by Belle Aurora
Some would call it tacky.
Personally, I loved it.
She all but dragged me into the kitchen, and when she spotted her pot about to boil over, she threw her hands up and let out a quiet exclamation before rushing over to it and turning it down.
Oh damn. I knew that smell.
With my mouth watering, I asked, “You’re cooking Golubsti?”
The gorgeous matriarch smirked knowingly. “Lunch is ready. Tell Anika. She’ll be happy to see you.”
I knew this house like the back of my hand, and when I got to Anika’s bedroom, I lifted my hand to knock, but the door shot open. A tall woman with dark-copper hair and a frowning mouth blocked the doorway. She looked surprised at my presence, and when I tell you she pasted on a smile that rivalled the Cheshire cat, she did just that.
She had a husky, heavily accented voice. “I know you.”
Yeah. She was vaguely familiar. “Maybe.”
“Nastasia.” Her face softened then. “I haven’t seen you in a long time. Years. Maybe you remember me? Ksenia.”
Oh my God. I did know her. How could I not?
My reservations left me as I smiled in response. “Oh wow. Hi.”
She held out her hands, and I greeted her properly. We kissed cheeks three times in the proper Russian fashion. If I were honest, I’d admit she had always given me the heebie-jeebies. There was just something so intense about Anika’s aunt. But then, she would be. As a Bratva wife, I expected it sort of came with the territory.
Compared to the firms that once existed here in America, they were a different breed in Russia. Hardcore. I could tell Ksenia had seen some shit.
“Are you visiting?” I asked politely.
Her face fell, and she released my hands. “The move is permanent, I’m afraid. My husband died six months ago. My sons have all passed on. I have no grandchildren. With nothing to keep me in Rossiya, I decided to be closer to my sister.”
Well, shit. “I’m so sorry.” That was rough.
She forced a smile. “It’s okay. My family is here now, and although I don’t have much, I claim my sisters’ children as my own. It is time for a new beginning.” I’m sure she hadn’t meant it to be, but the last statement came out foreboding and dark. With an almost regal nod, she said, “I will leave you to visit with my niece.”
She left us to it and closing the door behind me, I approached cautiously.
Anika stood in the center of her room, and while she did her best to appear happy to see me, her smile fell short. She tugged at the long sleeves of her tee, pulling the material over her fingers, looking somewhat childlike.
“Hey,” I said almost shyly.
Whatever had been building up inside her broke like a dam. Her eyes filled with tears, and she lowered her face, a single teardrop trailing her nose and falling to the floor.
Damn. A short sigh escaped me. I waited too long.
I rushed over and used my arms to cocoon her in light and safety. “I’m so sorry, Ani. I shouldn’t have stayed away so long.”
“No, it’s not that.” She sniffled in my ear.
Her arms came around me, and when I felt her shaking, my protective instincts took over. I pulled back to search her face. It was pale and drawn. She looked frightened. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”
The silence spoke volumes. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand.
“I can’t talk about it.” She wanted to. I could feel it. As if doubling down, Anika just shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. You can’t help me.”
What?
Who was this person?
I couldn’t help her?
Come now. Of course I could.
As my eyes passed over her whole self, I tutted quietly, gently using my thumb to wipe away her tears. My friend was a mess. “Yeah, I can. I know just the thing.”
She knew me well enough to not have expected anything else but what came out of my mouth.
“Yeah?” Anika endeavored to smile, but it shook.
“Definitely,” I told her. “First, we’re going to make a stop at the grocery store to get some supplies. Then we’re going to go out for a girl’s night. Dinner, drinks, dancing, all the good stuff. You need to pack a bag.” I smiled tenderly. “We’re having a sleepover.”
Still overly emotional, her voice broke as she attempted to hold it together. “I’d really like that.” I didn’t know what got her so broken up, but when she looked down at herself, she burst into tears again and very nearly wailed, “Dammit. I need to shower.”
