A few minutes later, Nikolai is banging on my front door, letting me know it’s time to go. We have a firm hold on our territory here, so for the most part it’s pretty quiet, but every once in a while, someone will show up, trying to encroach on our area. They always like to see just how far they can push things. Turns out, it’s not that far at all. The second someone steps over that invisible line and tries to sell drugs on our streets, they get shut down. Whether it’s guns or drugs, we’re the only ones who move product in this city.
On our way to Vasya’s, I glance over at Lily’s cabin, making Nikolai laugh and say, “I see you’re still crushing on the teacher.”
I ignore him, which only makes him laugh louder while he reaches over to smack my shoulder. When we get to the main house, the Medvedev brothers are already outside with several of the other guys. Andrei nods over at us while Vasya says, “All right, let’s fucking get this over with. We’re taking three SUVs and meeting on the corner of Sullivan and Morgan Street. We’ll approach on foot from there. We’ve already warned them, so if you see anyone selling that you don’t recognize, you take them out. Understood?”
We all agree and then pile into the three waiting SUVs. Somehow I end up sitting between Vasya and Volodya with Valeri, the youngest Medvedev, in the passenger seat. When he looks back, the grin he’s giving me makes me feel like this was planned.
Vasya confirms it when he asks, “So how are things with Lily?”
Keeping a very neutral face, I ask, “What do you mean?”
Volodya grunts while Valeri laughs and says, “Nice try, but you can cut the bullshit. We’ve all seen you two sneaking around.”
I turn to Vasya when I say, “I haven’t fucked her,” because technically it’s true. “She loves working with your kids, and I swear I’m not doing anything that will make her change her mind about that.”
“You better not,” Vasya says. “Bran loves her.” His eyes meet mine when he adds, “If you break my son’s heart, we’re going to have a big problem, Ilya.”
“It’s not like that,” I say again, but we’re getting close to our drop-off point and now is not the time to declare I’ve fallen in love with Lily, so I settle on, “I’m not going to hurt her or push her away from here.”
He obviously wants to say more, too, but instead he checks his watch and says, “We’ll talk more about this later.”
I nod, not looking forward to it, but also ready to just have it all out and in the open. I’m tired of sneaking around with Lily. I want her all the time, not just in quick, stolen moments. I want her in my bed every night, and I want her to be the first thing I see every morning. I’m not sure how my bosses will take the news, but I do know I’m not backing down on this. I’ll prove it to them just like I’m proving it to Lily. She’s changed me. I’m officially a changed man, a reformed manwhore, whatever the hell you want to call it, and I’ll happily prove it to everyone.
As soon as the SUV stops, we all check our weapons and get out. We’re on the outskirts of where we’ve had issues, but crossing into the dingier part of town won’t take long. Fanning out so we can hit it from several angles, I stick with Nikolai and Vasya and head across the street. We cut through an alley, another side street, and when we hit the edges of an abandoned warehouse, the atmosphere changes. This isn’t the kind of place you walk through unarmed, and from here on out, anyone we meet is not going to be friendly.
Scanning the area, I keep an eye on our left, making sure Vasya’s back is covered, and when he steps into the brick building, we find what we’ve been looking for. The dealer in the corner barely has time to recognize the trouble he’s in before Vasya’s shot him between the eyes. He falls to the ground right as we hear a scuffling sound coming from the corner. With guns drawn, we step closer, and it’s Nikolai who takes the shot as soon as he sees another guy trying to sneak his way out the back.
We hear a few shots in the distance, knowing our guys have found a few other stragglers, and when we’re sure the warehouse is clear, I lead the way back outside. I’ve barely got my foot out the door when I feel the bullet hit my arm. Sharp, burning pain radiates through my arm, but the spike of adrenaline is enough to make me forget it long enough for me to fire off two quick shots, hitting the fucker who was waiting in the shadows.
“Fuck,” I growl, feeling blood soak my arm and drip down my hand.
Vasya and Nikolai make sure we’re alone before coming back to see how badly I’ve been hit.
“It’s nothing,” I tell them. “Just a scratch.”
Nikolai ignores me and rips my shirt so he can get a better look. “It grazed you,” he says, “but it needs stitches. You’re bleeding all over the place, and you’ve completely fucked up my ink.”
“Sorry, man. Maybe you can salvage it after it’s healed.”
He eyes the large evergreen tree I’d asked him to put on my arm, the one that currently has a bloody, jagged slash running through it.
“Come on,” I say with a grin. “We both know you’ve got the talent. You can make it look like lightning struck it.”
He thinks about it, loving the challenge I’ve just presented for his artistic skills. “Maybe,” he finally says.
“Let’s go,” Vasya says. “There’s a first-aid kit in the SUV.”
I don’t bother arguing. It’s not a life-threatening wound, but it still needs to be treated. The sooner, the better. We’ve all had minor medical training, and stitching up my arm isn’t going to be an issue. Knowing the drill, I sit my ass in the back as soon as we reach the vehicle while Vasya and Nikolai get the supplies. My shirt is ripped from my shoulder down, and when I’m doused with antiseptic, I grit my teeth while the two of them laugh.
The others walk over right as Vasya starts injecting me in a series of very painful shots of lidocaine. I swear he’s enjoying every second of this. He proves me right when he slides the needle in once more and asks, “You sure you haven’t fucked her?”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” I say.
Volodya eyes us, watching his brother get the needle and thread. He’s a man of few words, so I’m not all that surprised when he keeps silent. Valeri, on the other hand, couldn’t keep quiet if his life depended on it. His dimple makes him look deceivingly sweet, but there’s no way in hell I’m buying the angelic grin he’s giving me.
“If you lie,” he says, “he’s just going to sew you up crooked.”
“I’m not lying,” I tell them. I meet all three sets of eyes when I say, “I’ve never once lied to any of you.”
