Sephie is just a waitress trying to survive her late shifts, joking with her charming bartender friend Max and finding comfort in her kind neighbors. But once a month, she serves the city’s most dangerous crime bosses: a job that pays well but comes with risks. Tonight, as black SUVs arrive, she braces herself, unaware her life is about to change forever.
“I agree with Ivan,” Vitaliy said. She cut her eyes at both of us, shrugging her shoulders. “This is how I’ve always been. I don’t know any different.” “What about the other two?” he asked. “We’re not sure. They haven’t shown any signs that we know of yet, although Stephen is very adept at breaking…
“Explain,” Vitaliy said, clearly curious. We hadn’t gone into explicit detail about Armando’s betrayal and Vitaliy didn’t know yet that Ivan and I were taken. When he heard all the details of what had happened, he was clearly angry, but surprisingly, it was somewhat directed at me. “You said you got hurt and couldn’t train.…
I was quietly buttoning up my shirt on her as she talked, thinking about what she was telling me. I still couldn’t look away from her eyes, as they kept changing while she talked. “Did he tell you what was different about him?” “No, but he said your mother knew I was coming. She also…
“She’s got plenty of clothes. She’s also likely got plenty of money to buy new ones. She can leave everything here if she wants to travel light. Are you going to put her on a commercial flight or a private plane?” I asked. “Commercial. We’ll be using the plane to get Trino,” Adrik said. “So,…
“I know. I was waiting for him, too,” I said. Vitaliy’s face was shocked when I responded in Russian, but we all watched as a very sly smile spread across his face. I heard the collective gasp from the guys behind me. I’m guessing this is the first time this man has smiled in public.…
“You can ask Trino, too. He saw me and Misha sparring once. He still hasn’t recovered,” I said, laughing. Vitaliy looked at me like a man who was remembering things he hadn’t let himself think of in years. “Come, we should go back. You’ve given an old man a treat. I won’t keep you any…
“Is that even a cookie?” Misha asked. “It’s why it’s perfect. Is Ivan even a real person?” Stephen asked, laughing. It just so happened that Ivan and Adrik walked back in right as he said that which caused more laughter from everyone. Stephen apologized when he saw Ivan. “Don’t apologize. I ask myself that question…
“He does. Trino was making a name for himself before I took over for my father. Trino made his move shortly after I took over, partly because we had already worked out a deal for after he took over. The guy he took power from was hated by pretty much everyone. It was in my…
I felt Adrik’s warm hands on my back. “Talk to me, love. What happened?” He ran his hand lightly over my back until I was sure I was done. When I stood I. he handed me a towel. I went to the sink to wash my mouth out and splashed water on my face as…
“Sometimes she knows when it happens, but she said she feels like they’re going rogue. The more times it happens, the more control she’s getting over it, but you know how she is. Sometimes she’s unexpectedly hit with very strong feelings. After what happened with Trino’s guys, I feel the need to protect her from…