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“You come now. I get you to the train station where your car is parked and then you can drive home from there.” She didn’t move. He exhaled, pulled out his cell phone.
“Refusing to go, explain.” He said and then handed her the phone.
“Hello?”
“Annabella, it’s Griska. Go with Dante, Mr. Sokolov arranged the ride. He will do you no harm. That’s an order.” The phone clicked off. She handed it back to Dante and she was beginning to panic further.
“Let’s go, the car is waiting.” He said and she knew enough from working at Gables that Ivan Sokolov was a very powerful man and one people dropped everything for. Lucca said he was the most important person who came into Gables and she was to always do as he said and to comply with any requests by him. She however didn’t know any of these people, Griska included that well to trust them.
“If this is some kind of trick, you will regret it.” She said getting up from the table.
“Not a trick.” He said and she grabbed her things and then placed money on the table for the bill before they headed outside. She caught sight of the black SUV sitting there running. He opened the back door for her and it was empty. Thank God, however the man in the front seat was big, and didn’t look happy either. Did any of these Russian guys ever smile? Dante closed the door after she got in with her bags and then he walked around to the passenger front seat and got inside next to the other big guy.
“Secured and on our way. Da.” He said into the phone.
She leaned back and couldn’t help but worry. Her mind going in one direction after the next. Was Dante, Mr. Sokolov and others she met at Gables out to hurt her? What was it they wanted?
“You can lean back and relax. We will be at train station within the hour.” He said to her.
“This really wasn’t necessary. I’m sure you have better things to do than this.” She said to Dante.
“Da.” He replied. She learned that Da meant yes in Russian apparently and had picked up on a few things here and there. Ultimately, that some shady, and criminal wealthy individuals frequented Gables, and many patrons were carrying guns. If anyone decided to draw a weapon, it would be a massacre in the place. She tried not to think about that, and instead a steady check, and the lovely tips she had been getting. Overall, she loved working at Gables. It was old, authentic, had a charm to the décor and all the memorabilia around the place. It made her think about the lives of those who worked there centuries ago, as well as those who lived in the building before it was transformed into a bar and night club.
She leaned back. Relax? I don’t think so. I don’t trust anyone and certainly not gangsters or whatever they were.
****
It was becoming a routine. Each night she worked Annabella would change upstairs and then come down ready to leave for the café but Dante was there or Mirnon, the big Russian guy who always drove. They would take her to the train station to get her car, and she would be home hours earlier than she had been before the gesture. She didn’t like feeling that she owed Mr. Sokolov anything for having his friends, or guards drive her. She noticed him watching her, and he would give a nod if she lipped a thank you, or even gave a little bow toward him. When she realized she did something so submissive she tilted her chin up and gave a nod up, like a ‘what’s up’ instead. He narrowed his eyes and she of course quickly looked away.
The man was intimidating in every aspect of the word. From his demeanor, his guards, the custom suits, the power he emitted, never mind his incredible good looks, and yeah, she was shaking. He was handsome, older, with jet black hair and dark grey eyes. She watched him when she thought he wasn’t looking. She saw how people had to get approval from his guards, which he had several, including Commerce who was just a sexy and gorgeous but more charismatic and outgoing, a complete flirt. Totally her friend Louisa’s type of guy. When Commerce was around he was always with another guy, Striker, definitely military as well.
She took the time to figure out who was close to Ivan. Dante she believed Lucca said was his cousin, as were Roman and Mirnon, but there was one bad ass, mean looking dude with a scar by his eye who reminded her of the Grimm Reaper, his name was Rogan. When he caught her looking at Ivan and the crew of security, he narrowed those dark eyes at her and she felt like she committed a crime and the sentence was death. She was careful not to look and observe so much when that guy was nearby.
She was trying to get an understanding of the clientele other than Ivan as well. Especially because Lucca’s words of advice about who to avoid, and how she was better off not hooking up with certain men, as if she was that kind of woman. He said if any of the men around there really wanted her in their bed, that she wouldn’t stand a chance to avoid it. Which pissed her off, but he did make sure she stayed clear of certain individuals. A guy by the name of Lanka Volchek, and several other men who came into the bar every so often and even she noticed their presence put Ivan’s security on guard.
Then of course Mica and Brook, who worked the tables for all these men, being their private servers, had filled her in on things. Like who to really cater to, who not to piss off, who not to make direct eye contact with, who were the best tippers, and so on. Her head was spinning trying to remember things, so she added notes in her cell phone. They too informed her that men asked questions about Annabella, and Mica and Brook would tell them that Annabella doesn’t date, or that she was seeing someone. That brought her mind back to Ivan and this peculiar situation where he had his guards driving her to the train station. What was he after?
He was also here at Gables tonight. He had some meeting downstairs and they hadn’t gotten out yet but Lucca said she could get ready to go. Even he knew about the rides and seemed to be treating her differently. When she asked him why Mr. Sokolov had his guys giving her rides, he told her to just accept them, and be sure to never make Mr. Sokolov or his security guys angry. That made her feel even more nervous, and also ready to decline any more rides.
She placed her bags on the stool by the bar and looked around for Dante. He told her to wait at the bar. Then Lucca’s warning was beginning to wreak havoc on her brain and she was imagining bad things. She stood there and debated about leaving anyway. And as she lifted her bags from the chair she could hear the conversation in Russian as their meeting ended. A glance that way and she recognized a few of the businessmen she had seen in the bar before. Ched Maloney and his buddy Aiden, Another two men, she believed their names were Rocco and Smitt, and she was pretty sure they knew the bartender Berin. Dmitri didn’t care for Berin at all and there was bad blood between them.
They looked at her, and then back towards Ivan and Dante. Roman and Mirnon walked the men out. Ivan said something to Dante and then he approached her. With every step the man took she could sense his authority and power. He was a force and she wasn’t stupid. She knew not to piss this man off, whomever he really was.
When his eyes moved over her body, it came alive, and that was like a punch to her stomach. The shock, the intensity of it was like nothing she ever felt before. Why him? What am I, out of my mind?
“A long night, Annabella.”
“Yes Mr. Sokolov.”
“You’ll ride with me this evening.” He said to her, shocking her, as he motioned with his hand for her to walk with them. She gulped.
“Is that really necessary?” She asked, slowly grabbing her things. She didn’t want any trouble, and Ivan intimidated her.
“You are safe with me Annabella.” He said in that Russian accent, yet his eyes were dark, un-telling, and she felt conflicted. He was an important man. He hadn’t done anything as of yet to hurt her, or put fear in her. So what was he up to? She didn’t move.
“This isn’t really necessary. I appreciate the gesture and your concern, but I can take care of myself, and don’t need a ride, or whatever else this is all about.” He narrowed his eyes at her, and she gulped. He glanced over her body as though analyzing her outfit, her body, her appearance at nearly four o’clock in the morning, she lowered her eyes and hoped she didn’t look as tired as she felt.
“You’ll accept the ride. That’s all it is.” He said, dismissing any crazy ideas in her mind that this man was after something sexual from her. So why did she feel a little ache of disappointment? She needed to just accept the damn ride and head home. Next week she would find an excuse to not accept.
