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Except he’d made that decision all on his own.
For me.
“Wow, it’s super empty in here today, huh?” Syrah asks, looking around cluelessly as if she’s just now noticing. “Weird. I thought this place is usually pretty popular.”
I fidget in my seat. “Um, yeah… weird.”
“Definitely.” She redirects her attention back to me. “So, come on, tell me about the job. You’ve barely said two words about it and I’m dying to know.”
This is the third time she’s circled back to the job. If I keep avoiding the question any longer, she’s gonna get suspicious.
“Busy,” I say vaguely. “Both of them have a lot going on. And… the wedding’s coming up, too.” The words taste bitter coming out, no matter how nonchalant I pretend I am.
“Shit, you’re really planning their wedding?”
“I’m helping. Bee’s got a specific vision about what she wants. I’m just the executor.”
Syrah scrunches up her nose. “Blech. Is she a bridezilla?”
“No, no,” I demur quickly, rushing to Bee’s defense. “She’s actually pretty chill. It’s her father that’s the demanding one.”
“Weird. And what about the gray-eyed Adonis she’s marrying? How is he with you?”
I swallow my awkwardness. “He’s polite. And generous. I can’t complain.”
Except that I have a list of complaints seared in my head and the list is only getting longer.
He’s a Bratva don.
He’s marrying another woman.
He’s controlling and possessive and entirely too demanding.
And the worst of all… I can’t stop thinking about him.
Once we’re done with our food, I put the bill on my “expense account,” a.k.a., Dmitri’s personal tab. We’re heading towards the exit when my phone buzzes.
ALEKS: I’m gonna bring the car around. It’s still raining hard so wait for me under the awning. Don’t be a wiseass.
“Dammit,” I mumble under my breath.
“Something wrong?”
I put my phone away. “No, no. Just work stuff.”
We walk out of the restaurant and rain pelts us, sharp and frigid. “Gross!” Syrah says. “It’s torrential out here.”
The valet drives her car up first, so she gives me a quick hug and makes a run for it. She beeps goodbye twice and takes off just as Aleksandr drives the SUV around behind. There are three short steps before the pavement and despite what Aleksandr told me about staying put, I rush down, eager to get out of the cold.
Except I underestimate how slippery those three steps are. My heels slide across the last step and gravity betrays me. I start to cry out, but my scream is cut off when my head bangs hard against the top step, sending ripples of pain shooting through my body.
My vision goes blurry and my limbs go numb, and the sky seems intent on drowning me.
“Wren! Wren! Fuck, are you okay?”
The worry in Aleksandr’s voice reminds me that his neck is on the line here. I want to tell him I’m alright, but I’ve forgotten how my tongue works.
It’s the first time that I feel real fear. But it’s not for myself.
