14. Rurik
14
RURIK
O leg gathered us in his study. His cigar smoke was stronger in here, but it wasn’t off-putting. The Boss had always favored his particular brand of cigars, and it was as much a part of his identity as his raspy voice and quick thinking.
“If this girl is in the office near where Marcus was killed, she’s a convenient person to help us out,” he said, carrying on with what he was talking about in the dining room. He sat, gesturing for all of us to sit as well.
“Kelly isn’t a convenience,” I replied, minding my tone not to sound overly curt.
“Fond of her already?” he asked, slightly teasing.
“He was fond of her from the get-go,” Lev said, shooting me a look. “When Eva enrolled in her classes last semester and Rurik was with me to oversee her protection, he’d noticed Kelly.”
“Because she was supposed to be her roommate in the dorms?” Vik asked, not as aware of the details since he’d been in Moscow then, chasing a lead on Sonya.
“Yes. Eva befriended Kelly then, but when the semester ended, they sort of lost contact with each other,” Lev said.
I wasn’t going to comment on when, how, or why I’d first noticed Kelly. The first time I saw her in person, at the café before Eva’s class, I was smitten with the shorter blonde. It wasn’t a matter of being lonely and observing a hot girl in my close proximity. It was a deeper interest that grew into an insatiable curiosity. Something about her just got to me.
“Kelly has always seemed to be quiet and guarded,” I stated, making sure that comment could be a neutral observation, not a personal opinion.
Lev agreed. He nodded and added, “She’s not a peppy extrovert at heart. But given her background, that’s not surprising. She can’t trust easily, growing up in the system.”
Oleg hummed, listening carefully. “I wouldn’t call her skittish, though.” A slight smile lifted his lips. “She had the guts to face me directly and not flinch. Not many women—or men—can pull off that feat.”
We all smiled along with him.
“She’s got grit,” the Boss added. “I like that. I like a tough woman. They’re more dependable.”
“But she’s nervous,” Vik said.
Oleg nodded. “She is. Why?” He pinned his gaze on me, expecting me to answer that.
I shrugged. “You mean other than the fact that not one, but two men had been following her and she was attacked? That would make any woman nervous.”
“Should they be investigated further?” the Boss asked.
That was a big offer on his part. Kelly hadn’t agreed to spy for us—yet, if she would. She wasn’t officially part of the family other than perhaps as my girlfriend. I wasn’t sure what to call her now. Before yesterday, she was the object of my affection from afar, the woman I wanted but had left behind when my roles and assignments had been changed. Now, since I’d slept with her, I needed a chance to figure out where we stood. I refused to think she only wanted me once. What we shared felt too raw and honest, too real and solid for it to be some passing fling.
“I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Lev said. “It doesn’t seem like Kelly will be going anywhere anytime soon.” He glanced at me with a smile. “Even if Rurik fucks up with her and they don’t stay together?—”
“Shut up,” I replied. “We’re not even… together. Yet?”
Lev chuckled. “Right. Regardless, I know Eva wants to keep her friendship with Kelly. She hopes she’ll be a bridesmaid. Kelly will be in our lives, even if as a guest.”
“And we can trust her?” Oleg asked as he stood to leave.
“I do,” I replied.
Lev nodded. “I think we can trust her. If she wanted to double-cross the Family, she would’ve tried to before now.”
Oleg left, reminding me to ask Kelly about whether she’d like to discuss spying at the admin offices and learning whatever she could about Eric Benson, his politics, and anything his family might know.
“You said you think you can trust her,” Vik told Lev.
He nodded. “Yes.” He crossed his arms as both men faced me. “She’s hiding something.”
I sighed and didn’t bother fighting that accusation on her behalf. “I think she is too, but I can’t tell what. She is skittish.”
“Not just because we’re a Mafia family and she’s an outsider to the violence that can happen in our lives?”
I shook my head. “Not that. Besides, I think she’s had a rough life.” I had to get this off my chest. “She didn’t even…” I shook my head, hesitant to say this but knowing it would be better to have their opinions about it. “When I killed that Petrov dealer, she didn’t freak out.”
Lev furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”
“She didn’t scream or freak out. She saw me kill him. She watched me put the gun to his head, and she barely flinched.”
“Maybe she’s seen someone killed before,” Vik guessed, shrugging. “If she had a hard life, it’s possible.”
I nodded. “I hate that, though. She never deserved that kind of a childhood.” My heart hurt at the thought she’d been desperate for someone to count on all her life. Now that I could be there for her, I wanted her to accept me. I wanted her to trust me, hopefully to the point that she’d tell me whatever secret she was hiding.
“I could only hope that whatever secret lurks in her past isn’t something that would impact our futures.” I ran my hand through my hair, annoyed with this worry being an obstacle to having—and keeping—Kelly in my life. I’d finally reunited with her. I’d finally had a chance to show her how I felt about her. I’d finally taken the risk to love her and pleasure her. And now something could threaten us from moving forward. Whether it was the danger of her working for the family as a spy or her keeping a secret from me and being skittish, it didn’t look like this would be smooth sailing between us.
“But how could it?” Lev asked. “We ran a check on her when we got to campus for Eva’s classes.”
We had. We’d also run background checks on the profs and faculty she’d be near. That was the thorough kind of care we had to use for all members of the Family, but especially those at the top of the organization.
“You didn’t see anything that would hint at her being associated with any enemies?” Vik asked.
“No.” Lev shook his head.
“We saw that her biological parents were addicts, but they died years ago, when she was still in the system,” I replied.
They both looked at me expectantly, letting me know that if I wanted to keep her close and protect her, I’d need to get her to open up.
I would. But I had to approach the mystery surrounding her with caution.
I’d already spent far too long away from her. And I didn’t want to risk losing her or missing her again.
No matter what the secrets were that she hid from the world, I wanted her in my future. I didn’t need any more time to know that. I felt the depth of our connection every time she allowed herself the vulnerability to look into my eyes and allow me to see that she cared for me, too.