16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

T oula

“We need to go.” Adrik’s voice broke into our staring contest behind the door.

“We need to go,” my Russian told me. “Start raid protocols here, and then you’re coming with me.” He closed the door and dressed me. “This will have to be postponed until later,” he whispered against my neck, placing one last kiss before he broke away.

“You owe me,” I sighed, referring to our previous night together.

He gripped both of my cheeks in his hands before kissing me. “I always pay my debts. Especially to you.” The Russian guided me towards my desk with a pat on my ass. I shot him a look over my shoulder. “Later, you can get revenge,” he told me as he took out his phone.

I understood. I was the club’s owner on paper and the daily operations manager. My father’s interests had to be protected at all costs. This wasn’t the first time a raid had torn through a family. However, this was the first time I had been involved. I wouldn’t let myself be the weak link that brought my father’s empire down, even though there were no signs we were next.

Running through the checklist in my head, I could hear the Russian on the phone. He’d instantly gone from my Russian to the Bratva boss. There was something about the way he took command so effortlessly that made me stop and watch him. His shirt was still open. I caught glimpses of the tattoo above his heart, but I was too far away to see the details. The flaps billowed as he paced the length of the office, rapidly firing Russian, only to turn around and repeat. The hand that wasn’t holding the phone was waving around. He ended one call, pulled the phone away from his ear, and dialed another without breaking his stride.

I shook my head, clearing the image as I pulled the locked bag from the bottom of my desk. The Russian had insisted that I keep one in the office. I waited until my computer loaded and then made a copy of the security tapes. Throwing the thumb drive into the bag, I deleted everything. The tapes would still run, but there would be nothing from the past, in case there was something incriminating.

Pulling the hard drive to the computer, I grabbed my laptop and set them both in the bag, turning the lock. My purse was in a drawer near the bottom of the desk, and I placed it on top of everything else. I had one phone call to make, and then I’d be ready to leave.

“Patéras,” I said into the phone when he answered.

“Toula.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “Is everything alright?” I’d never heard worry seep into my father’s tone before, and it took me a minute to find my voice.

“Yes, everything is fine,” I responded, keeping it simple in case we were the next target.

“Did our family guest find you? He was looking earlier.” My father knew the Russian was here. My eyes instantly went back to the figure still pacing. There would always be some sort of trouble around the corner, but this man was mine. He had always been mine, and I wasn’t about to let him go for a second time.

“He’s offered me a place to stay this week.” I didn’t want my father worried when I didn’t show at the compound later.

“I figured, and I’ll reach out later. Your mother is setting an additional plate on Sunday. Dinner is at five, sharp. I expect you to be on time.”

“Okay, Patéras. I’ll see you then.” I looked up at the Russian again as I hung up the phone.

“Is your father alright?”

“Yes. He knew you were here and said he’d reach out later in the week.”

He nodded his head. “I’m not surprised. I was at the compound for dinner tonight, expecting you’d be there.” He buttoned his shirt and grabbed the rest of his clothes. “Are you ready?”

I stood, throwing my purse over my shoulder, and grabbing the locked bag. When I approached him, he held out his hand, and I didn’t hesitate to give him mine. He kissed my knuckles and then reached for the door. Adrik was waiting, leaning against the wall with a gun in each hand. He handed one to my Russian before we used the back alley to escape.

It was imperative the men get back to their territory and secure their interests. Until more information was available, the men would assume they were next on the raid list, even if they weren’t. I remained silent as the Russian fielded more phone calls from his men. The sounds of clipped Russian echoed in the car as I watched the scenery pass.

I wasn’t overly familiar with this part of the city, and it was too dark to even guess where we were. My stomach tightened into knots at the thought of entering the home Irini had shared with the Russian. I was panicking, sweat pouring from my forehead. We’d made good sisterly memories there, and I wanted nothing to tarnish those. I laid my forehead against the cool glass of the window, trying desperately to calm down, but it felt like a rubber band was constricting my chest. I needed to be strong, not draw attention to myself.

