to Alexei’s mother. I had one of my ladies drop it off at the dry cleaning place that her great aunt owns. It’s all semen-free now. “What’s wrong with this one?”
“That’s not an option.” Alexei exhales slowly, putting his fingers against the dress and pushing it back down toward the bed.
Widow releases it with a sigh, like he doesn’t get it but he’s willing to play along.
“Anything but my mother’s dress. Chet and Jonas are going to taunt me with Papa’s death at the party, guaranteed.
That’s what I’d do. I couldn’t bear it if they humiliated him in front of her memory. ”
“Shit.” Widow takes a step back from the bed, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans. His hair is still wet. Sexy. “I didn’t think of it like that. Well, how about that dress.” He points at a scandalous little black dress, the one I wore to Lemon’s engagement party.
“Absolutely not.” I almost choke on the words.
The thought of ever wearing that dress again bothers me.
I was planning on giving it to the grand marshal at the track one of these nights, as a gift.
“I can’t wear anything I’ve ever been seen wearing before.
We have to look like we have our shit together.
Me looking hot and rich isn’t just for fun, you know? ”
I stand up, brushing my hands down the front of my red blouse. Bohnes stands up with me.
“Normally, I would pull you aside and ask this.” Bohnes sighs as he wraps his arms around me from behind, eliciting a chuckle from Bastian and a gag from Nisha. Kellin nuzzles the side of my neck, lowering his voice. “Are you feeling okay?”
The room is silent.
Four men and two friends waiting for my response. I am not good with this emotion shit.
“You mean to ask, am I struggling with the idea that my sister selected these items with the knowledge that I’d soon be dead?
” I sigh and put my hands over Bohnes’. “Not important right now. We have a high-society snake pit—I mean party—that we have to attend tonight. I need a dress and you guys need suits. Save the tuxedos for the wedding proper.” I gesture at my friends.
“They need outfits, too. Any of the girls that are coming as security will need to be dressed in…something.”
“That sounds like a pain in the ass to steal. Let’s just buy it all with my card, hmm?
After all, we only have to wait a few more hours to access the Borisov funds.
” Bohnes slips a card into my pocket before stepping back.
I turn to look at him, trapped in our own little black bubble for a minute.
“I want you to have a good time. It should feel amazing to rub your success in your enemies’ faces.
Buy yourself something beautiful, Scarlett. ”
Uuuh. My brain short-circuits and my face flushes.
“Oh my God, he’s adorable.” Bastian grabs onto my arm, eyes shining with unshed tears as he looks between me and Bohnes, sighing happily. Then, in a whisper, “let’s go spend all his money.”
“If we have to go shopping, does that mean we also have to go shopping all together?” Nisha gives the guys a look before drawing out her phone.
She answers it without saying a word, listens carefully, and then hangs up.
Her eyes are on mine. “I told you that I’d give you a time and place for Polina Lisitsa. This could serve double duty for us.”
The lawyer’s daughter.
“What?” I ask with a sigh, realizing that my fantasy of having a day off has officially ended. See? Fuck this life of crime crap. It’s literally always something. Every single day. I don’t want to live like this long-term. It’s annoying.
“Polina’s alone at a cafe in Oak Park. It’s inside a large upscale shopping center, pricey shit.
We could get clothes and the rat at the same time.
” Nisha puts her hands on her hips, ignoring the boys with all her might.
I promised her that after everything was stable, I’d make time for lover-free hangout time. Twice a week, minimum.
I pick up another dress, a red one this time.
Not only do I need a dress for tonight, but I need a wedding dress in a rush, too. I’ll have to buy something off the rack. If I need any tailoring done, I’ve got girls who can do that.
“The sooner the better for Polina,” I say mildly. “If either Jonas or the family gets to her first, she’ll suffer.”
“We’re going out then?” Basti clarifies, and I nod. “Perfect. Give me ten minutes to get ready and gather the girls.”
He takes off, but Nisha stays where she is.
“Let me take care of this one, Queen.” Nisha keeps her voice down, like she knows the men can hear her but wants them to be polite and pretend they can’t.
The Crimson Crew is going to deal with the rat, and I don’t need or want their help.
Polina is pitiful, and seeing one of them kill her wouldn’t do any favors for my conscience.
“I got us into this mess. It’s better if I take on the burden.” I mean it this time. Usually, it’s best for the boss not to get her hands dirty. My gaze shifts to Ash. He’s already looking at me. “Might need to borrow your face for a few though.”
“Use me however you want.” Ash’s eyes go hooded, like bedroom eyes, like fuck.
He starts picking up the dresses, hanging them in the massive walk-in closet where the panic room is located.
He’s so angry, he’s shaking. Probably because he feels responsible for Polina’s predicament. Because he hates his dead brother.
Fuckin’ Aspen.
“I’m serious, Scarlett.” Nisha is getting stern with me. She’s as bad as the boys sometimes, trying to protect me and all that. “I want to deal with—”
I turn suddenly and grab onto her arm, startling her.
“Nish. In our world, under our rules, this girl doesn’t deserve to die. But in order for us to live, she has to go. It’s not a task I feel comfortable delegating. I will do it. That’s the end of this conversation.” I release my friend, and she sighs.
“I hear you, Queen. But afterward, if you’re upset, come to me and be honest about it.” Nisha eyes me critically before heading downstairs to join Bastian.
“I’m perfectly capable of dealing with Miss Lisitsa,” Alexei offers, even though he knows I’m going to turn him down. “She is vaguely related to me, some distant cousin. Perhaps it should be my responsibility?”
“I’m perfectly capable of pushing a girl into a river.” Bohnes throws up the hood of the black sweatshirt he’s wearing. “Shooting her. Slitting her throat. You can pick.” He smiles, and he looks cute to me. He’s offering to murder someone and I’m over here fighting back my own smile.
“People can’t just poof and go missing in large numbers.
That sort of thing gets noticed. We need plausible stories.
” I toss the red dress back down on the bed, putting my hands on my hips.
Miss Lisitsa is at a cafe. She’s seventeen and dumb and fell in love with a man’s lies and a pretty face. And I have to kill her for that.
“You want to use that journalist, don’t you?
” Widow says with a preemptive little scowl, giving both me and Ash a look.
The result is that the three of us laugh, like the journalist/reporter thing is all of our joke now.
“Maybe make up some story to slander Chet’s name and spread it all over the news with Polina as his victim. ”
“She is a victim, in my eyes.” I sigh and run both of my hands over my hair, giving my hottie bad boy Prescott bitch a sharp little look.
Widow’s the sort of handsome that’s distracting.
“We’ll make it as easy as we can, and then we’ll never, ever do anything like this ever again.
Sound okay with you, you murderous lunatics? ”
“Are you implying your own innocence?” Alexei asks, using a flick of his glove against Ash’s hip to get the latter to move his ass.
Ash uncoils from his tight, nervous energy and falls face-first onto the bed with a groan.
That looks like surrender to me, and I love it.
Bohnes notices, too, and we exchange a look.
I get some sort of raised eyebrow thingy that means good work taming him which is big praise coming from him.