32
C hicago never slept. Having lived in the city his entire life, Roman knew there was always someone wandering even the shadiest streets at ungodly hours. In this case, that someone was him.
Driving slowly, he let his eyes drift from the road ahead to the sidewalk stretching alongside the passenger window.
About two hundred feet in the direction he was going, he spotted a group of five men standing in front of a familiar barbershop.
When he was close enough, he stopped the car and killed the engine, and a few heads turned in his direction.
Loud rap music cut through the thick smoke hovering above the group like mist.
“Arsen!” someone called as soon as Roman was out of the car.” Rrusn aystegh e .”
The Russian is here.
Considering for how long Vitaly had done business with the Armenians, Roman understood enough of the language to know if he was ever being insulted .
It took about twenty seconds for the door to the barbershop to open and a guy with a short Viking braid on top of his head to step out onto the sidewalk.
He grinned when he saw Roman, reaching below his navel to zip up his pants.
Behind him, a willowy girl, no more than eighteen, tugged down on her skin-tight dress as she stumbled outside in too-high heels.
The Armenians were well-known for their prostitution and human trafficking businesses.
It was just one of the reasons their reputation in the organized crime world was so bad.
“Roman, my friend,” the man named Arsen said in a jovial tone, stepping closer. “It's good to see you again.”
Roman had known the guy for many years, although he couldn't say he liked him.
He was a notorious junkie with a nasty habit of beating up the unfortunate souls that ended up in his bed.
But he was also one of Davit's most ruthless men, and the Armenian boss considered him an asset, so everyone knew he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
When he offered his hand for a handshake, Roman gave him a level look, keeping his hands in his pockets.
Arsen laughed at that, retracting his hand. “I only touched her pussy, not her asshole.”
The men behind him chuckled at the cheap joke.
“You got the money?” Roman cut to the chase. It was after two in the morning, and all he wanted was a hot shower and to lie down beside his wife in his goddamn bed.
“Don't I always?” Arsen turned to a younger-looking man and barked an order in Armenian. The guy scrambled into the darkened barbershop at once.
Roman's phone vibrated in his pocket, but he ignored it, keeping his eyes on the man in front of him.
Arsen smiled coldly then pulled out a silver cigarette case.
He grabbed a joint, pushing it between thin lips.
He lit it up, and before he even exhaled his first cloud of smoke, the young guy was back with a duffle bag.
Arsen took the bag and dropped it at his feet. “You got the product?”
Roman turned to his car and opened the trunk, dragging out his own duffle bag.
Making such a risky transaction in the middle of the street would have been insanity were it not for the fact that they were standing in the heart of Armenian territory.
The neighborhood was so infamous for its violence, no one other than the Armenian clans and their acolytes ever roamed its streets.
The closest the cops ever came to the area was about five blocks from their current location.
As expected, Arsen wanted to check the quality of the cocaine being delivered. Taking out a folding knife, he opened the bag and stabbed one of the bricks wrapped in cellophane. He dipped his pinky finger inside and tasted the white powder, making sure to spread it over his gums.
Apparently satisfied, he grinned, the scar stretching from the corner of his mouth to his left ear making him look almost deranged. “Good stuff, my friend.”
After swapping bags, Roman threw his with the money into the trunk and slammed the door closed.
“Can I interest you in a girl tonight?” Arsen asked, nodding to the girl pressed up against the wall, smoking a cigarette.
Her eyes were bloodshot, and Roman wondered if it was because of drugs or from crying.
“She's pretty good, that one. She can suck you off in less than three minutes.
A bit skinny, but I like them that way. I have others, if you're interested. All you have to do is ask.”
“I'm good,” Roman said, looking away from the girl and turning to leave. She wasn’t any of his business.
“I'll send Davit your regards.”
Not bothering with an answer, Roman got into his car and started the engine. He barely made it to the first intersection when his phone started to vibrate again.
“Yes.” He answered his father's call just as the light turned red. He stopped the car and sank into his seat with his phone to his ear.
Vitaly didn't bother with a greeting. ”Everything went well?”
“Yeah, all good.”
“You counted the money?”
Roman wanted to sigh with irritation, though he somehow managed to refrain himself. However, he was unable to keep the sarcasm to a minimum. “Each Benjamin by hand. It only took me two hours.”