I did not like this. It was so not Anika. She was graceful, calm, and collected. I needed to dig deeper but thought it best to butter her up with dinner and booze first. “Don’t worry about it. Just pack a bag and we’re gone. You can shower at mine. Better yet”—I used my biggest bargaining chip—“I’ll run you a bath and let the jets work out some of that tension.”
Poor Anika. She sniffled, then whined, “Okay.”
I helped her pack a duffle and walked her down the hall with an arm around her. When we made it to the dining room and the entire family was sitting down for lunch, I stilled at the sight of Vik.
My mouth opened, and out dashed, “What are you doing here?”
A single dark brow rose. “Eating lunch.”
Uh…
Right, right. We were at his parents’ house. That made sense.
My cheeks flushed, but Yuri Nikulin rose from the table, and I stepped into his fatherly embrace. Tall, extremely thin, and all sharp angles, the man’s hair was more salt than pepper these days. He smiled as he hugged me, pressing a soft kiss to my brow, then gently pinching my cheek, chuckling. “Cheeky girl.” He looked to his wife and stated, “She stays away too long.”
Doroteya nodded, parroting her husband, “Too long.”
Yuri tried to lead me to the table. “Come eat. You’re too small. Men will think you don’t know how to cook, and you will never marry.”
“I tell her that. She no listens to me,” Doroteya added quickly.
My expression turned sour.
I knew how to cook.
Some.
Vik grinned down at his plate, and I wanted to pick up a fork and stab him with it.
Ksenia scoffed. “She will have no problem finding a husband. She is pretty, smart, and she looks like a girl who knows the value of family.” She sipped at her wine before training her eyes on me and asking, “How are you brothers?”
A little surprised at the question, I stuttered, “G-Good.”
I wasn’t aware Ksenia had met them. They didn’t spend as much time here as I did.
“Sasha still hasn’t taken a wife?” she enquired politely.
“No,” I told her, and that weird feeling hit me again. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what her deal was.
When she smiled, there was a darkness to it. “I’m sure he’ll find a woman when he is good and ready.” Her straight nose tilted up slightly as she looked me over. “And I’m sure you’ll find a nice Russian boy to tame soon enough.”
I smiled graciously, but I did not like the way this woman spoke to me. I also couldn’t resist saying, “He doesn’t have to be Russian.” Vik’s head snapped up, and I stared him in the eye, my smile positively frosty. “I find Russian men of this generation don’t match the men of my father’s time.”
Vik’s grip tightened on his fork, turning his knuckles white.
Shocked the shit out of me, but Ksenia began to nod. “I know what you mean, and I agree, my child. Be patient. You’ll find one.”
Vik spoke through gritted teeth. “Sit down. Eat.”
I fought a smile at his suddenly tart mood. It was handy to know I got under his skin as much as he did mine.
“We can’t. Sorry.” I stepped back, revealing a sad-looking Anika. I put my arm around her and smiled. “We’ve been apart too long, and we need a girls’ night.”
Vik took one look at her face and stood, ready to break necks. “Ani, what’s wrong?”
And my ovaries released a million eggs all at once.
Naaaw. Stupid, sexy, thoughtful Vik and his caring about his sister.
“It’s all right.” Ani smiled softly. “I’m all right. But I’m going to spend the night at Nastasia’s, if that’s okay, Mama.”
Doroteya and Yuri exchanged a look, and when Yuri nodded, Doroteya smiled widely. “Of course, beba.”
“Thank you for letting me steal away your lovely daughter.” With a wink, I teased, “I promise not to let her drink too much tonight.”
Ksenia smiled a Mona Lisa smile. “No such thing. We are Russian women. Drink the men under the table, and wear the badge of honor proudly.”
“Where are you going?” inquired Vik, and his thin lips told me he was going to stew on this.
Good.
“Out” was all I said as I took Anika’s hand, said my goodbyes, and took my friend home with me.
