“I don’t think you run high enough in Jamie’s social circles to know where he takes me,” Kyle replied as he turned to face Oksana.“And my name is Kyle.”
Oksana arched one perfectly shaped brow.“I know.We looked you up after the club.”
“If you knew, then you didn’t need to ask.”
“I’m a woman who likes confirmation of details.”
Oksana wore an ice-blue dress that Kyle assumed was vintage or couture or whatever word people used for fashion.Kyle wouldn’t know; he’d worn a uniform for half his life.That was the least fashionable one could get.What surprised him wasn’t her outfit, which was pretty, if one liked high enough slits that it was obvious she wasn’t wearing underwear.No, what caught his attention was she’d dyed her hair from brown to blonde, the color teasing his memory, but he couldn’t dwell on that just yet.
Oksana hadn’t changed her eye color, though she was still escorted by the pair ofPresnenskaya Bratvamembers from last weekend, their tattoos hidden beneath precise tailoring.The two men stood behind Oksana, a solid presence impossible to miss, much like how Madison stood behind Kyle.
“Men like Jamie Callahan get tired of having the same people in their bed night after night.I suppose he pays you well?”Oksana asked before curving her lips over the rim of her champagne glass to take a sip.Her question was just loud enough to draw the attention of a few nearby people, most of whom weren’t shy about watching the drama unfold.
“He doesn’t,” Kyle replied coldly.“Pay me at all, that is.”
“Interesting.I’d believe blackmail was in play, but you don’t strike me as a man with any worth.”
Kyle tucked his hands into his pant pockets, bunching up the hem of his tuxedo jacket.He had to fight to keep his expression from slipping into the cold, focused mask Alexei had dubbed years ago as hisresting sniper face.Apparently, it tipped people off that he could fuck them up without breaking a sweat, and while his background for this mission said he was supposed to be a Marine, not Strike Force, Kyle’s role was supposed to be that of a kept man now, not a killer.
“You don’t know me at all, Oksana.”
She shrugged off his words.“I know enough.Other than honorable discharge and an investigation into your relationship with your commanding officer, which the Marines found no evidence of, and yet, Jamie has no issues parading you about after the fact.”
“We’re no longer in the Marines.”
“So my research discovered.”
Kyle cocked his head to the side, staring at her, memorizing the features of her face in the museum lighting that was much brighter than the club, but it wasn’t daylight.It wasn’t midday sun shining through a sniper’s scope on a city street.
Kyle was really regretting not carrying a gun with him.
“Do you always dig deep into potential business partners?”Kyle wanted to know.
Oksana flipped a curl over her shoulder, putting the deep neckline of her gown on full display.If Kyle liked women at all, he’d probably be interested in seeing her like this.But he didn’t, so her little show was more annoying than anything else because it was keeping him from getting a goddamn drink to cover up the fact he was looking for explosives.
“Security is my job, much in the vein of the company your friends run.Jamie Callahan is an interesting man, who is friends with interesting people, and who comes from an interesting family.You can learn a lot about a man by the people he surrounds himself with.I’m curious to know what he sees in someone as unrefined as yourself.”
“I call him out when he’s being an asshole.He seems to appreciate that.”
Oksana laughed a little condescendingly at his answer.“Very few in his position do.I doubt his appreciation will last long.”
“I don’t know, it’s been two years since we were discharged.I highly doubt he’ll change his mind.If Jamie didn’t want me, then I wouldn’t be here.”
“I’m glad to see you understand your place.I’m sure Jamie will come to learn his in time.”
“What’sthatsupposed to mean?”Kyle asked sharply.
“Nothing you need to worry about.”Oksana tipped her head in his direction as she turned away.“I really must be going now.I’m sure we’ll meet again soon, Kyle.Da svidanya.”
Kyle watched her walk away and disappear into the crowd, aware of the people around him not bothering to hide their curiosity.Kyle knew Oksana had calculated this quick little meeting to insult him.Why, he didn’t know.And while some of her words had hit a little too close to home, Kyle only had to remember what Jamie had said.
They were playing a role.It wasn’t the truth of what they were.
“Wow,” Madison said in a low voice.“What a bitch.”
Kyle snorted out a laugh.“Yeah.What a bitch.”
He turned around to face Madison, right as a server walked a little too close.Not wanting to get hit in the face by several of the floating trays orbiting the server’s body, Kyle took a step back and ended up bumping into someone behind him.Usually, he knew where everyone else was in relation to himself, but Oksana’s comments seemed to have thrown a wrench into his spatial awareness.