On the other end, Vitaly went silent. When he spoke again, his voice was low and barely controlled.”This is not a fucking joking matter.”
“Don't I fucking know it,” Roman muttered, putting the car in gear when the light turned green again. “Remind me again why I had to do this shit in the first place? You have plenty of men who could've handled the task.”
“ Because , Roman, this being our first transaction after all this time, it needed to be someone they can trust. You've dealt with Arsen before, and he knows I wouldn't have sent you unless we meant business.”
“I can't believe you're still going on with your goddamn plan after what I told you a few days ago.”
Vitaly dismissed his concern with an annoyed click of his tongue.”I will handle Rossetti if his son runs off to him with what he saw.”
“You mean, if he hasn't already.”
“I have it under control. Bring the money first thing in the morning. Now, go home to your wife and letmeworry about her father.”
The line went dead, and Roman was left staring at the empty road ahead.
???
Standing in front of the bedroom door, Roman grabbed the knob and twisted slowly, trying not to make too much noise.
He moved quietly, having already discarded his shoes in the foyer.
But as soon as the door cracked open, a stream of light shot out into the dark hallway.
With a frown, he pushed it open all the way and stepped inside.
The TV was playing a movie, though the bed was empty, the sheets rumpled from being slept in. He paused at the foot of the bed and heard the toilet flush in the bathroom. Alessandra stepped out a minute later.
“Oh, my God, you scared me.” She touched her chest, her eyes wide. She had on her short pajamas and her hair was up in a messy bun.
Roman smiled, already working on the buttons of his shirt. “What are you doing up at this hour?”
“I couldn't sleep, so I was watching a movie, but I think I drank too much of Nika's homemade lemonade and now I can't stop peeing.”
He chuckled at her honest reply and closed the distance between them. “Well, if you're not sleeping, how about you come wash my back while I take a shower?”
She rolled her eyes, resting her palms on his naked chest. “Sounds to me like an excuse to have sex in the shower.”
He grabbed her hips and pulled her closer. “What's wrong with sex in the shower?”
“Nothing is wrong with it, but you're insatiable. We had sex this morning.”
“And?” He kissed her neck then her shoulder. When she sighed, he pulled back to look at her face. “You're not up for it?”
She chewed on the inside of her cheek. “Not really.”
“You can tell me no, milaya. I'm not that much of a fucking asshole.I'm a man and I'll try to get it as often as I can, but that doesn't mean you have to do it if you don't feel like it.”
The image of Arsen's girl for the night popped up in his head for a brief moment—ugly and unwanted like a festering wound.
Despite his Mafia roots and the legacy of violence he carried within himself, Roman knew he could never treat Alessandra—or any other woman, for that matter—in such a degrading way.
Not that his Russian Bratva was any less corrupt than its Armenian counterpart, but at least they weren't dealing in human flesh for the sake of making a profit.
Shaking off those thoughts, he kissed Alessandra’s forehead. “Go back to bed and I'll join you in a few minutes.”
“Roman,” she called after him when he started for the bathroom.
He paused and turned to look at her. “Yeah?”
“I can still wash your back, if you want.”
He shook his head, although a smile touched his lips. “ Baby, if you get in that shower with me, I won't be able to keep my hands to myself.”
She walked up to him and pushed the shirt off his shoulders. “Then it's a good time to test your self-control.”
“Such a fucking tease.”
She gazed up at him through dark lashes. “I missed you today.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Nika was busy in the kitchen, and Vladik was his usual brooding self. I got bored.”
“You know you can always call my sister if you want someone to keep you company.”
Alessandra sighed, and he could see that it wasn’t what she needed. She needed something for herself, something to keep her occupied while he worked during the day. “When is the deadline to apply for college?”
“Mid-November. I’m preparing for it.”
“Is there anything else you'd like to do in the meantime?”
She seemed to consider it before finally shrugging one shoulder. “I don't know.”
“Think about it and let me know.”
She nodded absentmindedly, her pink-colored nails digging into his lower abs.
Roman took her hands into one of his. “Now, go back to bed before I drag you into the shower with me and fuck you anyway.”
She rolled her eyes, though she didn’t comment. Roman watched her saunter her way toward the bed, his eyes glued to her ass. Brushing a hand over his growing erection, he headed into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.