“Yes. He’s much more familiar with this place than I am,” I said with an eyeroll. “I’ll just be a few minutes. I could use a change of scenery and some pretentious portions.”
After I changed into a pair of black dress pants with a long-sleeved sage blouse and finished the look with a nice set ofblack heels, I pulled my hair back into a slick ponytail, touched up my mascara, and added a touch of lipgloss.
The temps were feeling very fall outside with a slight breeze, so the shirt was the perfect amount of cover without getting too warm. I hadn’t worn any of my nicer clothes since I arrived and it was nice to dress up a bit and go out.
Niko had a driver with him from home of course, but they’d flown in. On the ride, Klara told me all about the trip and how amazing it was. Papa had a plane, and she’d never flown on anything but a commercial jet.
Niko took us all the way to the city, which was a good hour’s drive. The scenery on the way was lush and still mostly green, but touches of red, orange, and yellow mixed into the trees.
As we neared Atlanta, more and more highrises came into view, and once we were in the heart of the city, it was much like home. At least until we got off the highway. Then it was clear it was nothing like home.
There were odd three-way and even five-way intersections. Some streets that were one-way didn’t continue past intersections as one-ways, and some roads that had two-way traffic quickly became one-way streets, so there were lots of turns.
There were also lots of potholes, so at least that was familiar.
The driver pulled up to a building and a valet opened the door. I stepped out onto the sidewalk and looked around as I waited for them. Niko tipped the valet as his own driver pulled away and he opened the door to the restaurant.
Rich smells hit my nose and I turned to smile at my brother. “Italian. Yummy.”
“They have an extensive wine menu as well. Ladies,” he said as he waved us ahead.
The restaurant was gorgeous and upscale, but it wasn’t necessarily fine dining. However, they did boast an impressive wine list just as Niko said and the antipasta was delicious.
I sipped on merlot and asked Niko and Klara tons of questions about home and the restaurant.
“The Antonovs are so sad that you’re gone. They simply couldn’t believe you up and left so quickly,” Klara said, her eyes briefly shooting at Niko.
He unbuttoned his blazer and gave his million dollar smile. “Yes, they asked many questions. But they seemed satisfied when I told them you’d settled down but planned to visit sometime soon.”
“I hope to be up for the holidays. Perhaps Papa can send the–”
I was cut off by loud whispers and gasps, followed by a stern, “Excuse me, if you don’t have a reservation I will have to ask you to leave.”
My jaw dropped. Hawk, Red, and Rooster, all clad in worn jeans and leather cuts, marched past the host. He trailed nervously behind them, still trying to argue his point to their backs.
Putting my wine glass on the table, I stood and said, “What on earth are you doing?”
But Hawk didn’t speak to me. Instead, he grabbed my arm and looked down at Niko. “How dare you?”
Niko stood slowly, his arms wide and placating. “Good afternoon, Hawk. Shall we step outside?”
Hawk jerked my arm then looked back at my friend. “Red, get her.”
“What? No. Don’t touch Klara,” I said, trying to wiggle free while keeping my voice down. Unfortunately, it was useless.
I stopped fighting long enough to get outside where their bikes sat, taking up the whole drop-off lane for the restaurant. The valet looked like he’d seen a ghost.
I looked back to see Klara grinning at Red as he escorted her out. Once the doors closed behind us all, I used my free arm to slap Hawk. He didn’t flinch. Instead, he gripped both of my arms and glared at me. His eyes were practically clear as the sunlight bounced off of them. I nearly forgot I was angry until I heard people mumbling around us.
“Let me go unless you want to be rendered impotent and with a broken nose in front of my brother, that poor man, and all the people standing around now,” I said quietly.
“Hawk, my friend, let’s calm down,” Niko said.
Hawk released me, only to grab Niko by the lapel, inches from his face. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You’ve wildly overstepped this time, Petrov.”
Trying to push them apart, I stared up at Hawk. “What are you talking about? He’s my brother, you maniac.”
“Rooster, get Kristie’s helmet out for her.”
