Chapter 52
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
ANTON
The following day, I’m at work when all I want is to be home with my…fiancée.
That sounds very strange coming from me. It’s a good thing my brothers do not know. Not yet, anyway. I can already imagine what they’ll say.
My gaze locks on Mikhail and Arkady, who, much to my disappointment, have not returned to Russia. I’m this close to buying them one-way tickets myself.
After Konstantin and I spoke about Thora at the hospital, I realized they weren’t here to kill her. So why the hell are they still here? And why are they sitting in the conference room with me and my brothers as though they’re part of our business?
Mikhail leans back in his chair with all the arrogance our maker wasted on him, while Arkady lounges beside him, wearing that lazy grin that only makes him more punchable. From the head of the table, Konstantin looks between us, but before he can begin, Aleksei pins me with a glare.
“What took you so long? We were all waiting.”
“Thora needed me.”
Nu ty mudak. You’re an idiot.
Why did I say that out loud?
Aleksei clutches his chest. “Aw. Did you hear that, Kirill? She needed him.”
Instead of giving either of them my time, I focus on Konstantin, but he’s already fighting a laugh.
Wonderful. This will be a joyous day.
Kirill leans forward and fixes his attention on Aleksei. “I might need to write this down and put it in a memory book.”
Aleksei nods solemnly. “You should. He’s come such a long way. Remember when he told me I’d lost all self-respect for buying Fiona flowers?”
“You did lose your self-respect,” I tell him. “But probably long before that.”
Aleksei scoffs. “And you blew up a man’s car because he wanted to take her to dinner.”
Shit. How did they find out?
“What’s your point? He sent her a smiley face text. He was basically asking for it.”
Arkady chokes on a laugh, while Mikhail grins and folds his arms across his chest.
Kirill shrugs. “You’re right. That was reasonable. I apologize. The smiley face changes everything.”
“Zamolchi.” Shut up.
“Why should I? This is actually fun.”
“It is,” Aleksei agrees. “And look how defensive he’s getting. It’s cute.”
“I am not defensive.”
“He was never defensive before,” Aleksei says to Kirill, ignoring me completely. “Do you remember when we were defensive?”
Kirill nods. “He mocked us for days.”
“Weeks, actually,” Aleksei corrects.
I lean back in my chair and let them have at it because none of it matters anymore. “Say whatever you want. I don’t care.”
I glance between my brothers, my thumb tracing the ring box in my pocket. Inside is the round diamond engagement ring I bought this morning so I can ask her properly this time.
“I finally understand why you would all die for them.”
The room goes silent, every pair of eyes landing on me.
Blyat. Love does make you reckless. When will I learn?
“He’s going to cry.” Aleksei’s face bunches with mock concern. “Kirill, get the camera.”
Kirill reaches for his phone, and I pull my gun from my waistband and set it on the table.
He raises both hands. “Or not.”
“Leave your poor brother alone.” Mikhail laughs. “A man doesn’t know what love is until it finds him.”
Arkady smacks the back of his hand against Mikhail’s chest. “You should know.”
Mikhail’s demeanor turns deadly, but Arkady’s grin only widens.
“What was her name again? Aster?”
Mikhail’s chest expands with a heavy breath. “Zakroy rot.” Shut your mouth.
Aleksei leans forward, suddenly interested. “Who is Aster?”
“Some woman who hated him,” Arkady says, enjoying every second of this. “It was when we came here last time. She thought he beat her deadbeat gambling boyfriend half to death for no reason. But he had a good one. Other than him being an asshole, of course.”
“What did he do?” I ask.
Arkady scoffs. “He tried to sell her to cover his debt. Told Mikhail he could do whatever he wanted with her for as long as he wanted if he wiped the debt clean.”
“I would have killed him,” I say.
“Trust me, I wanted to.” Rage coils through every line of Mikhail’s face.
I remember when they were here last, but I didn’t hear anything about this. Judging by the interest on Konstantin’s face, I don’t think he did either.
Five years ago, Mikhail and Arkady came for an extended visit to help Konstantin with debt collection tied to one of our underground gambling clubs. They spent too much time there, drank too much, caused problems for sport, and apparently found a woman Mikhail still pretends not to think about.
“I wonder what happened to her,” Arkady says.
Mikhail’s mouth flattens. “Who cares? I don’t think about her.”
See? Pretending. I actually know what that sounds like from experience now.
Arkady’s laughter grows. “You’re just jealous she liked me better. Maybe you can pretend to be me and she’ll actually want to fuck you.”
Mikhail shoots to his feet and grabs Arkady by the collar, yanking him forward in his chair. “Don’t talk about her again.”
“Enough.” Konstantin’s command cuts through the room.
Arkady keeps laughing, not even attempting to free himself. “See, boys? This is love, and it is beautiful.”
Mikhail’s fingers pinch around his collar, his murderous glare fixed on his twin.
The humor fades from Arkady’s face. “You know I would never touch her. She’s yours, if you can find her.”
“I could find her if I wanted to.” Mikhail releases him with a hard shove, sending him back against his chair. “I don’t.”
Arkady raises both hands. “Okay. I believe you.” Then he winks at the rest of us and leans toward Aleksei and Kirill. “Just kidding.”
