Chapter 15 #2
Silence follows while she processes the information.
“Education is fine, even acceptable, but you can carry a child and attend classes at the same time. Other women manage both. What you cannot afford to do is wait too long.” Her hand moves up to grip my face.
“Cement your position first. A baby makes you irreplaceable, but without one, you’re just another pretty face he can discard. ”
Before I can answer, Alexei is back. “Excuse me,” he says, looking at my mother. “May I have her back?”
“Naturally.” My mother leans in to kiss my cheek, letting her lips brush against my ear. “Don’t forget.” She pulls away and walks off into the crowd.
I feel Alexei’s hand settle on my back. “What did she say?”
“Nothing important,” I say, trying to force a smile. “Just family things.”
He walks me over to four men, where three stand relaxed while the fourth looks visibly uncomfortable.
“My associates,” Alexei announces. “Konstantin Lebedev handles finances. Sergei Markov oversees imports. Dmitri Volkov manages the north.” They shake my hand one after the other.
Alexei then gestures to the massive man at the end. “And Taras. My cousin.”
Taras towers over everyone with a frame built of pure muscle, yet his eyes are fixed on the floor. When he finally offers his hand, it shakes against mine.
“Are you alright?” I ask, looking at him with concern.
Taras gives me a tiny nod without saying a word, keeping his stare glued downward.
“He’s perfectly fine,” Alexei says in a casual tone. “That’s normal for him. Crowds aren’t his thing, and he doesn't care for conversations.”
“I see.” I study Taras for a moment; he looks like he's trying to disappear.
Alexei leans in until his mouth is near my ear. “His shy act is deceiving,” he says quietly. “He’s the most lethal killer I’ve ever seen, and possibly the most dangerous man alive.”
I stare at Taras, my eyes widening.
“Okay then.” I keep my voice even, watching as Taras seems ready to disappear into the floor.
“You’ve done well for yourself,” Sergei observes. “She’s beautiful.”
“She certainly is,” he agrees.
“And I have excellent taste in everything.” I add.
The men chuckle, and I feel Alexei’s fingers press into my side. The conversation quickly shifts to business, filled with coded language and veiled discussions. I play my role perfectly until one of Alexei’s men interrupts, leaning in to say something quiet.
“Excuse me,” Alexei says, turning to face me. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. I got business to attend to.”
“Of course.”
“Stay close to my men and have a drink. Mingle with the ladies.” He kisses my forehead and adds, “But don’t go far.”
“Where would I go?”
He smiles as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking before he walks away.
I’m left standing there alone, feeling completely isolated despite being surrounded by hundreds of people.
I snatch a glass of champagne from a passing server and down half of it immediately.
This is apparently what my future looks like - expensive gowns, boring events, and a lot of waiting around.
“Sorry to bother you.” A man’s voice sounds beside me, and I turn to look at him. He is tall with light hair, looking about thirty-five and handsome in an unremarkable way. His suit is expensive, but it looks like he just bought it. “Want to dance?”
I find Alexei’s guard in the crowd. He’s already watching me, and he shakes his head once to tell me not to do it.
“Yes. I’d like that,” I say, letting my rebellious side take over. I take his hand, and he leads me onto the floor. We settle into the dance, his hand finding my waist while mine rests on his shoulder.
“You enjoying yourself?” he asks as we move.
“Not particularly. You?”
“These events are always tedious,” he says, guiding me through a turn. “Though you look especially miserable.”
“Is it that noticeable?”
“You’re practically radiating escape plans,” he tells me. “Do you work in the city?”
“Not exactly. I’m between things right now.”
“Ah. Career transition?”
“You could call it that.” I avoid giving any real details. “What do you do?”
“Import-export, but it’s mostly legitimate.” He grins. “Mostly.”
“Sounds thrilling.”
“It pays well.”
We turn again, and I see Alexei across the room. He’s in the middle of a conversation, but his attention is completely on me. When our eyes meet, he winks. My face warms. I look away and focus on my dance partner instead.
“You seem distracted,” he observes.
“Sorry, I’m just keeping track of where people are.”
“Smart. In a room like this, it’s good to know where the dangerous ones stand.”
“And where do you stand?”
“Safely in the middle. Not important enough to be a threat, but not insignificant enough to be ignored.” The music begins to slow, and the song starts to end.
When the last note draws out, we separate and step back from each other as people clap politely and the dance floor begins to clear. “I just realized,” he says. “We’ve been talking this whole time, and I never even introduced myself. Malachi.”
“Oh. I’m…”
“Married.” Alexei is suddenly behind me, appearing casual and relaxed.
I move closer and lean against his side. “Yes. I’m married.”
Malachi freezes, his face going pale. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry, sir. I didn’t mean any disrespect.”
“Malachi.” Alexei says the name like he’s testing it out. “Interesting choice. Anyway, I need you to create some distance between us. Say, twenty feet? Thirty? You know what, just keep walking until I can’t see you anymore.”
“Yes, sir. I apologize…”
“Shoo.” Alexei flicks his hand once, then twice. “Like a bird. Go on.”
Malachi doesn’t move fast enough.
Alexei flaps his hand more aggressively. “Shoo. Shoo shoo shoo. Why are you still in my line of sight?”
“I’m leaving…”
“Then do it faster.” Alexei makes sweeping motions with both hands now. “Off you go. Somewhere else. Anywhere else, really.”
Malachi bolts.