by Roxie Rivera
He already had his eye on a sporty Jaguar coupe for her, but he sensed this wasn’t the type of conversation that would go well over the phone. “We’ll figure it out, Shay.”
“I’m sure we will. Look, I’m going to send Stas out for groceries later. Otherwise the takeout bill here is going to be sky high.”
Knowing how stubborn she could be, he warned, “Don’t even try to give him money for the groceries. I left him funds to cover your daily expenses.”
Shay started to answer him, but a loud shout of pain interrupted her. Stas began cursing angrily in Russian. “Uh-oh. Sounds like Stas just had his first on-the-job injury. I hope your workman’s comp coverage is good, Alexei.”
“You mean you hope your coverage is good,” he corrected with a teasing laugh. “He’s currently working for you.”
“What? That is so not fair!”
“Welcome to the cutthroat world of business, sweetheart.” Listening to Stas swear nastily, he added, “Tell Stas that he is forbidden from teaching you that colorful language. If I hear any of those words come out of your mouth, I’ll know who to blame.”
“When he stops crying, I’ll let tell him.”
“See that you do.” Even though he’d like nothing better than to stay on the phone with her, he had to get moving. “I’ll call you later.”
“Be careful out there, Alexei.”
“I will.”
When their call ended, he held his phone to his ear a moment longer than necessary. He was so tempted to leave the office for this meeting with Nikolai and not come back until Sunday afternoon or even Monday morning. Only the gut feeling that they were going to get slammed with customers later in the day kept him from doing it. He couldn’t leave his employees in the lurch like that, especially not when so many of his them were doing their damnedest to earn their holiday bonuses. He needed to be here to work deals and push through financing.
Down on the main sales floor, he walked the perimeter to ensure customers were being treated the way he liked and that all of the salesmen were busy. The quickest way to earn a pink slip at any of his dealerships was to be discovered standing around, shooting the breeze or laughing with coworkers. The only thing he hated more were high-pressure salesmen. He liked ambition and drive, but he didn’t want the salesmen skulking after customers, breathing down their necks and pushing financing and trades that weren’t a good deal for both sides.
Satisfied that the sales floor was operating like a well-oiled machine, he pulled aside the general manager for a chat. With his temporary absence squared away, Alexei left the dealership and headed for the luxury jewelry store operated by Kazimir and his daughter, Zoya. He hadn’t visited the jeweler in more than a year. Marissa, his last mistress, had preferred a different high-end jeweler so he had indulged her with gifts only from there.
Finding parking at Kamizir’s was a nightmare as usual. Why the man hadn’t moved to a better location Alexei would never understand. He spotted Nikolai’s Land Rover and pulled into a space a few cars down. Ilya, one of the boss’s handlers, leaned against the hood and smoked while keeping an eye out for trouble.
It wasn’t so long ago that Ilya had been the young kid on Alexei’s street crew. Now he had advanced to the inner circle and was poised for a promotion to street captain. He stopped to shake Ilya’s hand and couldn’t help but read the new ink on his hands and neck. Apparently, he had been busy.
When he stepped inside the store, he was instantly greeted by Kazimir who directed him to the cozy room where clients with expensive taste could inspect jewels and designs in privacy. He found Zoya and Nikolai there.
“Lyosha.” Nikolai pointed to an empty seat. “We’re almost done.”
“How are you, Alexei?” Zoya drew sunbursts on her sketchpad. “It’s been awhile since we’ve seen you.”
“You should go ahead and unlock the diamond safe,” Nikolai joked. “I have a feeling you’re going to be seeing a lot more of him.”
“Oh?” Zoya’s bright blue eyes lit up excitedly.
“We’ll talk after you’ve finished with the boss.” Alexei waved toward their work.
Taking the hint, Nikolai said, “Zoya, this gift needs to be something beautiful but simple. The bracelet has to be something Vee can wear every day. I want her to see it on her wrist and think of our son and me and the life we’re building together.”
Zoya smiled warmly as she sketched out some ideas on her notepad. “That’s so lovely and sweet.”