Their laughter is cut short when Konstantin taps his knuckles against the table. “We are here for business, not gossip.”
Everyone turns toward him as he gets the meeting started. Thankfully. The faster I can get out of here, the better.
“The Whitlocks will be here shortly,” Konstantin continues. “But before they arrive, I wanted to talk to you both about something.”
He turns to Mikhail and Arkady.
I know that tone. Whatever he is about to say, I already know I won’t be happy about it.
“I have an offer for you. One I hope you’ll accept.”
Arkady’s eyes narrow with interest. “I love offers.”
“Rzvrt needs someone to handle the day-to-day operations. My brothers and I have families now. Wives. Children. Responsibilities that make running that kind of club less appealing than it used to be.”
This is news to me. Then again, the sex club was never my thing. The three of them were the ones who kept that place running. I just killed things. And people.
Arkady grins. “I accept.”
Mikhail cuts him a look. “He didn’t ask you alone.”
“We accept,” Arkady corrects. “It’s not as though you would say no.” His grin sharpens as he turns toward Mikhail. “How else would you search for our dear Aster?”
Mikhail grabs the thick glass centerpiece from the table and raises it as though he’s about to hurl it at his brother. Arkady only laughs.
Kirill studies the two of them. “You two know you actually have to work at the club, right? You can’t just fuck anything that lets you get close enough.”
Arkady places a hand over his heart. “You wound me.”
“You’ll survive.”
“Ya znayu, kak rabotat’.” I know how to work. Arkady’s grin never fades. “I also know how to have fun, which is why people enjoy my company.”
“No one enjoys your company,” Mikhail mutters. “They tolerate it.”
Arkady spreads his hands. “Women do.”
Mikhail shakes his head, muttering something beneath his breath.
“It’s settled, then,” Konstantin cuts in. “I’ll also need your help with the outstanding debts. Anton can take you to Krystal after the meeting and show you what’s pending.”
“No, I cannot.”
Konstantin fixes me with a deadpan look.
“Horosho. But I’m not happy about it.”
“Duly noted.”
This is worse than babysitting. What did I ever do wrong in my life…
Okay, fine. Maybe I do deserve this.
Arkady’s grin only widens as he enjoys my torment, and I wonder how it would look rearranged into something far less pleasing. For him. Not for me.
“I’m glad you brought this up,” Mikhail says. “We were already considering staying.”
This day just continues to improve.
Konstantin nods. “That’s good to hear. We need more family around. We can help you find property.”
“That would be much appreciated.”
“Then it’s decided.” Arkady throws a hand into the air. “We’re staying.”
“Wonderful,” I mutter.
Arkady points at me. “See? Even he’s happy.”
“I’m thrilled.”
The intercom on the table buzzes before he can respond.
Konstantin presses the button. “Yes?”
His secretary’s voice comes through the speaker. “The Whitlocks are here, sir.”
The room changes at once, every trace of teasing disappearing.
Konstantin straightens in his chair. “Show them in.”
A moment later, the conference room door opens, and Harlan Whitlock enters with Jace at his side.
Konstantin rises to greet them, bringing the rest of us to our feet. “Harlan.”
“Konstantin.” Harlan shakes his hand before turning his attention to me. “Anton.”
I give him and Jace a short nod.
They take the two empty places beside Mikhail, and once everyone is seated, my brother gets straight to the point.
“Why did you want this meeting? Nothing has changed between us.”
Harlan gives him a knowing smile. “Of course things have changed. My daughter and your brother are getting married.”
Every one of my brothers turns toward me at once, surprise flashing across their faces.
Harlan laughs at my discomfort before continuing. “As a gesture of peace and to honor the bond between our families, we’ll stop doing business with your clients.”
Aleksei snickers. “Always so generous.”
“We have a supply again regardless,” Konstantin says. “Thanks to our cousins, Mikhail and Arkady, who found another contact.”
Harlan looks between them before giving a satisfied nod. “I’m happy this can finally be put to bed. With Anton and my daughter starting a life together, perhaps we can all become one big family.”
Aleksei lets out a dry laugh. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“We’re not so bad to have around when you need us,” Harlan says with a grin.
Konstantin leans back in his chair, his expression calm. “This could have ended months ago if you had only backed down.”
“It’s not in my nature, I’m afraid.”
“I can respect that.” Konstantin inclines his head.
The two men hold each other’s stare until Harlan turns toward Jace. “My son isn’t much different from me.” He pats him on the back. “And once he’s properly married, he’ll be taking over. I’m growing too old to run things.”
Jace exhales. “Not this again. I’m not getting married.”
“That isn’t an option.”
Konstantin folds his hands on the table. “It’s not so bad.”
Jace hits him with an irritated look. “It is for me.”
Kirill’s mouth curves. “That’s what we all said.”
Aleksei nods. “I forced a woman to marry me because she tried to put me in prison, and look how well that turned out.”
Jace doesn’t appear impressed. “Happy for you.”
Harlan ignores the exchange, his attention still on his son. “Marriage brings stability. It shows people you’re settled and ready to lead.”
“I don’t need a wife to lead.” Jace leans back in his chair, clearly finished with the conversation, even if his father isn’t.
I almost feel sorry for him. If Harlan has already decided his son is getting married, Jace is only wasting his breath pretending he has a choice.