“That’s what the locals call it. We process heavy machinery here. Loud, dirty work—and where the real money is made.”
The SUV idles beside a loading dock.
Lev waits for us. At his side stands Ivan, a young man with wire-rimmed glasses clutching a tablet.
The engine dies with a quiet click.
“Out.”
She slips from the car, vividly out of place. She steps over a puddle of hydraulic fluid, her nose wrinkling at the smell, and walks to the edge of the loading dock, peering out at the gray, churning water of the river, distancing herself from the grit.
A female guard emerges from the shadows of the loading dock.
She’s tall, with platinum blonde hair cut into a sharp bob and a holster on her hip. Her gait has a confident sway.
"Konstantin," she purrs, ignoring Lev entirely as she stops inches from me, her expression bold and inviting. She places a hand on my chest, her red fingernails scratching lightly against my lapel. "It's been a while since you came down to the pit."
"I’m working," I say, removing her hand.
"You're always working." Her eyes slide to Helena, looking her up and down with a sneer of amusement. "And who is the stray? New secretary?"
"Director," I correct. "Go check the perimeter."
The guard smirks, lingering for a second too long, her gaze dropping to my mouth before she turns. "My shift ends at midnight, Boss. If you need... anything."
She winks and saunters off toward the fence.
A headache pulses at the base of my skull. There isn’t time for this.
“Lev, keep her here,” I order, gesturing to Helena. “I need to input the manual override at the gate.”
With that, my back turns to them as I stride a few paces toward the heavy steel control panel mounted on the wall. The code is punched into the keypad.
“Does she always touch him like that?” Helena asks in a harsh whisper, loud enough for me to hear despite her attempt at discretion.
My finger hovers over the keypad.
“She’s friendly,” Lev replies neutrally.
“Friendly?” A bitter laugh escapes her. “She practically offered to give him a lap dance right here on the concrete. Is that his girlfriend?”
“No,” Lev answers, not giving an inch.
“Then what is she?” she presses. “She acted like she owns him.”
A smirk threatens as the second sequence is entered.
“She’s a distraction,” Lev says carefully, clearly trying to navigate the minefield. “She likes the power of being near the Boss. But she’s just a guard.”
“She seems very comfortable with him,” Helena mutters. “I guess he has a type. Blonde. Armed. Available.”
“Employees are often comfortable, Miss Blackwood,” Lev says. “But there’s a difference. She works the floor and stays on the concrete.”
Over my shoulder, the scene behind me comes back into view.
Lev has leaned closer to her, lowering his voice.
"The Boss never brings distractions upstairs," Lev says. "He never brings a woman into the War Room. He doesn't show them the maps. He doesn't show them the secrets."
