Chapter Seven
Being celibate has never been hard for me. Okay, well, it was in the beginning. For about three months, I actually struggled with it. I didn’t want to do it. It was a suggestion from my therapist. But once I was used to it, it felt freeing. More empowering in a way. I’m sure I’m alone in that revelation. I just feel like being celibate gave me back my power. It hardly makes sense, I know.
However, the Volkov brothers are proving to be challenging. Every time I see one of them, I want to climb them like a tree. It’s like my vagina comes out of a long hibernation and is fucking ravenous. The way Kaz got hard watching me kill two of his own men was… impressive, to say the least.
I mean, I’m not dead. I can see that they’re attractive. Even Kaz’s man-bun is hot—and I have never said that in my life. I hate man buns. But for Kaz? It’s hot. Dmitri looks just like Kaz but with a little more silver and shorter hair. Their gray eyes remind me of stormy clouds. Which only makes the two of them more annoying. I love storms. I can’t help but be drawn in by them. The question is whether or not my celibacy will survive their stay. I’m sure it will as long as they leave soon.
They’re here looking for Thomas. Which I knew could happen, but I never thought it would. Thomas is small-time in Vegas. His only clients here are the Volkov brothers. I don’t buy that they give a shit what happened to him. There has to be something else. I need to figure it out and get them out of my city. I haven’t told my brother that they’re in town yet. But it won’t be long before he finds out. I need them gone before that happens. I’ve got Leland keeping an eye on them for now.
I slide two blades into the band of the bra and stand up. I still have to work until I find out why they’re here. No days off for the wicked. I pull my dress up over my hips. Slipping the thin, blue strap over my bicep. I rub a hand over the Medusa tattoo on my bicep. The one downside to living alone is zipping up your dress by yourself. It is a herculean task to twist my arm enough to get the damn thing zipped alone. I manage to get it high enough for my hair to cover. Swiping some candy apple red lipstick on my lips, I take one last look in the mirror before leaving my apartment.
Taking the elevator down to the parking garage, I shiver when the doors open. Tonight is chilly. It makes me want to turn around and go back to my apartment. But like I said, no time off for the wicked. My heels echo in the empty parking garage as I walk towards my car.
“Miss Vivienne,” the garage attendant waves at me as I pass him.
“How are you doing, George?”
“Good.”
“How are Irene and the girls?”
George has worked here as a security guard for four years. The Warrior Dove is actually where he met his wife. They’ve been together for two years and just had a set of twins six months ago.
He gets a big smile on his handsome face. “They’re excellent. Irene keeps asking when you’ll stop by for dinner again.”
“Tell her I’ll do my best to make it soon. Give her a hug for me.”
“Will do. Be safe tonight, Miss Vivienne.”
“Always am, George.”
I wave goodbye to him and get in my car. Pulling out of the garage, I head towards a swanky hotel outside the city. It takes me forty minutes to get there with the Friday night traffic. But it beats having to work on the strip. That zone of uncontrolled chaos is not for the weak. The few times I’ve had to go to my family’s casino there made me want to pluck my eyes out. It’s too much.
I hand the valet my keys and go inside. Diamond chandeliers are hanging from the ceiling. Quiet elevator music plays throughout the lobby. I go straight to the hotel’s bar slash restaurant. Where my target should be waiting.
The bar is dimmer than the lobby. It’s quieter, too, with a slow jazz song playing in the background. The man I’m looking for sits at the bar by himself. There’s an empty stool beside him, but that would be too obvious. I choose an empty seat, a few stools away from him. Just close enough for him to notice me.
“Dirty martini, please,” I ask the bartender.
My breathy voice grabs my target’s attention. He glances at me, but I make no effort to notice him. That he can tell anyway.
The bartender sets my drink in front of me before disappearing behind the bar again. I sip the alcohol. I only ordered this drink because it’s precisely what the man next to me would expect me to order. Usually, I’m a whiskey or beer girl. The martini isn’t necessarily bad. Just different. In a not-so-good way.
I must make a face because the guy a few stools down laughs. “Not for you?”
“It’s fine,” I reply. “I’m just not much of a drinker.”
He raises an eyebrow over his light blue eyes. “Then, you’re in the wrong place.”
“You’re probably right.”
I let my shoulders slump as if I’m having a hard day. Men love to swoop in and be the hero. It takes only a minute for him to sigh and stand up. He moves to the stool right next to me.
“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, sweetheart.”
Looking up at him, I give him a slight shrug. “I just had a rough day.”
“Oh? Want to talk about it?”
“I just found out my boyfriend cheated on me. Then, he fired me because, of course, I was the idiot who slept with her boss.”
“You’re not an idiot,” he says softly. “You know what they say, though, don’t you?”
I take another drink of my martini, a bigger one. This is too easy. So easy, it’s almost boring. When I was younger, doing this shit was addictive; now, I’m just over it.
I shake my head, letting a few tears fall. “What do they say?”
“The best way to get over a man is to get under a new one.”
Resisting the urge to vomit, I laugh. Who came up with that line? Why do I feel like it was a man? It’s stupid. The best way to get over someone is to never fall to begin with. It’s not complicated. Love will get you nowhere. Humans aren’t made for it. That’s just how it is.
“I don’t even know you,” I reply.
He reaches a hand for me. “I’m Brad. Bradley Douglas.”
“Douglas? As in Douglas Robotics?”
“Yes. You’ve heard of us?”
“Oh, just what’s in the news. I saw the prosthetic you made for that little boy. You do amazing work.”
Brad’s smile grows as I stroke his ego. His inventions and his company have done some really amazing things. But him? Not so much.
“Thank you. I’m really the lucky one. The people I work with are a godsend.”
“I’m sure they are.”
