Page 45 of The Pakhans’ Curvy Prize

"Marla, I really don't⁠—"

"They were here last night," I say quietly. "All three of them. At the same time."

Her head snaps up, her eyes going even wider. "What?"

"They showed up at my cottage." I don't tell her what happened after that. Some things are too mortifying to share even with your best friend. "And this morning, Nick got a call that one of his captains was beaten nearly to death."

Sharon's face loses all its color. "Oh my God."

"So tell me the truth," I say again. "What are they?"

She's quiet for a long moment, her gaze fixed on her hands. When she finally speaks, her voice is barely above a whisper. "There are rumors. Things people say when they think no one's listening."

"What kind of rumors?"

"That the Ivory Wolf isn't just a restaurant and club." She looks up at me, and there's fear in her eyes now. "That it's connected to... to organized crime. Russian mafia. That politicians show up there for private meetings and cops get paid to look the other way."

The words hit me like a physical blow. "Russian mafia."

"I never believed it," Sharon says quickly. "I mean, I heard the rumors, but I thought people were just being dramatic. Rich guys with security and expensive cars, you know? That doesn't automatically mean they're criminals."

"But now you believe it."

She nods slowly. "After what you just told me? Yeah. I believe it."

"Tell me more," I press. "Specific things. What have you actually seen?"

Sharon hesitates, her fingers picking at a loose thread on her sweater. "There are... visitors. Late at night, after we're supposed to be closed. Judges. Politicians. I recognized one of them from the news. And cops, not in uniform, but you can tell. They all act the same way around Russ, Alex, and Nick. Nervous. Careful. Like they're waiting for permission to speak."

"Permission?"

"The staff treats them like... like they own the place. Because they do." Sharon's voice drops even lower. "I've heard bartenders call them 'the three owners' when they think no one's listening. And the way customers act around them, it's not normal. People move out of their way. Conversations stop. It's like the entire room shifts when they walk in."

"What else?" I ask, my stomach twisting.

"There was this one night, maybe two months ago. A customer got drunk and started being loud, disrespectful. One of the bouncers just looked at Nick. Just looked at him. And Nick nodded. That's all it took and the problem was solved."

I stand and walk to the window, staring out at the woods beyond my cottage. Everything is starting to make sense now. The armed security at Nick's building. The way staff at the Ivory Wolf acted around all three men.

"I'm so stupid," I whisper.

"You're not stupid," Sharon says, but her voice lacks conviction. "How were you supposed to know?"

"I should have known." I turn to face her. "All the signs were there. I just didn't want to see them."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know." My hands are shaking again. "I slept with them, Sharon. All three of them and I don't even know who they really are."

Sharon stands and crosses to me, pulling me into a hug. "It's going to be okay. You didn't know. And it's not like you're going to see them again, right? It was just research. One-night stands. You can just... move on."

I want to believe her. I want to think I can just forget about them, but even as I'm thinking it, I hear the sound of engines coming down the gravel driveway.

Sharon and I both freeze.

"Are you expecting someone?" she whispers.

I shake my head, my heart starting to pound. Through the window, I see the first black SUV pull into view. Then the second. Then Alex’s car.