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“I was in the area and heard you were here.” He shrugged. “What else could I do but see the woman who continues to break my heart?”
I scoffed. “Dramatic much?”
Demetri looked like a brawler, standing out from the well-polished, soft aristocrats surrounding us. True to his Russian roots, his blond hair was so light it was almost white, and his blue eyes were piercing and hard. His knuckles were scarred and rough, and his nose had been broken more than once. His suit was just as expensive as anyone else’s, but no one could mistake Demetri for anything but what he was … Russian Mafia.
I hadn’t lied to Brody. Demetri Senior was the driving force in international arms dealing, but his son was no angel. His mother had been the daughter of a high-ranking member, and he’d been raised in that life. That being said, he didn’t directly deal in human trafficking and had never harmed a child, so he was safe from me.
Demetri looked amused. “I’m Russian, my dear. Passion is in the blood.” He snagged a glass of champagne from a passing tray.
“So I’ve been told,” I said lightly.
“So you could experience for yourself,” he said suggestively, reaching for my hand and rubbing his thumb over my knuckles.
I gave him a slow, assessing smile. “I’m well aware.” Pulling my hand away, I sighed. “Too bad I never mix business and pleasure.”
Irritation crossed his face, a shadow of a scowl before he pushed it back. But Demetri was well used to this song and dance. The only reason he tried at this point was that he knew I’d turn him down. We were better off as pseudo-friends than lovers; of that, we were both sure. We recognized that we both wore masks, though try as he might, Demetri couldn’t crack the reason for mine. His need for one wasn’t that original, but it was personal. I didn’t blame him for keeping that part of his life hidden. In his profession, any weakness would be exploited if his enemies found out about it.
Brody caught my eye, his professional appearance barely concealing the irritation I knew was brewing beneath the surface.
“Well, then, I’m afraid that’s my cue to depart. My driver is holding up the line,” I said in the way of apology. “But it was good to see you.”
Demetri gave me a wry look. “I’m always the highlight of your day.”
“That you are.” I gave him a sexy grin as I turned and made my way to the car. I palmed the drive he’d slipped me during our exchange, waiting until we were in the car, where I could rifle around my clutch, pretending to look for my compact while I dropped it into the bag.
“What was that?” Brody asked as I pulled the compact out, using the mirror to check my makeup.
“What was what?” I countered, using a finger to wipe away a bit of eyeliner. It took every bit of my skill and will not to freeze at the accusation. I’d thought our handoff was undetectable, but Brody wasn’t an ordinary civilian, and he was close to us to boot.
“You give everyone the standard greeting tonight, but the one person you’re actually happy to see is an arms dealer?”
I sighed. Demetri didn’t have a scheduled handoff tonight, meaning that whatever he had was extremely time sensitive or important enough he didn’t feel comfortable having the information for longer than necessary. At least Brody hadn’t noticed the exchange. It would be enough of a pain to explain the Russian’s presence and my reaction. The added confusion to the mess was that Demetri thought he occasionally handed off information to me to be passed along to my brothers, who in turn filtered the info to the American government. He didn’t realize that I, in fact, was the American government.
I waved a hand in dismissal. “I already told you, Demetri is not an arms dealer. His father is. Demetri’s harmless.” Well, to me, he was. I wouldn’t say he was to the general population, though.
“So you say,” he scoffed.
“So I know,” I vaulted back. “You know, for someone who hadn’t even met me a week ago, you’re getting pretty high-handed over what I do and who my friends are.” I knew it was a low blow, but offense was the best defense. “You come over here, all judgy about my friends and my life, when I’ve done my best not to hold your association with my brothers or how you even came to be here against you. If you have such a problem with who I am and what I do, just do us both a favor and quit.”
The driver pulled in front of my apartment, and I mourned the lost opportunity to have him swing by someplace to grab food because I sure as shit didn’t have much in the way of groceries. I let Brody escort me from the limo and into the apartment lobby. A doorman was already holding the door for us, and another held the elevator. Once we entered, a palm scan was required before it allowed me to choose my floor. The elevator opened directly into my apartment, so I didn’t bother waiting for it to start its ascent before reaching down to release my feet from the shoes I’d been wearing for the past several hours. Even though he was still fuming, Brody steadied me as I pulled off the second shoe. Wiggling my toes on the thick carpet, I sighed in bliss.
The door opened, and I let Brody do his thing while I waited by the entrance. The apartment was super modern European in design, with all clean lines and shiny surfaces. It was the least favorite of all my properties, but the security was tight, and the other residents were as private as I was, so it worked for what I needed.
I waited for the all-clear from Brody before high-tailing it to my bathroom, overjoyed to finally ditch the glam look and get back into yoga pants and a simple tee shirt I’d stored in my closet. I’d have to dress up again tomorrow, but after the day I’d had, I deserved comfy clothing. I also took the opportunity to place the flash drive D.M. had given me in the hidden compartment of my makeup case.
By the time I’d showered, changed, and returned to the main living area, Brody was in the kitchen making eggs over easy, sliding them on top of brown rice. I wasn’t sure where either had come from—certainly not my kitchen, but the night outlook brightened considerably when I realized food was headed my way. He’d also changed while I was gone, looking comfortable in a tee shirt and jeans. I eyed him suspiciously, trying to get a sense of his mood.
Brody set a plate in front of me before sitting next to me to eat his food. Not sure whether I should poke at him again or leave us in an uneasy truce, I quietly thanked him. We ate in silence, the sounds of our forks scrapping against flatware the only noise in the room.
“I apologize. What I said in the car was out of line,” Brody said when we finished our meal. “And while I still think what you did, meeting with Albrecht and being friendly with Demetri Melnikoff are dangerous things to do—I realize it’s not my business, and I shouldn’t have said anything.”
He still looked frustrated, but I realized it was self-directed. Feeling a pang of sympathy—the man really was just trying to look out for me—I reached over and patted his hand. “I appreciate that you care, Brody. But I’m a big girl and have been looking out for myself for a long time now. I don’t need another male in my life trying to dictate to me or make me feel bad for my life choices.”
“That wasn’t my intention.” His hand flexed under mine as if he wasn’t sure if he should pull away or not. “I just see someone so …” He trailed off.
“Different?” I offered, not sure what word he was looking for but wanting to offer something safe.
“Real.” His answer was firm, his green eyes meeting mine in a stare I couldn’t break away from. “You are so much more real than anyone else I’ve ever met. What you have at home, with your family, is the real you. This world,” he waved a hand around the apartment, “is empty. And I can see that you hate it—the job, the people, the events. And I don’t get why you bother doing it.”
