Chapter 18

“Didhe take the bus with you again?” Izzy sits on the leather couch in Andrei’s office with a glass of wine and pushes her feet beneath her.

“No.” I hug a pillow to my stomach on the other side of the couch. “He did drive me to work though.” I roll my eyes.

“He’s not going to stop doing that,” she warns me. “So just accept it. It’s easier.”

“Oh, like you did?” I shoot a look at her. It’s not like Izzy and Andrei had the easiest courtship, even if everything turned out just like it was supposed to.

“I’m different.”

I laugh. “Yeah, you want all this. A husband, a house, kids maybe one day, that’s what you want. It’s not for me, but I can’t get him to understand that.” I check behind me, making sure the office door is still shut and Viktor isn’t there listening.

Andrei and Viktor had a meeting tonight at Kraze. They’re upstairs in the private suites with whoever they’re meeting with while we sit comfortably tucked away in Andrei’s private office.

Izzy had texted earlier that she’d be here and asked if I could hang with her while Andrei had his meeting. If she was just trying to get me to spend more time with Viktor, she didn’t need to; he showed up at my apartment only minutes after I got home and told me we were going out.

“You really can’t see yourself with him?” Izzy asks with cynicism.

“He’s overprotective,” I point out. “And he’s overbearing. And he’s arrogant.” And stubborn.

While I was changing in my bedroom, he set up the damn TV that he refuses to take back. So now, it’s out of the box and all linked to the internet and everything.

“He’s also kinda sweet. You said he replaced your TV, and he didn’t push you into his car, he took the bus with you.” She laughs. “I still wish I could see him on the bus, he must have been so scary.”

I shrugged. “I didn’t notice.”

She grins like she’s just been handed a book of knowledge.

“You were too busy noticing him.” She hides her grin in her cup of tea.

“Please,” I scoff and toss a pillow at her. She dodges it easily and knocks it to the floor.

“The pillow fights are starting already?” Andrei comes in.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in a meeting?” Izzy asks, looking up at her husband as though he just hung the moon for her.

“Already finished.” Andrei leans over Izzy and kisses her. “You were supposed to study while I was working.” He taps the anatomy textbook sitting closed between us on the couch.

“I studied until Marlena got here.” She smiles.

Viktor comes over to where I’m sitting and tugs on my hair until I lean back and look up at him.

“You behaving?” he asks, his mouth hovering right over mine. The heavy scent of whisky is evident.

“Always,” I say softly, closing my eyes when he kisses me. This is dangerous, how easily he calms my mind with a simple touch.

“Good.” He taps the tip of my nose.

Sergei walks into the office, stops when he sees us, and his frown intensifies.

“I didn’t know the girls were here,” he says. Pavel walks in behind him with a glass in his hand half full of a dark liquid. I’ve seen him at Izzy’s place enough times to know he’s one of them. “I thought we’d play a few rounds of Durak.”

Viktor moves the textbook and sits on the couch, dragging me onto his lap as he takes my seat on the couch.

“Are you in a hurry to get home?” he asks.

“Not really. Think I can play?” I’ve seen them play the game a few times since Izzy married Andrei, and I think I have the rules down pretty good.

Viktor looks at Sergei and grins. “Sure, you can.”

Sergei rolls his eyes. “Fine. They can play.” Sergei throws a hand through the air.

“I’ll just watch,” Izzy answers.

“Do you guys play any other games, like Poker or Gin?” I ask.

Viktor shrugs. “Sometimes.”

Sergei has the table in the middle of the room cleared off and pulls chairs from around the office for us to sit.

“I never even heard of this game before Andrei played it with you guys; where’d you learn it?” Izzy asks, taking a seat beside her husband at the table.

“It’s a popular game back home,” Viktor says, taking the cards and shuffling.

“He learned it in the Gulag,” Sergei answers at the same time.

Viktor stops shuffling to give Sergei a dark glare.

My gaze flies to Viktor. “You were in prison?”

He pinches two fingers together. “Only for a little while. I was young.”

That probably explains the battle scars on his body. The tattoos cover some of them, but there are still faint white lines that can be seen through the dark ink.

“The trump is club.” Viktor shows the card he pulls from the middle of the deck before handing it to Sergei. “You play dealer.”

“How young?” I catch the cards Sergei deals around the table.

He lifts a shoulder. “Young enough.” He’d never let me get away with a non-answer like that.

“Are we going to play or what?” Sergei grumbles, splaying the six cards in his hand.

“It’s your turn, Marlena.” Viktor nudges my arm with his elbow. “You attack me, and I defend.”

“I’m your attacker?” I smile over my cards at him. “I think I like this game.” I lay down my highest card, a jack of spades.

“Hmm, don’t get too comfortable.” He winks and places a queen of hearts down, successfully defending against my attack.

“Shit.” I go to pick up the discarded cards, but he waves away my hand.

“Only the defender has to add the cards to his hand if he loses. You attacked, so these go in the discard pile and we both pick up a card from the deck to replace what we used,” he explains patiently while picking up the discarded cards and tossing them on the discard pile.

I watch him as he turns to Andrei and throws down a king of diamonds. They exchange some words in Russian before Andrei grabs Viktor’s card and adds it to his hand. The play goes to Pavel, who takes a long sip of his drink before laying his ten of hearts down.

Sergei laughs as he tosses a five of clubs down. Pavel takes another drink, finishing it off.

“There’s another bottle in the bar over there.” Andrei points to the wet bar in the corner of the room.

“Thanks. Anyone else?” Pavel asks as he walks over to the bar.

