“You’ll have to get in line,” he uttered, and confusion swept through me, because it sounded as if he made a joke.
He never joked.
I worked on unwrapping a sandwich and handed half to him. He took it without a word and we ate in silence a while before I thought of another question. “I hope this doesn’t sound rude, but I’ve been wondering.” I smiled through a grimace, knowing it would sound rude. “What exactly do you do at the club?”
His eyes locked onto mine, and they smiled. “At night, I keep an eye on the patrons. Look out for trouble. Make sure people are having a good time. During the day, I look after the books, transactions and such.”
“Bookkeeper.” I snorted lightly. “Who would’ve thought? When I think about bookkeeper, I see a balding middle-aged man with a bulging midsection, not someone like you.”
“Like me?” he asked, his puzzlement evident.
I rolled my eyes at his attempt at modesty. “Come on, Lev. You must know you’re gorgeous. If your eyes couldn’t hypnotize women, the rest of you would for sure.”
His brows rose. “You think I’m handsome?”
I would’ve decked him if it weren’t for the sweet little girl currently using him as a mattress. Instead, I picked up my bottle of water and sipped, keeping my eye on him. He seemed sincere in his disbelief that I would find him attractive.
Life had this way of sneaking up on you. You’d just be sitting there, lost in a moment, when all of a sudden, a cold feeling swept across your belly and you asked yourself if you ever lived a day in your life.
Being alive was easy. Living, on the other hand…well, that was a little harder. Courage rose from deep within me, and my heart pounded. I didn’t have a thing to lose, so I went for it. “You’re the most handsome man I’ve ever seen, Lev. Hands down.”
He blinked at me for a long moment, and then turned his head, looking out into the open greenery. His face was stuck on a frown. Then he muttered, “Okay.”
It came out in a way that nearly sounded as if he was reassuring himself, and it hurt my heart. I waited a while, but it seemed he was done questioning me. I took advantage. “Tell me about your family.”
He took in a long breath and started to speak as he exhaled. “Sasha is an asshole. That’s all he wants people to know about him. He was twenty-one when my father died, and took over raising us. He lost much of his youth so suddenly that I don’t think he ever recovered from the loss. My mother ran off when I was eight. We never saw her again. That hit Nastasia relatively hard. She was Mom’s favorite.” A dull throb worked in my chest. I ached for this family. “Nastasia may come off as rough, but she is one of the most generous people I know. When she loves, she loves so much it hurts. And I’m grateful for that.”
I smiled at hearing him speak about his sister. “Why doesn’t she have a boyfriend?”
“Like I said, she loves so much it hurts. And Nastasia has loved Viktor from the time we were children.”
I sat up at that point, mouth gaping. “What? Vik Viktor? That Viktor?”
“The very one.” He was enjoying my astonishment. I could tell.
I was stunned by this information. I sputtered, “But they don’t even like each other!”
“On the contrary,” Lev revealed. “Viktor loves Nastasia very much. In fact, he spends every night in her bed.”
I wheezed out in disbelief. “No way!”
He shrugged, his eyes alight with mirth. “She thinks no one knows, but often, when I can’t sleep, I walk around the complex and his car is parked in front of her house. Every single night.”
Oh, my God. That was who she was with the night before. The god who kept her awake with his tongue skills was Vik. But then…
“But Nas makes out like he’s a womanizer.” I was baffled.
Lev nodded. “He is.”
My head was starting to hurt. “I don’t understand. Why would she put up with that? I wouldn’t. He’d be out on his ass.”
“Love,” he advised gently, “is a doing word. And sometimes the people who least deserve it are the ones who need it most.”
He was right, of course. This conversation we were having was easy. Almost too easy. I was coming to recognize that Lev Leokov was an open book. I only needed to discover the language in which his pages were written.
Chapter Sixteen
Mina
The impromptu picnic Lev and I had been on came to an end soon after Lidiya had fallen asleep. The poor thing started to sweat in the mild heat, so we took her home to finish her nap in the comfort of her own bed.