My Russian reached for my hand and interlocked our fingers. The touch startled me as I tried to focus on the present. The panic didn’t subside. It settled heavily on my chest, and I felt like I couldn’t take a full breath.

“It’s alright.” He unbuckled my seat belt, steering me so that I sat next to him. Letting go of my hand, he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and guided my head to lay on his chest. He pointed out the window at a pair of gaudy gold gates, the double-headed eagle crest prominent in the middle. “This is my home, and my men have homes in this community. There’s too much activity here, and Irini would have never been comfortable. I made my realtor look for an older, quiet neighborhood, and when he found that home, I bought it. She was safe in her own place.”

I wrapped my arm around his middle and squeezed. I lacked the words to describe the meaning of that gesture to me. It was easier to breathe knowing I wasn’t replacing her. I gave myself a few more seconds to take comfort in his arms before I sat up straight. I needed to show his men that I was strong enough to support him.

The Russian held my hand as we walked through the front door. Turning towards Adrik, he started dictating orders. “I want my brigadiers here in an hour with reports. They should have already started lockdown procedures. Anyone not here better have a damn good reason. I have no problem replacing them permanently.”

“Got it, boss.” Adrik walked off with his phone in his hand .

“Come, Toula.” He led the way to his office and sat me down on the couch. He squatted near the ground between my legs and put his forehead on my thighs. “I am sorry, malenkaya lischka. I have waited too long to rush with you.”

“It’s alright,” I told him as I threaded my fingers through his hair. “Your men need you more than I do right now.” I kissed the back of his head. “I’ll find the kitchen and see what’s available to make for breakfast. Once you’re done, they’ll be able to get something hot to eat.”

“You’re perfect,” he said from my lap.

I gently pushed on his shoulders so he’d let me stand, but he didn’t make a move. He just raised his head to stare into my eyes. We had sacrificed to get to this point, but we had forged our bond on a patio long ago. I bent down and kissed him lightly before leaving the office.

The layout of the home was like my father’s compound, and it didn’t take me long to find the kitchen. There was no one there when I walked in, and I took a minute to situate myself. The Russian had decked his home out in commercial-grade, stainless steel appliances. I should have expected it, given his legitimate businesses. They shined underneath the recessed lighting, making it seem as if everything sparkled. Taking a deep breath, I straightened my shoulders and walked over to the two large pantry doors.

My heels clicked on the tiles, and I had to chuckle to myself. I had never wanted to be my mother, but here I was, starting breakfast in the middle of the night, during a crisis, for my Russian’s soldiers. It was hard not to find the irony in the situation as my mother’s voice rang in my ears. I would never tell her she’d been right, but all the times she’d beaten cooking lessons into me were going to pay off. I was a Greek cooking for Russians who had more skills than I did .

Opening the pantry doors, I stood between them, trying to figure out what would be quick and easy. I didn’t know how long their meeting would last, but the men would be out most of the day, and they would need some sustenance. The pantry was a rectangle with bulk dry goods on one half and the other half housed the serving essentials. Grabbing a few of the serving warmers, I placed them on the kitchen island and went over to the refrigerator.

I was busy pulling the ingredients out for a basic breakfast when a noise startled me. Lost in my world, I hadn’t noticed the kitchen staff standing in the far doorway, staring at me. There were two young girls crowding the entrance, but an older woman gently pushed on their shoulders until they let her through. I recognized her. She’d been the head chef at Irini’s home, always laughing at the four of us as we gobbled her food like we’d never eaten before.

“Mistress,” she said to me. Her hands were making placating motions as she took a few steps further into the kitchen. I didn’t think she was trying to startle me, but this was new to both of us.

“Toula,” I said, holding four cartons of eggs in my hands.

She shook her head. “No, Mistress. If you’ll let us, we can start breakfast for the men. We were thinking something simple, so they can grab and go, depending on their assignment. We have to-go containers.”

