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This whole world was new to me, but years of binge-watching legal dramas taught me a few things. This was not a chitchat. Vinny wanted to know if I could be trusted and I had to be careful with how much information I gave or I would blow my cover.
“He makes me happy,” I explained, wanting to sound like I was in love. For dramatic effect, I glanced at Sebastian wearing my most adoring smile. “And I respect him. We are great partners. We help each other.”
Vinny nodded and opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Sebastian. “You two seem to be getting along well. I need to discuss something with the others.” Then, he looked at me. “Vinny can be a little grumpy when he is bored. Show him that you understand our guests’ needs. Distract him.”
“I doubt that will be the case today,” Vinny hollered back. One man with a tattoo on his neck murmured something unintelligible and they all roared with laughter.
I watched them leave, relieved I was being excluded from their meeting. I could handle one mafia member, not four. Or five, if we counted Sebastian. More importantly, I understood that my safety in this room was guaranteed. One of Sebastian’s bodyguards was standing by the door and two others were in the corridor. There was no reason for me to panic, I kept repeating to myself, for I had no choice but to get into Russina’s character.
Moments later, I felt a grip on my arm. Vinny had brought me closer to him. Licking his lips, he glanced down at my chest. The thirst in his dark brown eyes told me I was wrong about not panicking.
“Show me how well you can sway those hips, little one.” He released my hand, pushed back his chair, and crossed one leg over the other.
There were many things I could do but dancing was not one of them. I had two left feet. How the hell was I supposed to entertain him? He didn’t strike me as someone with a sense of humor so a good laugh wasn’t what he was after. He wanted me to strip for him and I didn’t think I could do that. My mind started racing as he waited. Sweat gathered on my forehead, then the Latino beats gave me an idea.Salsa.I could do that. I just had to sway my hips, nothing too complicated.
“Go on. I haven’t got all day,” Vinny prompted.
You can do this. I rose from my seat and took two steps backward. My eyes fluttering close, I soaked myself in the music and pushed my hips to the right and to the left. I repeated the motions until I had a flawless rhythm. To add more flair, I placed my hands on my hip bones and pinned my gaze to his.
“What do you think you are doing?” he asked, looking at me like there was something wrong with me. His face twisted in anger and I stopped moving. Vinny didn’t seem impressed at all. His face had tightened and the corners of his mouth were twitching.
“I’m dancing salsa for you,” I purred.
He stared at me for a few seconds then burst into laughter. “You think you are funny, don’t you?” In a split second, his face had twisted into a baleful glare and he advanced towards me. “This is a waste of my fucking time!”
8
Marinka
“Where are you taking me?I don’t see what the problem is,” I said, panting as I trudged alongside him. His grip was tight and painful. He was a large man, so I struggled to keep up with him.
Vinny completely ignored me. He was now dragging me up the stairs, his breaths heavy and fast like those of a wounded lion. I was confused and scared. What had I done wrong? Maybe he was the kind of guy who liked to overreact.
Marco, who was guarding Sebastian’s office, moved his hand towards his gun and stepped to us. His eyes fluttered from Vinny to me, concern creeping up his face.
“Fucking move!” Vinny growled, and pushed me forward. My shoulder bumped against the guard’s hard chest and I winced.
Vinny pushed me roughly inside the room. Sebastian was seated at his desk, scribbling on a notebook. At the end of the gray sofa sat a guy I dubbed Tattooed Man, with intricate ink designs anywhere visible on his flesh, except his face. With help from the man Sebastian had called Kenny, he was counting wads of cash and stowing them away in a black duffel bag while the other three whispered amongst themselves. This scene couldn’t have been more cliché. Anyone who walked in here now could tell straight away these guys were part of some sort of mafia family engaged in criminal activity.
They all looked alarmed as we barged inside. Instinctively, my eyes met Sebastian’s. He was surprised, glancing from me to Vinny. Slowly, he dropped the pen, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair. His teeth sank in his bottom lip and his eyes narrowed to slits. This day was getting better and better.
“Here is your wifey Sebastian!” Vinny growled. “Russians can’t be trusted. Isn’t that what I have been saying all this time?”
His partners exchanged perplexed glances and straightened their postures. Tattooed Man abandoned the cash and paced to us. At the same time, Sebastian left his seat. He came to stand between Tattooed Man and me like a protector, but who was I kidding? If push came to shove, he wouldn’t bat an eyelid at them shooting me dead, or maybe he would shoot me himself. His eyes sparked with anxiety underneath a cover of steel regard, which proved my point.
“What seems to be the problem?” he said calmly, his eyes darting from Vinny to me. The initial cloud of agitation on his face was quickly replaced by a layer of tranquility.
“You need to get rid of your so-called wife,” Vinny demanded. “She is a liability.”
Sebastian smiled. “What do you mean?”
“I told her to dance and that bitch started to mock me. Do you think I come here to be fucking mocked?” he asked.
All right, now I understood. Fuck, I really did screw this up, but that was done unintentionally. I didn’t know that he didn’t like salsa. I mean, the moves were supposed to be entertaining—at least for someone like me who had no idea how to put one foot in front of the other.
“I didn’t try to mock you, Vinny, don’t be ridiculous. I’m pretty good at dancing salsa,” I told him, trying to turn this into a joke, but sadly no one was laughing. Sebastian gave me a long, intense look that clearly said I needed to shut my mouth immediately. So, I did. But I couldn’t help being nervous, so I bit my bottom lip to stop myself from making a sound.
God, they were high-strung—which didn’t help me in the least bit.
