His eyes locked on mine, a crooked half-smile twisting his lips. “You know, some have been curious about the mysteriouschernaya zhenshchina(black woman) that Maxim Sidorov extended protection to. If that is the woman you speak of, I saw an image of her… in passing, of course. A beauty, that one. So, yes.” His smile widened as he spoke. “Yes, I can imagine what would have happened to your woman. It could have been so… unfortunate.”
He was smug, amused at the thought of how badly Theory could’ve been hurt. My blood was simmering, headed toward a rolling boil, but my demeanor remained calm, composed.
“I’m glad that situation was avoided. But just the possibility… you do understand why someone has to pay, right?” I asked.
His smile slipped just a little. “I do. And I hope you find him. I know that it must really have gotten beneath your skin, the way someone outsmarted whatever the great Sidorov family had in place. I can tell by your impulsiveness in bringing me, an innocent man, here and having me assaulted. I understand that you can’t help it.Your peopleare so emotional and reactionary; you must take after your mother more than Sergei. He always seems so intelligent, so logical.”
Juvie made a disgusted sound behind me. “Emotional and reactionary? Yo, Targen, let me emote and react across this nigga’s head,” he spat.
I held up a hand, silencing Juvie. “I’d like to think I’m just as logical and reasoned as my father. We’re sitting here talking calmly, right?”
I looked around the room expectantly. Mikhail nodded once.
“Da,” rumbled Grigor.
Juvie mimed shivering. “Cool as a frozen cucumber,” he agreed.
Smiling, I let my gaze return to Igor.
“See? This is how logical and reasoned looks. But just for demonstration purposes, emotional and reactionary would be something like this.”
I was out of the chair and fisting his hair before he realized it. I slammed his face into the table until I was satisfied with the pattern of the blood spatter on the surface. I liked to imagine myself quite the abstractartiste. He’d disrespected the two women I loved most. No matter how composed I presented, no one was about to play in my face. I sat back down, watching him cradle his fucked-up jaw. The blond looked from me to Igor, then down at the table, his bobbing Adam's apple betraying his nervous swallowing.
“Now, Igor, I didn’t come here for that today. I just wanted to know who hired you. That’s all. You could’ve gone on living with your nose and lips intact,” I lied. “I’m tired of playing with you, though. You did this shit. You put my woman in danger. You?—”
“Blyat!” he groaned. “Poshel na khuy!Idi na khuy i tvoya suka!”
The angry cursing made me laugh. Mikhail, Timur, and Grigor moved, ready to end him, I knew, for daring to talk to me that way.
“Fuck he say?” Juvie asked.
“Told me to go fuck myself and called my girl a bitch, basically,” I translated. “I think he was feeling a little emotional and reactionary.”
Juvie exhaled heavily, his face twisting into a scowl. “You through playing yet?
“Almost. Igor still has something to tell me.”
“I have nothing to tell you. I will never have anything to tell you, fuckingmudak,” Igor vowed.
I shrugged. “Oh, I think you will. I trust Grigor and Timur will change your mind.”
“Wh-what about me?” the blond man finally spoke up.
I held up both hands. “All I know is that Maxim wanted you here.”
“That means you done fucked up somewhere,” Juvie explained with a smile.
I stood again, straightening my tie. “If you’ll excuse me, Igor. I’m meeting my fiancée for lunch. And you have an urgent meeting with Grigor and Timur. But trust,” I said, my eyes boring into his, “I’ll be back.”
(The Present)
“Not again,” she moaned, but she still snuggled into me like my chest was the only pillow she needed.
Satisfaction spread through me quietly. Shit just felt right.It’s just for a minute, I warned myself, even though I hoped I was lying.
“Again. I’m sorry,” I said. “But after we eat, we can have a lazy afternoon.”
She sighed and pulled away just enough to look at me. “A doula, Targen? Really? First, I’m not pregnant?—”
