“Sweetheart, no offense, but I get hurt a lot.Do you want to take responsibility for every single time I’ve been shot or stabbed?Be my guest, but trust me, that is a lot of guilt you don’t need.You need to stop blaming yourself.You’re supposed to be keeping me company.So do that, sweetheart.I don’t need to see you miserable, because if that happens, Alexey is going to be pissed at me.I don’t want him to be pissed at me.”
“Alexey won’t be pissed at you,” she said.“He’ll be annoyed with me for upsetting you.”
Nikolai frowned.“You really don’t see it, do you?”
“See what?”
He shook his head.“That is not for me to say, but for you to find out.”
“Do you think I should hand myself over to Vincent Morello?Do you think that would help?”
The machines beeped.
Nikolai shook his head and scrunched up his face.“Don’t say that kind of shit.”
“But it could stop what is happening now.”
“No, it’s not going to stop.If you hand yourself over to Vincent, he is going to torture you.Trust me, the shit they do.I know we can’t talk, because we’re just as bad, but you killed his son to protect Alexey Baranov.To Morello, that is the worst kind of traitor.It wouldn’t be good for you.You don’t hand yourself over.You don’t do any stupid shit.You got it?You’d make it worse.Once he was done with you—and trust me, he would make sure Alexey knew about it and make him watch—then he’d come after all of us.He’d make war.There’s a chance Alexey, Makar, Igor, and I would be able to win, but losing you would make Alexey crazy.You don’t want to see that man lose his shit.It would be a bloodbath, and anyone who stood in his way would likely get killed.”
****
“Iwant to take youout to celebrate,” Alexey said, coming into the bedroom to see Jane putting away some laundry.
It had been two weeks since Nikolai’s life hung in the balance, and today, he, Makar, and Igor were able to take him home.They were going to take turns watching him.Right now, he was staying with Makar.They were going to alternate where they were letting him stay.
Alexey was happy to take him, but Nikolai said there would be time to have Jane waiting on him hand and foot.Nikolai had also warned him he was going to have to get used to Jane coming to his beck and call.He didn’t like to admit it, but it pissed him off.He didn’t like the thought of his woman going to any other man.
“You want to go out?”Jane asked.“Do you think that is safe?”
“Yeah, I do.”
Vincent had a few other problems to deal with.Not only had Vincent come and attacked a few more of his casinos, he had also taken out one of his launderettes.Alexey was not letting the attacks slide.He knew of Vincent’s drug operation, and he had sent a nice little package in the mail that had resulted in the lab exploding.It was on a Sunday, so he made sure the package was delivered on Saturday, giving it enough time to sit, and then,boom.
Like clockwork, several other explosives had been sent.Vincent had started this war, or at least Frank had started this, and he was just going to end it.
Alexey had killed several of Vincent’s top allies as well.The Morello mafia was looking weak.
There was not a better time to take Jane out.He also understood what his friends were saying, and he didn’t want to keep Jane locked up in this apartment with no chance of ever getting out.She deserved better than that.
“Would you like to go out?”he asked.
She offered him a big smile, and he was addicted to the dimples in her cheeks.“Yeah, I do.”
“So, would you like to go to a nice, fancy restaurant, or would you like to go dancing?”
“I have options?”
“Those two,” he said.“Dancing or dinner.”
“I’d like to go dancing.I’ve never been, and I can make dinner anytime.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.“Then, I’ll take you dancing.”
She looked so happy.She wound her arms around the back of his neck.“This is exciting.”
“I got you a dress outside for you to wear.”
“You don’t think jeans and sneakers are going to cut it?”she asked.