“And the other gift? It needs to be regal.” Nikolai emphasized the description with a flourish of his hands. “We need to stay away from anything too gaudy, but I want her to have something incredible to mark the birth of our first child.”
“I’ve gotten to know Vivian’s tastes very well this year. I have an idea of what she likes and what you like and how to make it work.” Zoya jotted down her notes. “Do you have any preference for gemstones for the necklace and earrings?”
“Sapphires,” he answered. “I want them to be as blue as her eyes.”
“Platinum? Gold? White gold?” When Nikolai gave her a look, she let loose a twitter of laughter. “Right. Platinum. Always.” She jotted down more notes. “I should have some preliminary designs in a week. Does that work for your timeline?”
“Yes, that’s fine. Would you mind stepping out for a few minutes? I promise I’ll let you have your room back as soon as we’re done.”
“Of course,” she graciously replied.
When the door closed behind Zoya, Nikolai reached over and smacked him on the back of his head. It wasn’t a hard hit, but it was enough to get his attention.
“Hey!” Alexei winced and smoothed down his hair. “What the fuck was that for?”
“Did you really think I wasn’t going to find out you went behind my back and asked Besian for help? Huh? How the fuck do you think that makes me look?”
“Shit. That’s not—I didn’t go to Besian for backup. I went there for information. I didn’t know what was happening with Shay’s sister, but I knew that he would. I never asked him to publicly stand for me.”
“Well he fucking did,” Nikolai shot back. “I had John Mueller on my doorstep this morning complaining that Besian’s Merkurie Motors boys towed his truck from the restaurant he was at last night. This morning, they picked up his wife’s SUV while she was at the gym. Needless to say, he got the message.”
“I didn’t ask Besian to get involved. He promised he would have my back if things went sideways but he didn’t tell me he was going to harass Mueller and his wife.”
“Apparently, Mueller went by that marble monstrosity of yours this morning, but there was no answer so he decided to walk over another street to bother me. Do you know how I like to spend my Saturday mornings?”
Alexei had an idea of what Nikolai enjoyed doing on Saturday mornings, but it was too graphic and dirty to say to Nikolai’s face, especially where Vivian was concerned. “Probably not having coffee with the Mr. White Is Right.”
Nikolai leveled that cold no-nonsense stare of his so Alexei eased off the sarcasm.
“Look, obviously, this was not how I envisioned any of this happening, okay? So get off my fucking back, Kolya.”
Nikolai’s jaw tensed. He spun his wedding band around his finger, a gesture that seemed to have replaced his old habit of tossing that lucky lighter of his back and forth between his hands. “It seems An Trinh is mixed up in this mess now. She’s threatening to blackball Mueller around town. She even told Mueller that all it would take is a few words from Vivian and Bianca and Holly to have his wife blacklisted around town.” Nikolai shook his head. “That woman fucking scares me. I can’t get a read on her at all. I used to dismiss that rumor about her poisoning her husband but now I’m not so sure.”
Alexei had heard the rumor and had instantly believed it. The man had been in his late thirties when he had died while on vacation abroad. The official word had been a heart attack but the whispers were poison. That marriage had al
ways had problems apparently.
“An is giving us a free pass for that bullshit that went down behind her family’s restaurant, but she’s blaming Mueller for his men trespassing on her turf and trying to beat an innocent young woman to death behind one of her businesses.”
“She came to see me this morning. I’ve agreed to pay for the replacement of the security system that was disabled.”
“Keep her happy,” Nikolai ordered. “She can make trouble that we don’t need.”
“Understood.”
“Besian is pushing for the council to sanction Mueller. This is the third time he’s trespassed into someone else’s territory. He’s done it to Spider and the MC twice. First it was the kidnapping at Spider’s trailer park when all that shit went down with Step’s girlfriend and her little brother. Yesterday his men trespassed again to shakedown your girl. Then trying to beat her up in the Lu family’s backyard? Blyad.” Nikolai rubbed his face. “They’re too fucking reckless.”
Alexei held his tongue and waited to see what Nikolai would say.
