14. Busted Chops
14
Busted Chops
Antoinette
For the last thirty minutes, I’ve been watching this guy on the outside cameras wander along, feigning nonchalance.
For the last five minutes, I’ve been trying to decide which door I want to have miraculously be unlocked, while also hoping someone else might come along in the meantime and ask him what he’s doing.
Because I can’t figure out what he thinks he’s doing, given the fact he’s not even dressed stealthily. Actually, there’s nothing stealthy about him, considering he’s been lumbering around out there blatantly looking for a way in.
Part of me wants to allow him into the building so I can play a few games with him, but I know if anyone finds out I did such a thing, I’ll be in deep trouble. Not that I’m entirely opposed to trouble, but I prefer to stay out of the type of trouble that could get anybody I care about killed.
Sighing, I switch to the cameras to my phone and then slowly make my way out the far side of the building so I can circle around and play with him out of doors.
I send off a quick message, letting everyone know that trouble may be about and I’m going to investigate.
I then immediately mute my phone so I don’t have to hear the incessant pinging of a bunch of people telling me to cool my jets and wait.
They should know by now that cooling my jets isn’t really something I do. While I won’t intentionally throw myself into danger, the idea that I can’t handle one lone man in the darkness is ludicrous.
Of course, I’m sure there could be a whole slew of men out there waiting to ambush me, and if that’s the case, then I am a dumb shit.
I hoist myself up on the edge of the large stone planter I insisted we put in various places around the warehouse, and that’s where I’m sitting when the man strolls around the corner, still looking for a way in.
He’s so focused on his mission that he foolishly doesn’t notice me sitting there. As soon as he gets just beyond me, I ask playfully, “Whatcha doin’?”
He freezes, his body stiff as his slowly turns, so he’s looking at me. He grimaces and then laughs nervously as he replies, “Nothing?”
Definitely sounds like a question, which makes me smile. I laugh, and he visibly tenses even further until he’s standing there like a wide-eyed statue, which makes me laugh even louder.
After a few moments of listening to me laugh, he turns his body toward me, crosses his arms over his chest, and says, “I was sent for the Beast.”
Abruptly, I stop laughing.
I slowly slide forward until my feet are touching the ground and then I stand, all humor gone from my tone as I ask, “Are you now?”
He frowns, indecision crossing his face, and after a moment, he adds, “Oh, not like that.”
I take a step toward him and then another and another until I’m standing naught more than a foot from him. I look up into his face and respond quietly, “Then, by all means, explain yourself.”
He swallows, and I watch his Adam’s apple bob in his neck before looking back into his face again. He answers, “I just need to talk to him.”
“What could you possibly have to talk to him about?”
“Matt sent me,” he rushes out. “He asked me to send a message.”
I narrow my eyes, leaning in slightly as I say, “A message?”
He gives me a humorless, toothy grin as he winces and stutters, “To-to deliver him a message, to-to tell him something.”
“What’s the message?”
Now, he narrows his eyes at me and replies, “I’m supposed to tell him, not you.”
I roll my eyes, my hands settling on my hips as I respond, “Well, you’re not going to get to him until you tell me, so you decide.”
His lips press together, and he looks me over, obviously unsure how he wants to proceed, so I ask, “What’s your name?”
“Kaian,” he answers easily. “Kaian Volkov.”
I tilt my head, squinting at the ground as I say, “Kind of an odd mix of names.”
He laughs as he replies, “Yeah, let’s just say my mother was the only person the great Vladimir Volkov ever allowed to have an opinion.”
I raise my brows, now understanding why he looks vaguely familiar. “Another prince of the underworld.”
He barks out a short laugh, drawing my attention back to his face as he says, “Please don’t judge me for that.”
“I won’t judge you, but you’re still gonna have to give me the message.”
He nods and swallows again before saying, “Matt says it’s fuck around time.”
Well, that gets my attention. It's like music to my ears.