“I need more wine, but I can go to the bar for it.” Izzy downs the last of her Prosecco.

Andrei stills her with a simple look. “Pavel, call the bar, have them send a bottle of wine for Isolde.”

My insides tighten, watching Pavel as he makes the call then fills his glass before bringing it back to the table. He plops in his chair, already sipping it.

“Marlena. Your turn.” Sergei taps two fingers on the king of spades he put down.

“What?” I blink back to my cards in my hand and put down a two of hearts.

“You lose,” Pavel states.

I look at the cards again. I’d meant to pull the club in my hand.

“Damn.” I pick up the cards from the table and another from the deck.

The guys fall into a conversation about some deal they’re working on to open another Kraze in New York while the play continues around the table. Pavel fills his glass a second time, more drink than ice this time.

I scoot my chair closer to Viktor.

I lose my next hand. There are now ten cards in my hand and after a quick look around the table, I see Andrei is down to one.

“You okay?” Viktor’s hand rests on my knee as he leans into me.

“Yeah. Fine.” But even I hear the tension in my voice. Pavel bursts out laughing after Sergei says something in Russian and I jump.

“No, you’re not,” Viktor accuses, squeezing my knee. “What’s wrong? Is it the game?”

“No.” I glance back at Pavel then at the cards on the table. Sergei turns to me to place down another card.

Andrei puts his heavy crystal glass down on the table, making me tense again.

“Marlena, your turn,” Pavel says; there’s a slur to his voice now. How many drinks has he had? I lost count. His face isn’t red though, and his jaw isn’t set like he’s ready to fight anyone who looks at him wrong, so I can’t tell if he’s drunk or just a little past tipsy.

I move a bit closer to Viktor again.

“Moy sladkiy voin, if you want to sit in my lap, just say so.” He moves his arm to drape over the back of my chair.

“What?” I look down at how close I’ve gotten, I’m practically in his lap already. “Oh, sorry.” He holds me in place.

“No apologies. Stay here.” He taps my cards. “But you have to play a card or Sergei is going to get even grumpier.”

I play a card without looking and lose of course.

“Too bad,” Pavel says as he tips his glass and dumps the last of his drink down his throat.

I grab the cards. There’s no chance I’ll win this game.

I attack Viktor who can’t defend against the club I threw down. “Why didn’t you use that against Sergei, then you could have attacked me with that king in your hand.”

“You’re looking at her cards?” Pavel accuses with a laugh. “If she was winning, I’d accuse you of cheating.”

Viktor responds in Russian, so I don’t understand it, but I understand the tone. Pavel shrugs it off easily.

“And I win.” Andrei tosses down his last card and sits back in his chair. “Isolde, I won.” He looks over his shoulder to where Izzy has relocated on the couch with her book in her lap.

“Yay,” she pretends to cheer with a fist pump then turns the page of her textbook. Andrei lifts an eyebrow at me when I laugh.

“She’s not much of a card game person.” I say, tossing my cards onto the table to be swept up with the bunch.

“Durak is not for everyone.” Pavel gets up from the table, pulling out his phone. He takes a look at the screen and curses, then rants in Russian.

There’s a heated discussion, but I can’t tell who’s mad. It’s not a delicate language, and when they all start talking at once, it sounds angry. But they all look calm.

Pavel waves a hand in the air with his statement, and I push back from the table so fast, the chair falls out from beneath me and I crash to the floor.

“Marlena!” Viktor is the first to react, squatting down at my side. Izzy rushes to me as I try to get up from the chair.

“I’m fine.” I wave away Viktor’s hands, but I’m no match for him. He gets his paws on my arms and simply lifts me from the floor and puts me back on my feet. Instantly, he starts looking me over.

“Are you hurt? What the hell happened?” he barks, lifting my chin and moving my head from one side to the other.

“I fell out of a chair, not a car, I’m fine,” I try to explain, but he’s too busy feeling around the back of my head. It occurs to me all the men have stopped talking and all eyes are on me and Viktor. My cheeks heat at all the attention.

“She’s not injured,” Viktor announces.

“Pavel, take care of the situation,” Andrei orders with a jerk of his head toward the door. Pavel nods and heads out, his phone already to his ear before he gets into the hallway.

“I have to deal with something quickly, then we’ll go home.” Viktor’s brow creases with something like guilt.

“It’s fine, Viktor. I’m okay.” I touch his cheek. “Really, it was just a stupid accident. I moved too fast, and the chair didn’t keep up. That’s all.”

His lips pinch. “Something upset you. When we get home, you’ll tell me.” He picks up the chair then joins Sergei and Andrei.

“Seriously, you okay?” Izzy asks when the men have left us alone.

I rub the back of my head. There’s a tender spot but no bump. Thank god, otherwise Viktor would have me down at the hospital getting MRIs and brain scans most likely.

The man really is overbearing.

“Yeah.” I nod.

“What made you jerk back like that? Was it something they were saying?”

“No, nothing. I was just going too fast.” I grab my jacket from where I’d left it on the couch and stuff my arms in the sleeves. “He’s never going to let me go home tonight, is he?”

She laughs. “I really doubt it. Any excuse to keep you in his place, he’ll use it. Is it really so terrible, having a man who cares about you? That wants to be sure you’re safe?”

It’s not.

At least not yet, but there’s always something lurking around the corner.

“Marlena.” Viktor is back. “Let’s get you home.”

Izzy hugs me and gets back to her studying on the couch as we leave.

“To be clear, which home?” I ask him as he helps me up into the passenger seat of his SUV.

He shoots me a look.

“That’s what I thought,” I mumble.