“I told Mueller that he’s going to have to eat the cost of his downed men and that whatever bad blood there is between his side and yours ends today.” The boss slashed his hand through the air. “You and Shay are free and that score is settled. I made it clear that if his men even look at Shay, I’ll let you gouge their eyes out. It’s done. Over. Finished.”
“And the sister?” Alexei didn’t have high hopes for Shannon’s case but he had to ask.
“She’s not my problem.” Nikolai cast a pointed look his direction. “Or yours. Don’t be stupid like Vanya was with Erin’s junkie sister. You stay away from Shannon and Ruben. Let Lalo’s men sort that shit out.”
“Have you heard anything about Lalo?”
“He’s looking for Shay.” Nikolai reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved his phone. He swept his finger across the screen and read a message that made his mouth twitch with amusement. There was only one person in the entire world who could make him smile like that. “I sent Danny over to talk to him this morning and to let him know that Shay belongs to you and that I’ve taken an interest in her. Lalo assured Danny that he only wants to make sure that Shay is safe.”
“Lying little prick,” Alexei groused.
“Don’t worry about him.” Nikolai typed a reply. “I went over his head and cleared Shay’s safety with Hector Salas. Lalo’s boss will put him back in his kennel where he belongs. Just keep her away from him until his wounded pride heals.” Nikolai pocketed his phone and grinned. “Danny said Lalo has two black eyes, a broken nose and a bandaged head. I guess he must have slammed face first into the ground. That’ll teach the little bastard to try to assault some poor woman again.”
The image of Lalo so badly wounded amused Alexei but it wasn’t nearly enough pain for what he had tried to do to Shay.
“How is she?” Nikolai seemed genuinely curious. “Last night, she looked badly shaken.”
“She’s much better this morning. Having Stas there seems to be helping.”
“Are they getting along well? I haven’t spent much time with him, but so far I like him.”
“Shay enjoyed his company last night, and they seemed to be getting along just fine earlier.” Alexei didn’t want to dwell on the uncomfortable feeling he had about Stas and Shay alone together and getting so chummy. “I wanted to let you know that Boychenko really came through for me last night. He made sure there was no evidence on the security tapes to implicate me. He went above and beyond, Kolya.”
“He’s a good kid,” Nikolai agreed. “He reminds me of me. He’s hungry and he’s got something to prove. I’m torn between assigning him to guard duty for my son when he’s born or putting him out on the streets with Ilya. He’s not big enough to be an enforcer but he’s got that instinct, you know?”
“I’ve been watching him train at the warehouse. The kid is getting better in the ring. He’ll never be as good as Sergei or Vanya but he’s developing some skill.”
“He better develop fast. We need a new champion before the spring fights start. The family has a reputation to uphold after you, Ivan and Sergei.”
“You could always throw Ten in there.”
Nikolai laughed. “That P.O. of his is way too uptight to let that pass. Hey,” he said, swiveling in his chair and tapping the tabletop, “can we talk about that strip of buildings you own uptown?”
“Sure.” He had acquired two empty lots ripe for development and a strip of retail space in the fire sale that had followed real estate developer Jonah Krause’s arrest for attempted murder. The sorry son of a bitch had hired thugs to kill Dimitri Stepanov and his then-girlfriend Benny Marquez but the couple had fought them off and survived.
“Those retail spaces are still wide open, right?”
“They are,” he affirmed. “The area there is developing and growing, but it’s taking time to fill the prime spots. I’ve been kicking around an idea about one of the corner retail spaces. Shay wants to take her online handbag boutique to a proper storefront. The area is high traffic, and it’s right there next to the Galleria.”
Of course, getting Shay to agree to take the space would be an uphill battle. He had seen her savings and the working capital she planned for her business. She didn’t have anywhere close to the budget to afford prime real estate like that, but he wouldn’t charge her, not at first. He would eat the cost to help her get that business off the ground. It would be a solid investment. He believed in her and her dreams. Someday, she would pay him back and make good on the debt.
