9. Anya
CHAPTER 9
ANYA
I slide the key card into the door and the lock clicks, opening to a modest type of room. I frown as I walk around the smallish space. It’s not bad, I just expected more glitz and glam considering what the rest of the place looks like.
Dante’s words come back to me.
It isn’t quite a shithole, but it’s definitely not the lap of luxury.
I guess the Bellagio reserves its best for the whales.
And I’m not about to be caught in their net.
I have enough of my own mazes to navigate.
I drop my bag and collapse onto the bed, kicking off my sneakers. I close my eyes for what feels like half a second before my ringtone blares in my ear. I let the phone drop next to my head and it feels like clashing cymbals are being smashed between my ears.
I flip onto my stomach, stifling a yawn as I click to accept the call. Uncle Boris’s face flashes on the screen. He’s always got a pinched look, and the creases in his forehead are deeper than usual.
“Anya, any trouble at the hotel?”
He’s not one for small talk. He’s the guy who gets right to the point.
My mind trips back to my one-way conversation with Dottie.
Yeah, sometimes a little small talk would be nice. Make me feel like I’m more than just an employee.
“No,” I say. “All is good. So tell me about this job, Uncle. You didn’t give me much to go on last night when we spoke.”
“Your interview is in an hour,” he says in his thick accent. “At the Excelsior Hotel and Casino.”
I snicker. “What’s the job? Blackjack dealer?”
“Au pair,” he says, his brows knitted together.
I sit straight up on the mattress. “Au what ?”
“Au pair. You’re interviewing to be the caretaker of a child.”
“What?” I shriek. “A caretaker? For a real live child ? Whose kid is it? And why ?” This is truly horrifying news. Besides the fact that I have zero experience with kids, I avoid them like the plague. You know how some girls just flock to them because they’re so cute and cuddly and whatever else gets their ovaries pumping?
I’m not that girl!
I’m the one who runs because they’re noisy and sticky and whiny.
How in the hell could he possibly think I could even get this job?
I have zero maternal instincts!
“I realize it’s a little different than the types of jobs that you’re used to, but you’re the only one who can do it. And the Villani family is the client — the ones who were involved with Maks’s murder. This is the big one, Anya. This is the job that will put me on top again. Without Vigo blocking my path, I will finally be in control again. I will finally be respected. And we will finally get the revenge we seek!”
My skin prickles at his words. I vowed to eliminate anyone who had a hand in that fateful night.
I clench my fists tight. Yeah, I’m ready to do whatever he asks.
Except, there’s the whole kid thing to figure out…
“How old is the kid?” I say, sudden panic gripping me. I press a hand to my forehead, my stomach clenching.
I’m a fucking assassin, not Mary Poppins!
What the hell is he thinking?
“Five months old,” he says, peering at a paper. “It’s a girl.”
“Five months?” I cry out, falling back onto the mattress. “That’s not a kid, it’s a baby! Do you realize I have never even changed a diaper? How am I going to even get this job, Uncle?”
“Anya,” he says abruptly. “You are the only one who can do this.”
“Except I really can’t! Whoever is interviewing me will see it in a hot fucking second!”
“Then you’ll have to be extra convincing,” he says. “I’m sure you can find out everything you need to know on YouTube .”
“Great,” I huff. “That’s just perfect.” I shake my head at the screen.
He levels me with a sharp glare. “You will do this, Anya. It’s because of the Villani family that Ivan Volkov was damn close to driving a dagger into my skull. This job will set us up for life. They took from me, now it’s my turn to take from them for our gain.”
“Can you please give me a little bit more than that, Uncle?” I ask, expelling a sigh of exasperation. “I mean, you never even told me about this Villani family before that day at Tatiana! I need more details about this amazing scheme of yours.”
“I told you. You’ll get the information when I say you need it! Not when you say you do!”
“This is insane!” I exclaim. “I could have at least prepared if you’d have told me about this last night.”
“There are reasons for everything, Anya,” he says coldly. “And you will do what I ask because if you don’t, you will become a target for Volkov as well.” His eyes take on a threatening glare. “And don’t think that I will put my neck on the line for you if you challenge me. This is my opportunity to get what I’m due. What I’ve been waiting years for!” His lips twist into a grimace. “And you’re going to help me get it because you owe me that. Do you understand?”
I grit my teeth and nod.
He stares at me for a second before speaking. “You killing Vigo cleared a path for us, Anya. You proved that you can deliver, and my contact is impressed. He is going to get us access to the Villanis’ territories in Manhattan in exchange for information, information you will be able to gather once you get this job.”
“Are you going to tell me who your contact is?”
“It’s nobody you would have heard of,” he snaps. “But just so you feel that I’m letting you in on some of the details, I’ll tell you that he reached out to Vigo first about this plan to overtake the Villani territories. He wanted to partner with the bratva to expand his drug pipeline into other tri-state areas. Of course, Vigo jumped at it because he’s already got a big business in those areas, and bringing in more product would line his pockets as well as Volkov’s.”
“What did the contact want in exchange? What kind of information?”
“He’s got some beef with the Villani family. Said they have information he can use to get access to their territories in Manhattan for more pipelines, but he can’t get to it himself. So that’s where you come in. He needs someone to gain their trust and get close enough to get this information for him. You proved yourself to him last night with the hit on Vigo. He was pleased.”
“What kind of information am I going to be looking for?” I ask, furrowing my brow. “Like a contract or something?”
“Enough with the questions!” Uncle Boris thunders. “Get the fucking job first!”
“So I’m going to spy on this family and gain their trust under false pretenses for a guy I don’t know at all.”
A faint smile lifts Boris’s lips. “Yes. Exactly. I need them to trust you, to give you access to private areas he can’t access.”
“So you think I’ll find incriminating evidence in the nursery?” I snap sarcastically.
“As an au pair, you will be living with them, and as the caretaker of their baby, you will be left alone to investigate certain areas. You will learn their habits, listen to their conversations. There are several brothers who are in business together, and I am sure you will meet them all. Keep an ear to the ground.”
“And what exactly am I listening for?” I ask, still flabbergasted that my life is morphing into The Nanny Diaries . I still don’t understand how this is going to help with Volkov. What does he want with them, anyway?”
“For the last fucking time, I will let you know everything you need once you get the job!”
“One last thing, just in case it comes up,” I say, pressing my luck. Uncle Boris’s face is beet-red right now, but I need to ask. “How did I even get into the running for this job? You know, since I never actually submitted a resume.”
“It’s amazing what you can do when you have eyes and ears on everything,” he says curtly. “I took care of everything through my contact. He had inside knowledge of their au pair needs and was able to slot you in as a candidate. I emailed you what you need to prep. You’re a student who wants to enroll at UNLV next year. You took time off between high school and college to make some extra money to pay for school.”
“And I study…?”
“International business.” He lifts an eyebrow. “Because you’re bilingual.”
“Fabulous.” I roll my eyes. “Is there anything else I need to know?”
“Just read the email. It’s all in there. You’re safer not knowing too much.”
“Yes, I can definitely see how my complete and utter ignorance will work much more in my favor,” I say with a roll of my eyes.
“Call me when you have the job,” my uncle says in a tight voice.
“Yeah, if I get the job,” I mutter, clicking to end the call. I toss the phone onto the mattress, cover my eyes, and let out a loud groan.
Okay, so I have an hour to figure out how to take care of a baby and manage to not get reported to Child Protective Services as an imposter nanny.
Or au pair.
Or what the fuck ever!
I clutch the comforter in my fists.
And I will figure it out…because whoever these people are, they’re about to experience some damn severe retribution.