4
Nastasia
As we drove back to my house, I called Mina first.
She answered huffing and puffing, then said, “Hey.”
On speaker, I continued to drive and uttered, “Hey yourself, short stuff. What are you doing?”
“Uh…” She hesitated, then spoke quietly, “Just what you told me to.”
Huh?
Confusion swept through me. What had I told her to do?
“You know,” she prompted with meaning. “I’m—” Her voice was full of inflection. “—enjoying the process.”
Oh.
Oh.
Ew. She was porking my brother.
Gross.
“Right.” The word was drawn out. I made a face. “You think you can pull yourself away long enough to join me and Anika on a girls’ night?”
Bedsheets rustled, and I knew she moved to sit up. Sounding more than a little eager, she immediately said, “Where are we going?”
A scoff shot out of me. “I’m not telling you. You’ll go right ahead and tell Lev, then the guys will mysteriously show up, and our girls’ night will be ruined.”
A sound of indignance left her. “I won’t tell,” she sulked.
Anika smiled, knowing full well Mina couldn’t keep a secret, especially when it came to her husband.
A soft laugh left me. “I’ll tell you when you get here, right after I confiscate your phone.”
She tried to sound pissed. She really did, but I could tell she was excited. “Whatever.”
Sure, it was a Wednesday, but midweek may as well have been a weekend for us.
Anika and I were the best bar bitches on this side of town, and while Cora usually joined our duo behind the bar at Bleeding Hearts, her studies had taken a priority of late. This meant she had to move down to one night a week, usually a Sunday. Mina—our beloved Gypsy—no longer worked for Bleeding Hearts. Having been gifted a hefty share of her father’s inheritance by her brother, she didn’t have to work to live anymore, so she made the plunge into freelance photography. It had always been her passion, and to see her living her dream was nice.
Really nice, actually.
People still came in asking for “the Gypsy,” and although Mina acted indifferent about it, I know it made her giddy to leave her mark on the place.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were worknights for most of us girls, so we rarely got to go out and let our hair down. We were more likely to end up hungover on hump day than any other day of the week.
“I have to call Cora. Be at my place in an hour, and we’ll all get ready together.”
“Okay,” Mina said, and then there was a slight scuffle. “Lev. No! Give it back.”
And then my brother was talking through the speaker. “Nastasia, where do you plan on taking my wife this evening?”
Anika’s face softened at the sound of his voice, and my gut squeezed. I knew it couldn’t be easy for her. Ani had always loved Lev. I mean, she lost her virginity to him in the hopes that he would fall for her. She fought for him, but in the end, Mina had won his heart.
To her credit, she took it well.
Sometimes, I think she took it a little too well.
My face bunched with indignance. “None of your flipping beeswax, brother.”
“Nastasia,” Lev uttered in warning, and he really should’ve known by now that the tone he was using was not one that worked on me.
I looked to Ani and rolled my eyes, making her laugh. “We’re not doing anything dangerous, Lev. We’re just having a girls’ night out.”
“A girls’ night out,” he said as if he were processing this. “On your own.” He muttered, “Without protection.”
“Yep.”
“No,” he said instantly. “I don’t like that.”
I loved Lev. Loved him so damn much. He was sweet and kind and would do anything for those closest to him. But, yes, he had his quirks. He was also stubborn and set in his ways and overprotective to the point of overstepping.
When he got that way, dealing with him required a level of patience that I oftentimes did not have.
“Lev,” I began calmly. “Are you saying that I would put Mina, my sister-in-law, my family, in a position where something could happen to her?”
“No,” he said immediately, and it doused the wrath threatening to boil over.
“Precisely,” I said, then added, “You know I would only ever take her somewhere I deemed safe, right?”
“Yes.” He sighed, and I smiled, knowing he was giving in. I knew he’d given in completely when he said, “I want her to text me every hour, Nastasia.”