“You’ll need another business on the other corner to anchor that space,” Nikolai remarked. “I think I have the perfect one.”
“Oh?”
“When Vee had her art show in London, it occurred to me that she really needs her own gallery space. It needs to be in a high traffic area, and it needs to fit the profile of the neighborhood. That strip of retail space that you own is perfect, Alexei.”
He could already see the way the retail strip would look with Shay’s luxury handbag boutique on one end and Vivian’s high-end gallery on the other. “But what would go in between? That space in the center would have to be something truly special.”
Nikolai gestured around them. “Kazimir has been looking for a new space, one with better access and room to grow. Zoya’s designs are becoming more and more popular. In five years? Ten? She’ll be a household name. She needs a beautiful place that draws in flush customers. Just think of Vee and Shay sitting on either side of one of the most popular jewelry stores in this city.”
He was thinking about it, and he liked it. Certain there was a catch, he asked, “What sort of deal are you looking for here?”
The boss shook his head. “This would be above board and clean from the start. It would all be in Vivian’s name and using her money.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “I would expect that she be given a break on the contract and lease.” He flicked his tattooed fingers. “We can work out the exact details later. What do you think?”
“I like it.” He leaned back in his chair and let his mind race with all the possibilities. “I’ve been thinking about my goals for next year. Maybe it’s time to finally do something with all that property.”
“I’d like it if you would consider Sergei and David’s construction company for any of the work that needs to be done. Maybe bring in Mueller for a piece of it. Just a few crumbs from the table, you understand?”
“I do.” Whatever his personal disagreements with John Mueller, the man had a lot of money behind him and the potential to cause problems down the line. “Viktor is coming to Houston next week. I’ll talk business with him and see what he thinks about that property. He might have a better idea of how to structure this.”
“How is he doing? The ruble falling like a rock must have him all twisted up,” Nikolai remarked with feeling.
“He’s like Yuri and Evgeni, you know? Five steps ahead of the market and always hedging his bets when it
comes to Putin and the government policies back home,” Alexei replied. “I’m sure he’s taken a hit, but you watch. He’ll come out richer than he was before this shit went down. He always does.”
“I hope you’re right.” Nikolai glanced at his vibrating phone and smiled again. “I need to go. I promised Vee we would pick out nursery furniture today. If I make her wait much longer, she’s going to take Ten with her and bankrupt me. You would not believe what a crib costs, Lyosha! Don’t even get me started on rocking chairs, changing tables, dressers, linens, toys, clothes—it never ends.”
“You can complain all you like but we both know you’ve never been happier.” Alexei had witnessed the change in Nikolai since he had married Vivian. The announcement of the impending arrival of their first child had caused the boss to go into a fiercely protective mode but he was also smiling more and seemed lighter and happier.
Nikolai’s expression turned serious for a moment. “You don’t know what you stand to lose until you finally have it all. A wife? A son?” His eyes turned dark with ferocity. “I’ll burn this fucking city to the ground before I let anyone harm them.”
That wasn’t hyperbole or an empty statement of bravado. He meant it. There wasn’t a throat he wouldn’t cut to keep Vivian and the baby safe.
Reaching out to tap the table in front of Alexei, Nikolai said, “You’ll understand that soon enough, I wager.”
“I don’t know about that,” Alexei nervously answered. “Marriage and children? That’s not for me.”
Nikolai seemed surprised. “Then you’d better cut Shay loose,” he advised. “That’s the type of woman who wants a husband and a family. She’s not the type that will be happy with expensive trinkets and a posh apartment for very long.”
It was a warning that Alexei couldn’t shake even after Nikolai left and Zoya returned to help him pick out some jewelry for Shay. As he examined different watches, he conceded that Nikolai had only affirmed what he had always known. Shay deserved better than what he had offered her, but he wasn’t sure he could give her anything more.
Marriage? Children? He didn’t know the first damned thing about being a husband or a father. His own miserable childhood hadn’t taught him anything useful. Then again, neither had Nikolai’s or Ivan’s and they both seemed incredibly happy. Things weren’t always perfect, but they were making it work.