I wonder if his employees know what’s on his computer or what their fine CEO charged for the prosthetic leg he made for the little boy. He might not have taken money from the boy’s family, but he took something else. It’s a pattern I’ve noticed ever since I found out what Bradley Douglas was really doing.
“I didn’t catch your name.”
“Vivienne,” I reply.
“Vivienne…” He trails off, clearly fishing for a last name.
“Just Vivienne is fine.”
“Okay, well, just Vivienne,” he says. “Let me buy you a drink? You can tell me all about this stupid ex of yours.”
“Or,” I say, placing my hand on his arm. It’s gross to even touch him after knowing what he does. Thankfully, I don’t have to feel his skin beneath his long white button-down. “You could take me to get some fresh air. Somewhere more… private.”
Bradley smiles, and the lines around his eyes crinkle. “Of course.” He takes my hand. “Let’s go out the back.”
“Oh yes. I forgot I’m with a local celebrity.”
Brad laughs. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“You wouldn’t?”
He picks up his suit jacket and puts it back on before answering me.
“I’m just a man who hopes to help as many people as possible.”
The way he says it sounds as if he really believes it. A god complex if I’ve ever seen one. We sneak down an empty hallway and out a back exit.
If anything, the night has grown colder. Behind the hotel, it’s quiet and almost peaceful. If the stench of beer and trash wasn’t here. But what can I expect from an alleyway?
“Feel better?” Bradley asks, pulling me into his chest.
“Yes, thank you.”
His gaze drops to my lips. Bradley’s hand roams over my back, finding a home on my ass. I’ve got seconds to decide how far I will let this go. Before I can, a throat clears from the shadows of the alley.
“You better get your hand off her before I break every damn bone in your body.”
I know instantly who it is. The thick Russian accent, the deep baritone. Kaz. I turn to see both Volkov brothers behind me. What the hell? How did they find out where I was?
Kaz moves forward. “You heard me, man. Hands off.”
Bradley complies instantly. Coward.
“I didn’t know she had a boyfriend,” Bradley raises his hands to placate the brothers. “She told me she was single.”
“Well, she lied,” Kaz replies.
Brad looks down at me with disgust. Seriously? A few seconds ago, he was raring to be with me. Now, he’s looking at me like I’m a whore. Funny how quickly they turn.
“You two need to leave,” I hiss. “I’m working.”
“Is that what you call it?” Dmitri asks. His tone is smug. “We’re not going anywhere until we get some answers, viper.”
Viper? I stare at Dmitri. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Ignoring me, Dmitri drags his gaze to Brad. “You should leave. Before my brother rips you apart.”
Brad takes that opportunity to run. Only he doesn’t run back inside the hotel. He takes off down the alleyway.
“Fuck,” I yell.
“You liked him, did you?” Kaz asks me.
His glare makes me nervous. Which only stands to piss me off. Since when do I give a shit what these two think of me?
“He’s a rapist, you asshole. I was going to take him out. Not fuck him.”
Kaz’s face pales. What a dickhead. I pull a blade out of my bra. Brad is still visible, but with each passing second, his frame gets smaller. It’s too dark for me to get an accurate throw from this distance, but I’m going to try anyway.
I lift my arm, ready to throw the blade, but before I can, Kaz’s gun goes off. I hadn’t even seen him pull it out. Brad’s body hits the ground with a thud.
“That was my kill!”
Kaz looks down at me again with a smile on his face. “You really are perfect for me, huh?”
Confusion colors my face. Perfect for him? I’m perfect for no one.
“Now that your boy toy is gone,” Dmitri starts.
“Not a boy toy, a target,” I interrupt.
“Target, sorry. Now that he’s been dealt with. We’ve got some questions for you.”
“What makes you think I’ll stick around to answer them?”
Kaz shrugs an arm around me. “We’ll make sure you do.”
“I wouldn’t be so cocky there, Volkov. What happened to the last guy who put his arm around me?”
His woodsy scent envelopes me. It’s enough to make my panties damp. Tonight is turning out to be nothing but one giant frustration.
Kaz smirks. “Exactly.”
“Whatever, what do you want?”
“Where is the money?” Dmitri asks, his gray eyes locked on mine. He doesn’t come close enough to me to touch, though.
I’m even more confused now. I hate being confused.
“What are you talking about?”
“Thomas took five million dollars of our money, and it’s missing. Kaz tells me you’re the reason we can’t find Thomas.”
“I never said that,” I clarify. “I said you won’t find him in one piece. I didn’t say I did the cutting.”
“Well, based on what Kaz witnessed last night, it’s a fair assumption.”
“Hmm, well, I don’t know anything about your money.”
“Did you take it?”
“Excuse me? Why would I steal your money?”
Dmitri shrugs. “Who knows.”
“You know who my family is. We’re not hurting for money and would never stoop low enough to take yours.”
“Uh-huh. Your brother is small-time. He’s an ant compared to us.” Kaz says. He runs his nose along my neck, nuzzling into the side of my face. “He only owns a city. Maybe he’s looking to expand and thought using his sister to pick a fight with the Russians was the way to do it.”
I laugh loudly. Can’t help it. Is that what they think of us? Stupid, stupid boys.
“What’s so funny?”
“Oh, nothing,” I say, tightening my fist around the handle of my blade. “I just think you two should know that even ants can be deadly.”
I let my words sink in before I strike. Burying my blade in Kaz’s arm, I push away from him. Kaz cries out. I nailed him right in the muscle, so he can’t hardly lift his arm. When he looks at me, I expect to see hatred. But all that’s there is respect and admiration. It shocks the hell out of me.
“Dmitri, don’t,” Kaz warns.
I feel a prick on my neck before I can turn to see what his brother is doing. It takes me a few seconds to register what just happened. By then, it’s too late to do anything but fall into the darkness overtaking me.