Other than my mom, no one’s ever said those words to me. My brothers were as good as big brothers can get, but they aren’t exactly holding any awards for emotional intelligence.
I watch his face as he finishes putting a large bandage over his work. His jaw is still set firmly, and the cords of muscles in his neck are tight.
“Now that she’s all taken care of, and you’re taken care of, are you going to tell me what the hell you’re doing in this part of the country?” Seamus, who seems to have run out of patience with being ignored.
Artem takes me down from the countertop.
“He came to get me.” I clean up the wrappers from the suture kit.
“Why? The Volkovs don’t have business on the East Coast anymore.”
“What do you know about my brothers’ businesses?” I demand.
With the same cocky grin Artem sports, he huffs a laugh. “I know enough to stay out of their way. And I know they wouldn’t send their little sister to do business for them.” He lifts his eyesto Artem, giving him a knowing look. “And they wouldn’t let one of their hired hands have anything to do with their little princess.”
“I don’t like him,” I say to Artem, who’s standing beside me with his arms tightly folded over his chest.
Not being one to talk about people behind their back, I turn to Seamus. “I don’t like you.”
He laughs as though I’ve said the funniest thing he’s ever heard.
“Not many people do.”
“She didn’t come to the East Coast for any sort of business. But we’ve had a small run in with Cole O’Brien.”
Seamus lifts his brow. “What sort of run in?”
“The sort that puts a bounty on our heads.”
“How much?”
“Why? You going to turn us in?” There’s a reason Artem has never mentioned his father. Why he acted like he was dead when he told me about his mother and sisters. And I’m starting to understand it. He’s as much of an asshole as my own father.
Seamus’s eyebrows dip, like I’ve just cut him deep with an insult.
“The amount depends on how willing he might be to drop the bounty,” he explains.
“A million each,” Artem says.
“You have a chance. Can you make it right? Whatever you did?” Seamus aims the question at me, as he’s correctly assumed I’m the one who caused the mess.
“Have you heard of Janis Devereaux? He runs the rave scene in Boston.” Artem takes a bottle of water from the fridge, opens it, and puts it in front of me. An obvious order to drink.
“I’ve heard the name, nothing important. Why?”
Artem goes on to explain how I was stupid enough to think I could make the same deal with him that Tony had set up.Seamus listens to everything, never glancing in my direction. It’s as though I’ve been pushed to the side and the big men are talking now.
Nothing makes my blood boil faster than being brushed aside.
“So now this Cole guy is mad because he thinks my brothers sent me, which they didn’t,” I interject when there’s a small pause in the conversation. “I think we should just talk to him, but Artem seems to think we should just hide.”
“Artem knows what he’s doing.” Seamus folds his arms over his chest and leans back against the counter. He sounds like a proud father, putting all of his faith into his son.
Beside me, Artem stiffens. Maybe he’s noticed it too. Maybe the man can’t take a compliment. It’s obvious there’s a messed-up history here, and the moment I get Artem alone I’m going to make him tell me.
He knows everything about me, even things I never told him, it’s only fair he spills his guts to me now.
“If Artem says to lay low, you lay low.” Seamus shoves off the counter. “The bounty is high, but Cole isn’t unreasonable. If all you did was have a conversation with this little prick, it’s more than likely his ego was bruised.”
