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“Very good. Best of luck to you, Ms. Orlov.”
“Thank you.” Maya’s frown deepened as she sat back in her chair, lost for how to react. Disappointment dragged her spirits down, and she wished that she’d never taken the call at all. It would have been kinder hearing the rejection through voicemail. She’d invested more hours than she cared to count in researching ideal locations for the new shelter, narrowing down her choices, investigating the permits and paperwork required, and filling out form after endless form…and all of it had been for naught. “Have a good day, Mr. Wright.”
“You, as well.”
The line went dead. Maya set the phone back in its cradle. If Kostya hadn’t been leaning against the door, watching her, she would have sunk down onto her desk and allowed herself a few minutes to mourn.
“The call didn’t go well?” Kostya asked.
Maya shook her head. “No.”
“It was for the new shelter you were planning to open, wasn’t it?”
She nodded. “They shot me down on a technicality. I’ve never even heard of this…thisurban development and social serviceschapter of city law. I swear, I read through every resource I could find at least twice until I was sure I knew what I was talking about, and that I wasn’t infringing on any obscure laws. I can’t help but feel like they’re shooting us down just because we’d be helping the homeless.”
“People say that criminals are heartless, soulless beings…but they never seem to think the same of their own governments.” Kostya shrugged. He tilted the chair forward so all four legs came back in contact with the ground. “If they’ve denied your application, you can try again, and again, until you can rally enough support to change their minds. Under fire, they will fold. The men in charge don’t like to be in the spotlight any more than the crime families do, and they will give you what you want if you threaten them with publicity.”
“Is that really what you think I should do?” The disappointment and defeat ignited Maya’s disappointment into sudden anger, and she found herself clenching her fists. “You think I should try to bully the council into getting what I want?”
Kostya looked at her as though the answer was obvious—as though she should have known to do it all along. “Yes. How do you think anyone else gets what they want, when it comes to bureaucracy? Keep pushing. Keep insisting. And if they fight you, then fight back. You need to play the game if you want to win.”
Anger ignited into rage. Maya tried to bite back on her reply, but she couldn’t keep herself silent. She’d suffered too long as a Popov to go back to underhanded tactics like that…she couldn’t imagine putting herself in that situation again. “So, you want me to act like my father? You want me to twist their arms until they give in to me?”
“You should go home,” Kostya said, his tone suddenly stripped of emotion. “It’s been a long, trying day, and it’s starting to get to you. You should rest.”
Maya shook her head. She could barely believe what she was hearing. “You think that I’m overreacting? Do you even know what this means? Every day we waste is another day where the homeless have fewer resources…where good people who need help may not receive the care they need.”
“Maya,” Kostya said in a warning tone. “Let’s continue this talk back in your apartment. This is not the place to argue. You are a professional here, and it’s best if you maintain your professionalism while in the building.”
The rage inside swelled to near-explosive proportions, but Maya held it back. Even if she was furious at him, Kostya was right—she needed to keep a level head while at work. She couldn’t risk losing her job over a moment’s indiscretion, especially now that a flaw in her paperwork had cost New Beginnings the sister location she’d been tasked with setting up.
She got up from her chair, nodded toward the door, and exited. Kostya followed behind her, a silent shadow.
It was a long, silent cab ride home, but Maya had a feeling that, once they were behind closed doors, it wouldn’t stay silent for long.
CHAPTER14
Kostya
Kostya closed the front door behind them, and as soon as he did, Maya spun on her heels and faced him, her fists clenched once again. Her cheeks were red, her eyes narrowed in on him.
“We need to talk about what you said.” Maya took a small, aggressive step toward him, and Kostya instinctively stood his ground. He would not fight a defenseless woman, but he would not allow himself to be caught off guard, either. “You think I’m blowing up over nothing, don’t you? You told me that I was tired, and that I needed to rest.”
“I do believe that,” Kostya said simply. After everything that had happened, her adrenaline crash had to be kicking in. It would take her a while to come down from it, but once she did, she would see reason. He would be patient with her. She was worth the effort. Of that, he was sure. “You’ll feel better after you rest.”
“This is…this isn’t something I can wake up tomorrow feeling better about!” Anger twisted her lips. “There are people out there who were counting on me…who won’t have a roof over their heads or a safe place to sleep because of this decision! You can’t tell me to calm down.”
“I didn’t tell you to calm down. I know better than that. I told you to rest, then try again. And again. If you want it, make it yours.” He’d spoken the words carefully, doing his best not to offend her further. Even while angry, he saw a spark inside of her—the proof of the strong, capable woman that she was. All he needed to do was weather her storm. If he did, he was sure there would be calm waiting for him once it had passed.
Maya’s fists trembled, and Kostya kept a careful watch on how she stood and how she moved. He observed the way her muscles contracted and her joints bent. If she was going to attack him, he’d see it before she ever sprung, and he would be ready for her. He would not do her any harm, but he would prevent her from hurting either of them.
One way or another, he would not allow her to make a mistake like this.
“Unless you follow it through,pchelka,” he said gently, “violence is a temporary solution to a bigger problem. It is a warning, not an answer. Are you sure that you are willing to engage in it?”
Maya’s eyes narrowed farther, going down to nothing more than darkened slits. “Don’t try to mess with my head, Kostya! I have a right to be angry.”
“But you don’t have a right to raise your fists against another…especially someone you could never hope to best.” Kostya let a beat pass, then shook his head. “If I didn’t already know that you were a Popov, this would be enough to convince me. Rage like this? It gets you nowhere. Refine it. Harness it. Make itbendto you, Maya. That is where your father fails, and why he’s done the things he’s done.”
