“Good. That means he can go a few rounds.” He placed the passport down on his desk, then held out his hand.
Mikhail passed him Nikolai’s wallet.
Letting out a grunt, he placed the passport and wallet into a large manila envelope, then shoved it into his open desk drawer.
“I’ll hold on to these until your debt is paid.”
“My debt?” Nikolai asked. He wasn’t sure what the word meant or why the man was going to hold onto his passport and wallet. This whole night was starting to feel strange.
“Debt,” the man said, waving his hand around like he couldn’t be bothered explaining. “Payment to me for flying you to America, giving you a place to sleep, making sure that you are safe, and that nobody here bothers you. Not even the police.”
Nikolai looked over at Mikhail. He still didn’t understand what the man was talking about.
Mikhail just shook his head.
Letting out a huff as if annoyed, the man behind the desk reached into his other drawer and pulled out a cell phone. He tossed it at Nikolai.
“You keep that phone on you at all times. Mikhail will call you with a time and an address. You be at the address within an hour of his call. Is that understood?”
Nikolai nodded. He had no idea what the man meant or what was going on. He felt so lost and confused.
Did he work for Mikhail now?
Six months ago, Niko had decided that he wanted to move to America. He wanted a better life—to make some money, marry a girl, then have lots and lots of babies.
That was what everyone wanted. Wasn’t it?
A few months later, Niko met Daniil. The man was a wealthy businessman who traveled across the globe, helping people build better lives by moving to the United States.
It was easy, according to Daniil. He had friends living in New York who could hook him up with a job and a nice place to live, and even give him starting-out money so he could buy clothes and food when he first arrived.
The offer was just too good to pass up. So Nikolai kissed his mother and younger sister goodbye, promising to send them money whenever he could.
As promised, once Nikolai arrived in New York, he was picked up by Mikhail and another man who looked like he was ready to go ten rounds in a boxing match.
Nikolai wasn’t sure who the men were, only that they were there to help him settle into his new life in America.
As it turned out, Mikhail was also there to pick up three other people who happened to be on the same flight as him from Russia.
The other three were dropped off at an old apartment building in a neighborhood that looked like it had been through a war of its own. Crumbling buildings, garbage and graffiti everywhere, even people sleeping on park benches.
Seeing such conditions had Nikolai worried and wondering if coming to America had been a mistake. It was in that moment that Mikhail informed him that he was not like the others. Hewas going to take him to his boss, then they would see where he belonged.
The man behind the desk glared at Nikolai, taking him in from top to bottom.
“You know, I think you are right, Mikhail. This one has the looks and the build to make us a lot of money. Take him to the Madison suite. He can live there with the other one. I don’t want this one getting mixed in with the discount crop. This one will be a good addition to the Diamond Squad.” The man looked over at Nikolai. “Only rich pussy for you.”
With that, the man turned to Mikhail, giving him an evil smirk. It was one of those looks villains usually give the hero right before they are led into a dangerous trap.
No longer seeming interested, the boss lowered his head, then continued reading the documents that were on his desk.
Mikhail turned and led him back into the hallway.
“You’re lucky. You’re going to have a much better life here than the others we have already dropped off.”
“What do you mean?” Nikolai asked, following the man down the long hallway. The storm continued to rage outside.
“The boss gave you his blessing. That means that you will only work with our rich, high-end clients. You’ll get to service rich, horny women who aren’t getting fucked by their husbands. They like the big, strong men to service their needs and distract them from their lonely lives.” Mikhail gave him a wicked grin. “You’re going to make us a lot of money.”