I do my best to squash my outward excitement as I reply, “And how do I know Matt sent you?”
He gives me an incredulous look as he sputters, “How else would I have known where to find you if Matt hadn’t told me in great detail?”
“You’re not very good at this sneaking around stuff. I would think that at your age, you’d at least know the basics by now.”
He frowns as he says, “Believe me, I’m well-versed in clandestine tactics. Just in this particular case, I needed you to see me because I needed you to find me so I can speak to the Beast.”
I sigh and incline my head at him in acknowledgment of the validity behind his statement. “Were you going to tap dance out here if I’d waited any longer to come out?”
“Whatever it takes to draw some attention, apparently.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Tony asks from behind him.
He jumps, obviously startled, and I laugh. “You didn’t notice we weren’t alone for the last two minutes, either. Was that part of your plan, too?”
Kaian’s gaze swings back to me, and he glares at me. “Well, you don’t have to be mean about it.”
Tony laughs as he walks closer, stopping when he’s standing next to Kaian. “You obviously don’t know Antoinette very well.”
His eyes light up as he says, “Mrs. Beast? What a pleasure.”
Tony’s laughter increases, and he slaps his hand against his thigh as he jokes, “Mrs. Beast. That’s great.”
I mean, I’ve been called far worse things than “Mrs. Beast.”. Unlike Darius, nicknames in general don’t bother me much. So, I smile as I reply, “Mrs. Beast in the flesh.”
After a few moments, Tony finally stops laughing. “Kaian Volkov. Now, I heard a fair amount about you in passing, so your behavior so far tonight seems kind of odd.”
“Did you catch our previous conversation?”
Tony nods, an excited gleam in his eye as he says, “You know I like me some fuck around time.”
I raise my brows at Tony as I ask, “What are you doing here?”
He gives me a bored look as he responds, “You said there was a possible intruder, and you’re going to go investigate. Did you think we would just sit back and wait for you to report back as to what happened?”
I shrug. “Didn’t really think one way or another about any of it.”
He shakes his head, looks at Kaian, and says, “Women.”
My hand shoots out, and I grip his earlobe between my thumb and index finger knuckle, squeezing viciously before he can yank himself away as I say, “What was that? What did you say?”
He yelps, and Kaian jumps back as Tony laughs and yells, “Nothing. I didn’t say anything.”
I yank my hand away without releasing my grip on his earlobe to get one last dig in. “That’s what I thought.”
I look over at Kaian, who is staring at us wide-eyed, likely uncertain what the hell is going on as I ask, “How about you? You got something you want to say?”
He puts both his hands up in front of him and shakes his head. “Nope. I’m good.”
Tony straightens, throwing me a crooked grin as he responds, “You know I’m only messing with you, Nettie.”
I snort, resisting my urge to give him another slap, and then Kaian mutters, “Are you guys always like this?”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know,” he replies. “Just seems like an inappropriate time for jokes?”
Tony rolls his eyes, and I snort dismissively. “No such thing as an inappropriate time for jokes. Sometimes, you gotta do whatever it takes to get through the day.”
Kaian gives me a confused look, and Tony adds, “If you don’t like our jokes, you can fuck off.”
I laugh again, and Kaian puts his hands up again as he retorts, “I’m sure they’ll grow on me over time.”
“Sure they will,” Tony scoffs. “We may as well go in. Everyone else should be here soon, and we can try to figure out what we’re going to do next.”
We turn and walk toward the door into the building, and then I realize Kaian isn’t following behind, so I turn back to him and ask, “What are you doing?”
“Aren’t we done here?”
Tony walks back, swinging his arm over Kaian’s shoulder, his fingers gripping on as he jerks him in close and says, “I have a feeling that we’re only just beginning.”
I smile, opening the door and then holding it for them as Tony maneuvers an obviously reluctant Kaian through the doorway, and then I follow behind, relishing the sound of the heavy door as it slams shut behind us.