Chapter 4 Valeri
Valeri
Ilook at the clock again as I race through the early morning traffic and curse aloud in Russian.
There’s no one else to hear it, but it still makes me feel better.
We had some issues last night with a local biker gang that seems to be under the impression that they can sell drugs in our city as long as it’s within the bar they own.
It took a couple of their members being beaten to a pulp to convince them that they’re wrong.
Needless to say, I didn’t want to show up for our breakfast date covered in blood, so I’d had to go home and shower and change, and now my phone is dead and I can’t even text to let her know I’m on my way.
She has no idea what I do for a living, and it’s refreshing.
I don’t want to scare her off, and I don’t want her to only see me as a Bratva boss.
I want her to get to know me first, and then I can slowly ease her into the rest.
Parking along the curb, I jump out and race up the stairs.
When I don’t see her, I sigh and run my hand through my hair.
I’m just about to run to check the bus stop when I see movement from the corner of my eye.
Turning, I see her sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees, head tucked down, resting against the bronze lion outside the main doors.
She looks so fucking small and sad, not like she’s a little bummed out at being stood up, but more like she’s genuinely hurt by it, and it kills me to see it, to know that I was the cause of it.
“Evie,” I yell, running over to her.
She discreetly runs a finger under her glasses like she’s been crying, and it just turns that knife a little more in my chest. I kneel down in front of her, waiting for her soft-brown eyes to meet mine.
It takes her a few seconds, but when she does, I curse my own negligence for letting my phone die, because she’s definitely been crying, even though she’s trying like hell to hide it.
“I’m so sorry I’m late. Something came up with work, and then my damn phone died.” I sigh because this just sounds like excuse after excuse. “I’m really sorry,” I repeat, hoping she can hear how much I mean it.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not. You thought I’d stood you up. I hurt your feelings, and I’m truly sorry.”
She seems surprised by my words, and when she turns her head to avoid my gaze, I see the dark bruise that covers her cheek. Without even thinking, I reach out and gently hook a finger under her chin, tilting her face to the side so I can get a better look.
“That bastard hit you, didn’t he?”
“What?” She tries to jerk her head away, but I tighten my grip, holding her in place but being careful to not hurt her. “I just ran into something at work,” she whispers.
I bring my other hand up, running my thumb gently over her bruised skin, knowing I’m going to be paying her lousy father a visit very soon. She sucks in a quick breath at my touch, her face and neck turning a deep shade of red, and I know she’s completely oblivious to how beautiful she is.
“Look at me, Evie.”
I wait until she turns her eyes back to mine. Mine soften when I see the embarrassment and shame in hers.
“I’m not going to make you admit it, but I’m not stupid. I know that bastard hits you, and I want you to promise me that you’ll text me if you need me. I don’t care what time it is. Will you promise me that?”
“Yes,” she whispers.
Knowing that’s as good as I’m going to get right now, I run my thumb over her soft skin one last time before holding my hand out for hers.
“Come on, you must be starving.”
She hesitates for just a minute before putting her much smaller hand in mine and letting me pull her to standing.
Her coveralls must be stuffed in her bag, and it’s the first time I’ve seen her with her hair down.
I like it. I have the sudden urge to run my fingers through it to see if it’s as silky as it looks.
Images of her riding me with her hair falling down, caressing my chest in waves while she works her hips run through my brain, surprising me with the intensity and vividness of them.
My cock immediately perks up, and I have to push the images away before I really scare the hell out of her with a painfully obvious erection.
Grabbing her bag, she slings it over her shoulder, a smile playing at her lips when she realizes I’m not letting her hand go. There’s something so unbelievably sweet and innocent about her, something I haven’t been around in a very long time.
When I open the passenger side door for her, she hesitates and looks around. “Where are we going?”
“A small diner a few streets over. It has the best food around. We can walk, but it’ll take a while.”
She thinks for a second and then shakes her head. “No, it’s okay. We can drive.”
I smile and help her get in before shutting the door and walking to the driver’s side.
“This really is a beautiful car,” she says and then gives me a small smile. “I can’t believe I hit it. I’m really sorry about that.”
“I’m not. If you hadn’t hit me, then I never would’ve met you.”