I left Lev to do whatever it was he did in the afternoons, and went upstairs to shower and change for work. I decided on comfort over class and wore a plain black tee over my blue jeans, finishing off with the black pumps that were clearly going to be the death of me—that is, if I couldn’t learn to walk in them.
It was like walking on stilts, for crying out loud!
I zhuzhed my long, wavy hair, taking it into my hands and scrunching it as I lightly sprayed it with hairspray, and then I washed my face and reapplied my makeup, thickening the eyeliner a little for that dramatic cat’s eye effect. I lightly glossed with something that was pink and smelled of cake, and the scent was so delicious that I wanted to eat it.
Don’t worry. I didn’t. Licking your lips didn’t count.
My feet bare, I took the stairs two at a time, being as quiet as I could as I made my way to the kitchen. I was hungry and remembered there being leftover brownie bites from our lunch. I opened the fridge, held onto the door, and peered inside, leaning in to get a closer look.
The brownies had disappeared.
Hmmm.
I looked harder.
So had the apple slices, the cheese, and Ada’s muffins.
My brow bunched. I wasn’t going crazy. I know I put them in there when we got back to the house. I even hid the brownies behind the juice so no one would touch them.
I checked again, looking deeper into the fridge than was necessary.
Nope. They were gone.
The fruit bowl sat on the kitchen counter, and although it had ripe bananas, shiny apples, and bright green pears in it, I wanted those damn brownies. So I started to search for them.
While I was downstairs, I went to check on Lidiya, and smiled when I saw Mirella sitting on the chair by her bed, reading. She spotted me and lifted her hand in a wave. I returned it, my eyes sweeping over the little princess sleeping soundly in her toddler bed.
That only left one place.
I made my way back up the stairs, but turned right and walked the length of the hall toward Lev’s office. He told me he went up there to work, but I had the sneaking suspicion he might also have another reason to go up there.
The door was open a crack, less than an inch, and I peeked inside.
I knew it!
I swung open the door and uttered a victorious, “Gotcha.”
Lev paused, a brownie bite halfway to his mouth.
My feet carried me over to his desk, where his laptop sat open. I took the brownie out of his hand, threw it into my mouth, groaned with pleasure as the bitter sweetness hit my tongue, and then straightened and garbled, “Oh, I’m sorry. Were you going to eat that strategically hidden brownie?”
His lips thinned and he glared at me. “Yes, I was.”
I had to cover my mouth and laugh by how put out he sounded. “I’m sorry. I know better than to take food from someone. On the streets, that kind of thing could get a person killed.”
His expression grew somber at the mention of my time without a home. “It’s okay.”
Without waiting for an invitation, mostly because I didn’t think I’d get one, I pulled out the guest chair and sat opposite him. I know it had only been a few days since I asked him, but I wanted to know if any progress had been made. “Any luck finding the Petersons yet?”
His jaw set, he pulled his laptop close and began typing. “No.”
I nodded slowly. “Okay.”
br /> Suddenly, he shut the lid of the laptop and asked, “Why do you want to find them? Nastasia told me what they did, that they’re the reason you were homeless.” He paused. “They aren’t good people, Mina.”
Well, someone was a little judgey today. “You don’t even know them, Lev. They took me in when I was twelve years old, hating on the world, and they gave me a home.” I stressed, “One mistake doesn’t undo all the good they did. And, by the way, they didn’t force me into the street. I did that on my own.”
He leaned over the desk, his golden eyes hard. “Because they made you feel unsafe.”
True enough, but I wasn’t about to admit that. I shrugged, feeling helpless. “If you don’t want to help me find them, that’s fine. I’ll find someone else to help.” I stood, turning toward the door.
His voice had me stopping mid-step. “I can’t control the report, Mina. It might not be all good news. Do you understand that?”
Holding the doorframe, I kept my back to him and reiterated, “I just want them to know I’m okay.”