If I wanted to earn their respect, I was going to have to fix this. “No. Call me Toula.” I smiled, trying to soften the blow. “I was thinking the same thing. Why don’t you take over with assignments and tell me where my spot is?” I sat the egg cartons on the counter near the stove. The heels made a commanding noise, and I decided they had to go. I kicked them off and threw them out the way.

Anna, the chef, turned away from me and directed orders at the staff who’d been watching us. The two girls in the front immediately went to the refrigerator and pulled out the rest of the ingredients. Bacon, sausage, and fruit, among other things, were lined up on the kitchen island. Another man took the warming trays I had pulled from the pantry and walked out the door to what I could only assume was a dining room.

“Miss Toula,” Anna said, catching my attention. “We’re okay here, if you would like to rest. I can send someone for you when the men are ready to eat, so that you’re here.”

Was she implying that I take credit for their work? I found the suggestion appalling as I contemplated how to handle my response. I didn’t know how other households were run, but I wouldn’t take part in pretending. “Anna,” I said. Her eyes lit up as I addressed her by name, probably thinking I hadn’t recognized her. “Please tell me which station you need help with.”

She nodded her head. “If you would like to scramble the eggs, it would be a help.”

I nodded back at her, but before I moved, I needed to fix the implication. “No one gets a free pass around here, including me.”

Anna smiled widely at me as she nodded her head again. She was moving so fast that she looked like a bobblehead with a cheesy grin. “I always knew you were his first choice and for good reason.”

We worked quietly, making sure there was enough food, until snippets of Russian floated from the hallway as the men made their way to the dining room. I watched from the corner as they said hello to me, thanked Chef Anna, and filled a plate. Some of them sat at the table, but they didn’t dawdle, eating quickly, while others filled to-go containers and took off. It was everything I thought it would be. I hadn’t realized I was worried about their well-being until I made sure everyone had at least one full plate. It made me feel better to know they’d eaten .

A soldier approached me with a smile, and I noticed all the men in the room turned to watch. I wasn’t in danger, but I thought this might be an initiation of some sort. I wasn’t sure if I needed to be on my guard, and I didn’t want to make the wrong move when I hadn’t even been here for twenty-four hours.

“Ma’am,” he addressed me, nodding his head. It was odd that he didn’t offer a handshake, but I wasn’t sure of the dynamics. I didn’t offer mine, in case he would be in trouble. I was trying to earn these people’s respect, not cause them to be punished for something silly.

“Hello,” I replied with a smile.

“My name is Vladimir. You can call me Vlad,” he stuttered through, as if he’d rehearsed. “I’m going to be your new guard when you head back to school.”

Someone chastised him from the table. “Weren’t you supposed to wait? Boss hasn’t even told her.”

“He’s serious about this one. You can’t fuck up, or your ass is going to be swimming with the fishes,” someone else said.

Vlad turned around to face the table. “Boss told me to go buy school clothes and a backpack, so I didn’t question it.” He turned back to face me. “I bought new notebooks and the nice pens, so I’ll blend in during your classes.”

I was confused. He didn’t need notebooks if he was going to sit outside the lecture hall like Angelo had. I wanted to ask for further clarification, but I didn’t know if I would offend him. He honestly looked excited about the assignment, so I smoothed out my features and waited.

He must have understood my hesitation. “I’m not Angelo. It’s an honor to protect the boss’s wife, and I will do so with my life. If you’re in class, I’m in class. It’ll be fun.” He winked at me and then walked out of the room .

I was stunned, but I didn’t want anyone to comment about what had just transpired. I put a small smile on my face as the rest of the men finished up. They walked out of the dining room together, but as the last man left, he stopped in front of me. I didn’t know if I could handle another conversation when I was swaying on my feet. The adrenaline was wearing off, and the exhaustion was setting in.

“My name is Mikhail, mistress. Please forgive Vlad if he was too forward. He means well, but he may have come off a little overzealous. Your husband is a good boss, and Vlad doesn’t understand how fair Mr. Volkov is. I will speak to him, so that he will adjust his behavior. Mr. Volkov isn’t forgiving when it comes to you.” Mikhail walked out of the room, without looking back.

Am I going to find my place here?