She blushes and looks away, but not before I see the smile on her face. Easing out into the morning traffic, I ask her how her night was.
“The same as usual. It’s not a bad job. I mean, I get to listen to audiobooks, and I really like my coworker. Jerry’s a great guy.”
An immediate stab of jealousy hits me. Who the fuck is this Jerry guy who gets to spend every night with her?
“Oh yeah? Has he been working there long with you?” I ask, trying to sound curious but not too curious.
“He’s been there way longer than me. He’s excited to be able to retire soon. He and his wife are planning on traveling around in an RV once he’s done. They’ve been looking forward to it for years.”
Relieved that Jerry is much older and married, I tell her that sounds like fun as I turn down the next street.
“So what do you do?” she asks. I knew the question was coming, and I know she’s going to hate me when she later learns the truth, but for now I keep it vague.
“My brothers and I own a few places in town.”
“How many brothers do you have? I remember you mentioning a sister-in-law and nephew at the café.”
“I have two older brothers, both of them married, and they each have one son. My oldest brother’s wife is pregnant again, and we’re all pretty excited about it. How about you? Any brothers or sisters?”
I ask the question even though I already know the answer.
Pavel’s file on Evie had been small to say the least, but it had been enough to infuriate me and make me even more desperate to spend time with her.
She’s not had an easy life—a mom who died when she was ten, alcoholic and abusive father, never enough money, and her first job listed was when she was fifteen.
It didn’t even come close to telling me all I want to know.
“No, I’m an only child,” she says, fidgeting with the strap of her bag and looking out the window.
Parking outside Nelly’s Diner, I drop the questions because it’s obvious they make her uncomfortable. There will be plenty of time for me to get to know her.
“I hope you’re hungry,” I tell her with a grin. “Because you’re going to want to try everything.”
She smiles and gets out of the car, not waiting for me to walk around and do it for her. I’m guessing it never even occurred to her that I would. Her face lights up when a red Mini Cooper pulls into the parking lot.
“You know them?” I ask.
She gives a soft laugh. “No, I just think Mini Coopers are really cute, especially the red ones.”
When I grab her hand again, she pushes up her glasses and ducks her head in embarrassment, and it’s the cutest damn thing I’ve ever seen. I hold the door open for her, ignoring the hostess who immediately gives me a big smile and instead keep my eyes on Evie.
“Table for two, please,” I say, still not looking over at the hostess who’s trying damn hard to get my attention.
“Right this way.” I ignore the snippy tone she uses when I refuse to smile and flirt with her.
We follow her hand-in-hand, and when she stops at a booth in the corner and hands us two menus, I thank her and then sit down across from Evie, who’s already looking through her menu.
“What are you leaning towards?” I ask her, watching her eyes dart around the menu.
She chews her bottom lip, hypnotizing me with the movement and scans the menu before saying, “The Sunrise Celebration.”
I laugh and give a nod. “Nice choice. I think I’ll have the same.” After the waitress comes over and we place our order, I say, “I’ll be very impressed if you manage to eat it all.”
She takes one of the cups of coffee when the waitress drops them off and thanks her, giving the woman a sweet smile. While she adds creamer and sugar, she says, “I’ll be able to finish it. I’m starving.”
“How do you like the overnight schedule?”
She gives a small shrug. “I like the night. It’s quieter and everyone else is asleep.”
“It must be kind of lonely though.”
“I guess you get used to it.” I can tell I’m making her uncomfortable again by the way she pushes her glasses up. It’s her little tell.
She takes another drink before asking, “So do you always stay up all night, or did you just wake up really early?”
“Sometimes I do, but usually I’m more late to bed and late to wake.”
“I hope you’re not missing sleep because of me.”
“It would be worth it.”
I smile at the blush she gives and then scoot my mug aside when the waitress comes back with our food. Evie’s eyes widen when she sees the large plates, making me laugh.
“I have complete faith in you,” I tell her after the waitress leaves.
“I didn’t realize it would be this much food.”
“Come on, we’ll do it together.”
She picks up her fork, eyeing the bacon, hash browns, scrambled eggs, and plate of waffles on the side, clearly unsure of where to even begin.
“I like to start with the savory and end with the sweet, that way the waffles seem like a dessert,” I tell her, picking up a piece of bacon and taking a bite.