I didn’t listen for a response. My feet took me back to our room, where I spent the remainder of the afternoon lying on my back in the giant bed I had fallen in love with.
***
Mina
The night started off well. Learning that my shift behind the bar would be shared with the tall, African-American beauty with the crazy-beautiful afro, Birdie, rather than Anika, made me mentally cheer and do cartwheels.
I didn’t mind Anika, but we didn’t have a common interest…apart from Lev, of course. And I had a feeling we wouldn’t be seeing eye-to-eye on that matter.
Men flocked to the bar to be served, and although it was busy, Birdie and I kept it under control. During the night, I’d seen Birdie clink shot glasses with men and down them. She’d done this multiple times, and I wondered how she wasn’t stumbling over her feet. The girl could hold her drinks.
So when a group of men bought a round of shots and added an extra for me, I looked to Birdie. She smiled and nodded. So I went for it.
I picked up the glass, lifted it to my mouth, and tipped it back, listening to the men hoot and cheer as I sputtered and coughed.
Holy shit, that burned.
Coughing up a lung, I raised my hands and grimaced through a smile, showing them all I was okay. They shouted and applauded some more and, thankfully, stayed close to my side of the bar.
I knew the tips would be off the charts tonight. The men had money to burn, and with every round, I was left a nice, neat sum for myself.
My body started to feel warm all over and my head spun lightly. And this was only after the first shot.
After the fifth, I could barely stand without swaying from side-to-side.
The sixth shot had done it.
Laughing to myself, I held onto the bar, because the ground was spinning in circles. It was sucking me in.
I should tell Lev about that. That’s an occupational health and safety issue, if I ever saw one.
Birdie was by my side before I knew I was lying on the floor behind the bar. “Mina, baby, what’s wrong?”
I laughed out loud. “Oh, God, Birdie. The floor won’t stop moving. Make it stop. My stomach hurts.”
“Shit,” Birdie uttered as she moved away from me.
A minute, or it could’ve been an hour later, she returned with Nas who knelt by my side, taking my arm and helping me stand. She took me out the door behind the bar and into the backroom. She helped me sit and sighed, “Jesus, Mina, what the fuck? You’re not supposed to drink when you’re on shift. You’re in a ton of trouble if Sasha finds out.”
What?
I blinked away the rogue white lights attacking my vision. “But, I saw Birdie do shots. When I looked at her for the go-ahead, she nodded. I thought it was okay.”
“Wait, what?” Then she chuckled. “Oh, my God.” Her laughter intensified. “Please tell me that Anika told you about the marked bottles we keep behind the bar?”
At that point, Anika strolled into the backroom. “Hey, is Mina okay? I thought I saw her faint.”
Nas stood, holding down her laughter. “Did you tell Mina about our special blend?”
Anika frowned. “No, I thought you did when you brought her for your lesson.”
Nastasia couldn’t hold it in. She tipped her head back and burst into laughter.
While I burst into tears. “Am I fired?”
Anika spoke quietly to herself. “Oh, God, she didn’t know.” Then she covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. “She didn’t know!”
They laughed loudly, whooping and doubling over. And there I was, howling as tears trailed down my cheeks. “Am I fired?”
“No,” Nas uttered through a chuckle. “No, Mina. It was my mistake. I’ll take the rap for it. You’re not fired, I promise.”
I didn’t believe her. I threw my head back and wailed, “But Sasha won’t care.” I took in a deep stuttering breath and blurted out, “Because he’s an asshole!”
From behind me came a calm, “Please, Mina. Don’t hold back. Tell me how you really feel.”
I turned to see Sasha scowling at me from the door and did the only thing I could do. I threw my drunken ass on the ground and cried some more.
Nastasia snorted. “I forgot to tell her about the special blend. This one’s on me.”
Sasha shook his head. “This is bad for business. She needs to go.”
Nas’ face turned dramatically. She sneered at her brother. “For one mistake? One that wasn’t even her fault?”