“Okay,” I settled, knowing it was the best I’d get with him.
“Every hour,” Lev repeated.
I spoke through gritted teeth, doing my best to not snap at him. “I heard you, moy brat.”
“I’ll drive you,” he added, and I actually laughed out loud.
God, he was infuriating. But when Ani made a goopy face and placed a hand to her heart, I quickly acknowledged I could have it a lot worse.
My tone light, I told him, “You’ll do no such thing. We’re catching a cab there and back. And Mina will text you every hour to let you know she’s okay. That’s what’s happening, Lev.”
His momentary silence told me he was struggling, but, surprisingly, he let it go. “All right.”
“Perfect.” I grinned widely, then hurried out, “I have to call Cora. Love you. Bye,” before he changed his mind.
The second I dialed Cora, she answered, sounding cheery, “What’s up, bitch?”
“Girls’ night out” was all I said.
She let out a little whoop. “Fuck yeah. I need to get my head out of these books. I’ll be over soon.” Then she hung up.
Well, that was easy.
I breathed deeply, feeling light and happy. Turning to face Anika, I put my hand on hers and squeezed. “We’re gonna have fun tonight.”
“I know,” she responded with a delicate smile.
Dinner was nice. Nicer than I expected.
I wondered how things between Mina and Anika would be, but I shouldn’t have worried. When Mina arrived at my place, she took one look at Anika’s sorry state, came forward, and hugged her, taking all the care in the world.
“Are you okay?” Mina asked, gently rubbing her back, and I was quietly reminded that Mina was a beautiful person.
Anika looked a little awkward, but it was clear she appreciated the gesture, because when she pulled back, she pasted on a grateful smile. “I’ll be better when we’re all drinking.”
Not a minute later, my front door shot open. I threw my hands up and groused, “Does everyone have a key to my house?” while a tiny Cora stood there, her blonde hair tied up into a high ponytail, holding a bottle of tequila.
“Did someone order a night of getting fucked up?”
“So, no one’s listening to me?” I added, annoyed. “Nice.”
“Perfect timing.” Mina took the bottle out of her hands and shook it at Anika. “Pre-dinner drinks, coming right up.” Then disappeared
into the kitchen.
Cora approached Anika, standing in front of her a long moment, her smile lessened, and she asked quietly, “You all right, kukla?”
Anika thought about it. “I am, actually. Just being away from home….” She shivered, hugging herself. Her expression solemn, the response was whisper-quiet. “I needed a night away.”
The way she said it made my heart pause, a big red flag waving frantically behind my eyes.
My brow lowered. “You know, you can stay here with me,” I proposed. “I kind of got used to having company, and with Cora gone, I hate to admit it, but I get lonely sometimes.”
Cora slapped a hand to her chest and let out a long, “Aww,” and I flipped her the bird.
Asshole.
Anika paused a moment, and I knew she wasn’t sure whether my offer was sincere.
I put my arms out, gesturing at my enormous home. “This is a big house for one person. It’s big enough for ten people.” I then pursed my lips and conceded, “Hell, it’s big enough for a small cult.”
Anika remained quiet, but I could see she was considering it. I could almost see her brain doing the calculations. Finally, she said softly, “I’ll think about it. Thanks, Nas.”
I hadn’t offered out of pity. I wasn’t lying. I really would’ve loved to have her.
Satisfied, I replied, “You’re welcome.”
At that moment, Mina came out of the kitchen with a tray of prefilled shot glasses, sliced lime, and salt, then singsonged, “Let’s do this.” She handed us each a shot with a wedge of lime. We all took turns licking our hands and applying the salt. “And no better way to get a party started than to dirty up some nice girls with tequila slammers.”
What I said was, “Hell yeah,” but the second I smelled the tequila, my mouth watered, and not in a good way.
Like most idiot teenagers, I once got blind drunk on it, and now tequila tasted like the time I almost perished in a field with a bunch of jocks laughing at me.