He’s backed me into a corner.
He knows everything, not just the cash I was caught with the other night, but all of it.
I fold my arms tight across my chest just as he relaxes his to his sides. “How?”
“You’re obviously smart, Nina. Smart enough that you’re in med school at the age of 20. But there are only so many ways to steal. And the Bratva has seen most of them.”
“There’s no way to prove it.”
“You’re right, there’s no paper trail. But your strategy — overcharging drunks for drinks they didn’t have — only works on a small scale. Our new accountant caught it immediately.It doesn’t register month-to-month, but when you look at the overall drop in cash flow, it becomes obvious.”
He strides to a table at the corner of the room, in the shadows. “Would you like a whiskey?”
I shudder at the suggestion. The stale smell of whiskey makes my stomach turn. He frowns, those uneven eyes narrowing.
“No. Thank you.” I fold my hands in my lap.
He puts the bottle and glasses down with a clink and looks as though something has just clicked into place.
“How did someone with an aversion to alcohol end up working in a notorious nightclub?”
Once again, he says it as though it’s obvious that I don’t drink. Most people take months to notice.
I don’t have to lie for this one. “You were hiring. And I needed a job. As discussed, that is a thing normal people need to survive.”
“You’re really determined not to reveal anything about yourself to me, aren’t you?”
I set my lips together in a line.
“But I already know something about you, Nina.” A hot chill runs down my spine at the sound of him saying my name. “You look like you wouldn’t hurt a fly. Like a sweet, innocent, good girl. But you would. You’re a survivor. You’ll do whatever it takes.”
I suck in a sharp breath and brush my bangs back from my eyes. He continues, his eyes laser-focused on my face, his lips curling into a smile.
“The first time I saw you, you threw my cousin Valentin out of the bar because he was a drunken menace, after refusing to serve him another glass of vodka. You didn’t care when he told you that he owned the bar. You didn’t care when he then tried to proposition you. He was annoyed. I was fascinated. I returned to the bar so I could watch you work. I kept an eye on you. I know you.”
I stare at my hands and exhale slowly through my mouth. There’s no way I’m keeping my job.
“Nina?”
My breath catches in my throat when I look up to see Artyom standing over me. Gone is the cocky smile. His expression is… tender.
“It didn’t surprise me at all to learn that you’re a thief. But I canhardly criticize. My family name was built on thievery.”
It’s different, I want to scream at him. I don’t turn a profit from an empire built on death.
“I had to,” I whisper, feeling broken. “I had no choice.”
“Your family won’t help with your school fees.” It’s not a question.
“No.”
He tilts his head at me, his golden hair cascading over his forehead, and I feel almost hypnotized by those two different eyes, deep whirlpools that never end.
“I will.”
I shake my head in protest. “I can’t?—”
“There’s a condition. This would be a trade, not a favor.”