“It’s not my problem, Nas,” he muttered, and I cried louder.
“Oh, God,” Sitting up, I panted. “Please don’t fire me. I’ll do anything. Please.”
Anika spoke then, and I was stunned by her support. “Sash. Don’t do this. She needs this job.” She paused a moment before she murmured, “Have a heart.”
Sasha stared at Anika a long while before he turned to walk out. “This is the first and only chance she gets. No more. Next time, she’s gone.”
My blotchy face turned upward to land on Anika. I blinked a second before I whispered, “Thank you.”
To my further surprise, she helped me off the ground and sat me down on the leather sofa. Nas brought me a glass of water and a couple of aspirin. “We’ve still got a full night ahead of us. You may as well lay down and sleep it off, boozerella.”
My head was whirling, and I didn’t need to be told a second time. I lay my head down just as my stomach gave a sharp pinch of disapproval at my night’s choice of drinks. I groaned, “I am never drinking again.”
“That’s what they all say,” she muttered as they both moved toward the door, turning the light off and leaving me to sleep off the night that never should have happened.
***
Lev
It didn’t take long for me to notice that Mina was no longer working the bar. Nas had taken over for her.
I waited. And waited. And the longer I did, a cold feeling passed along my spine.
An irrational protectiveness passed through me.
Standing, I strode across the floor, moving around tables and patrons to get to the bar. Nas saw me just as I leaned over the bar. I hadn’t meant to, but I growled, “Where is she?”
She put her hands up in a placating gesture. “Don’t you go off on her too. It wasn’t her fault, okay? I forgot to tell her about the house blend.” She sniffed a laugh. “She’s had a couple of aspirin and is sleeping off the liquor.”
It had been close to half an hour since I noticed her missing. My eyes immediately went to the side of the stage.
“Shit,” I barked. Eyeing Nas, I asked accusingly, “How long has Jeremiah been away from his station?”
Her face paled.
I shook my head in disappointment, moved behind the bar, through the door, and made my way down the long hall, finding myself behind the closed door to the backroom. Lifting my hand, I tried to turn the knob, but felt resistance.
“Open the do
or,” I sneered.
“Occupied,” he called back in annoyance.
My chest began to heave. I breathed heavily through my nostrils, my anger burning, bubbling like a river of molten lava in my gut. “Open the door,” I uttered through gritted teeth.
“Fuck! Piss off!” Jeremiah called back.
That’s when it happened.
Everything shut down. My pulse slowed. The lights dimmed around me. The sounds turned dull in my ears until there was nothing.
The silence took over.
I had always feared it would arise again. I controlled it so well. It hadn’t struck me in years. Not like this.
But I wasn’t scared this time. I embraced it and let it empower me.
My hands balled into fists, and I took a single step back before rushing the door with my shoulder.
I felt it crack under my weight, but it did not break.
My legs walked me back and I threw my shoulder at the door again.
Another whining creak, and the wood prepared to give way under the slightest amount of pressure.
Nas yelled from behind me. “Lev, what are you doing?”
Jeremiah called out in disbelief, “You’re fucking crazy!”
I pulled back, lifted my leg, and kicked as hard as I could.
The door came apart from its lock and flung inwards. My eyes swept the room and I found him standing by the leather sofa, tucking his tee into his pants.
I saw red.
Nothing could have stopped me from getting to him then.
Nothing.
Mina groaned quietly and squirmed weakly on the couch, passed out, and Nas ran to kneel by her side.
“What did you do?” I asked the startled man, gripping his shirt in my hand.
Jeremiah stood his ground. “Nothing,” he said behind his beard. “We didn’t do anything.”
“Lev,” Nas spoke quietly. I turned to her, watching her run her fingers over the side of Mina’s neck. “She’s got a hickey.”
Just as I reared my arm back to beat the life out of Jeremiah, arms came across my stomach and my chest. I turned to glower at the person, but found Viktor standing there, looking me in the eye. “Calm down, bro. It’s okay.”