AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Great, let’s go,” Dimitri said, pulling Issac around to walk away.
Volkov called after his son in Russian and Dimitri lifted a hand in acknowledgment as they headed into a slightly thinning crowd.
Felinus fell into step next to Issac, still not seeming bothered by Dimitri’s arm still around Issac’s shoulder.
“How the hell did you get my number, Cat,” Dimitri hissed once they were halfway across the room, glaring at Felinus over the top of Issac’s head.
“From Issac’s phone, obviously,” Felinus said mildly. “And it’s Mr. Drago here, Little Volkov.”
“What are you two talking about,” Issac said, feeling dizzy with what he knew was temporary relief.
Instead of answering him, Dimitri stopped under the stairs where there weren’t any people and handed Issac his phone. A text from a blocked number simply read, “Get Issac now” followed by a small yellow cat head.
“You don’t use the cat head when you are texting me,” Issac said, looking up at Felinus, understanding his lack of reaction now.
The Italian shrugged. “You know who is texting you.”
Dimitri huffed in annoyance as he took the phone back and tapped at the screen. “It won’t let me save the contact.”
“No,” Felinus agreed, “it won’t.”
The look of dislike Dimitri gave Felinus was easily the deepest Issac had seen so far. “Do I get to know why I needed to come get you away from Papa and the other two,” he said, looking at Issac as he put his phone away. “Did something happen?”
Issac studied Dimitri for a moment. Thanks to Felinus and the Italians, Dimitri hadn’t been taking anything Issac told him at face value since yesterday. Despite what it might have looked like, Issac knew Dimitri wasn’t as stupid or gullible as it appeared. Dimitri had been a bit more sheltered than Issac thought possible and that led to him seeing the best in people and wanting to trust them. It was part of the reason Issac hadn’t been able to convince him he was fine last year when he had gotten sick or why he wouldn’t leave Issac’s explanations about his encounters with the Cat alone. Neither of those things had been mundane information to Dimitri and now that he knew that Issac was a liar, simply believing his word wasn’t going to happen. But he also didn’t have it in him to talk about any of this again. Not when Issac had to continue to act normal for another two hours at least. “Not today,” he told Dimitri. “Just… not today. Maybe Monday.”
Dimitri didn’t look particularly happy with that answer as he looked at Issac, his eyes darting briefly to Felinus, but he nodded with a sigh. “Alright, Issac. Just tell me what you need me to do.”
* * *
Felinus was not a jealous man. Brutus wasn’t wrong when he pointed out that Felinus preferred brats, and brats as a general rule liked to try to push buttons in various ways, including trying to flirt with others to make him jealous and get punished for it later. Felinus never got jealous in those scenarios. Usually, he would have to remind his partner afterward that he did not share and reestablish ground rules. At worst, he’d end the relationship then and there if it wasn’t their first warning but it was never emotional. He had no reason to be jealous now as he carefully watched Dimitri and Issac move around the room to mingle.
Adrian had mentioned that Little Volkov had been trying to get Issac to come to events like this for years, and it was clear that Dimitri was enjoying every second of introducing Issac to different groups. Little Volkov had been attending these events for years now, part of his father’s efforts to help him make honest connections with the political persons who showed up to these things. He was the perfect person to be with Issac because other mobsters would try to keep their distance as part of the off limits and Issac could do meet-and-greets with the sort of people he would be working for and with in a very short period of time.
Felinus had sent the message to Dimitri for that exact reason the second he had realized that O’Hare was likely with the other two mob leaders. It had been a good call.
Dimitri had come in at the perfect time, loud, boisterous, and painfully honest in appearance, giving away nothing that he was after anything except Issac’s attention. Perhaps it helped that Issac’s attention was something that Dimitri still obviously wanted. Felinus could see it as the two college students mingled amongst other “honest” men and women from a distance. It was the way he stole little touches here and there when Issac’s attention was drawn away from the conversation, how he kept putting his arm around Issac’s shoulder when they moved from one group to another for more introductions, how his smile widened as Issac started to relax and talk more as the evening drew on.
They just didn’t have to look so good together.
He knew that he and Issac were, for now, a bit of an odd pairing. Issac with his thin frame and the still too big clothes looked as if he was just putting life together. Felinus was just too… put together and severe to look like he belonged next to a surly college student.
Dimitri, on the other hand, had all the appearance of a complementing force next to Issac’s reservations. He was attractive, there was no denying that even in his cheap suit, and rather than overshadowing Issac like Felinus had hoped, his loud presence put a spotlight equally on them both in all the right ways.
“If you don’t blink, someone is going to mistake you for one of the sculptures,” Lucio said quietly as he moved to stand at Felinus’s shoulder, either pretending or actually looking at the information for the art behind Felinus.
Felinus scowled and forced his eyes away from Dimitri and Issac as they talked to two women whom Felinus thought worked for the hospital board. “Didn’t figure you for the sculpture sort,” he said, glancing back at the abstract shapes of stone and metal. “Don’t you worry about the dogs knocking it over?”
“No. If anything, I’d be more worried about someone trying to use it to hit the girls to get them away.” Lucio wrinkled his nose at the thought of someone hurting his precious attack dogs. “I know the rules, but you look as if you could talk to someone. What’s going on, cugino?” He glanced back at Issac and Dimitri. “Why so mad about sharing his attention?”
“I am not mad about sharing his attention,” Felinus said, crossing his arms.
“Then what crawled up your ass and died,” Lucio asked, rolling his eyes. “You aren’t the jealous type.”
Felinus didn’t answer. He didn’t have a reason to be jealous. Issac had tolerated Dimitri over the years because Dimitri’s friendliness gave Issac some semblance of stability, but he thought of Dimitri as a platonic friend, at best. At the end of the night, it was going to be Felinus’s car he got into to return to Felinus’s home and to the bed they had been sharing the last three nights. There was literally nothing to feel jealous about. Except… “Clovers, eleven-thirty on me,” he breathed, watching O’Hare and another Irishman walk into the room for the silent auction.
Lucio sighed. “I am never going to you for ‘no questions asked’ ever again,” he said, turning around. “Figure your shit out, Felinus. Whatever this,” he gestured to him, “is? It’s a bad look.”
Felinus grimaced as Lucio walked away, somehow managing to make it look like an accident when he bumped the elbow of the other Irishman to spill his drink. His cousin always could make himself look like the innocent bystander in a conflict, swooping in with loud tutting and his own pocket handkerchief to help the man and O’Hare clean up the spill. Ironic considering his main task was to make people hurt for not paying their debts. To his right, Dimitri glanced in the direction of the noise and, Felinus hated to admit, skillfully moved the group out of the sight of the men and then out of the conversation altogether to leave the room.
