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“Add fries, and anything else he wants to that order.” I may as well show him I could spoil him.
“Can I have a milkshake?”
I nodded yes.
Once the waitress took off with our orders, I got down to business.
“I’m not from around here—”
Roman snorted. “You don’t say.”
I leveled him with one look.
“I mean your obvious accent—” He then shut up immediately and took a huge gulp of water.
Good to see I still got it.
“Like I was saying, I’m not from around here. My home is way across the other side of the world. I need someone who knows how to get what I need in this country. In exchange, I will feed you, clothe you, and train you. Once I’ve gotten my empire back, you will reap the benefits.”
He squinted his eyes at me in suspicion. “What kind of benefits, and what’s this training?”
“You’ll be paid a large sum of money to keep working for me. I’ll put you in the best schools and I’ll make sure that your every need is met. However, loyalty is very important to me. Do you understand this?”
He nodded.
“Good, as for the training, I need to teach you how to fight and use weapons, bare minimum. You’ll need to learn how to defend yourself and protect me. I have a lot of enemies.”
“So, you’re like a bad guy who does bad things?”
I shot him a knowing look. “Does it matter?”
“No, sir.”
The waitress came back with his milkshake, and I decided that was enough explanations. I couldn’t rely on Roger for everything anymore. I had to forge new alliances. I needed to learn about the culture and the area.
Our food came out, and we wolfed it down.
After we ate, Roman reluctantly followed me back to my hotel. He kept casting me suspicious glances, and while it annoyed me, I said nothing. I imagined that, in his case, experience was the mother of all knowledge, and he likely learned early on to be suspicious of men wanting to take him back to their room.
When we reached the hotel, I went to the front desk and secured the room next to mine. I then offered Roman a copy of my room key in case he needed to get it, but I purposely did not request a copy of his. This seemed to relax him. However, I did make him promise he would knock before he just barged in and interrupted me, and I would do the same for him if it ever applied.
I sent a text to my errand boy and asked him to pick up a few things for Roman. “I’m going to head out. If you need anything, slip a note under my door, and I’ll get it for you. Order as much room service as you want and have them bill the room. My personal assistant will be coming by with some new clothes for you to wear. Make sure you get yourself in the shower, please.”
“Thank you, sir. But I don’t need anything.” Roman blushed and ducked his head.
I clicked my tongue at him. “None of that. I need to get you clothes and a phone, at the least. How else will I be able to contact you?”
I didn’t give him a chance to respond to that. I simply left. He knew. He understood. And I wasn’t going to keep reminding him of his humble beginnings. Even at ten or eleven, he had his pride, and I needed to respect that. And he needed to see me as his boss, not his caregiver.
Night had settled across the town, so I went back to my room and put on a different outfit. One meant to impress. Before leaving, I checked to make sure I had my room key, phone, and watch. Not that anyone would contact me, but old habits die hard. I never knew if Roger would reach out, so I pocketed the burner phone as well.
The flashing lights of a hole in the wall lured me in with promises of cheap alcohol that could break up the boredom of banishment. I didn’t usually drink the cheap stuff, but in America, it was all cheap stuff, even when the price tag said otherwise. If it would help me get away from my troubles for a time, fuck it.
I picked a table all the way in the back corner so I could look over everyone in the bar. The women so far all looked the same. Dressed scantily, their assets on display, not leaving much to the imagination. It looked like any bar in Russia except the alcohol was crap and the music sucked. Nothing was appealing. I ordered an American beer for the hell of it. When in Rome, as they said…
It was worthless piss water, but I forced myself to drink it anyway. Then I looked around, hoping I’d gulped down enough shitty alcohol to make the women a little more attractive.
Nope.
