AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’ve kept an eye on the entrance the whole time, but maybe they have a back exit. Shit. I leave the car and rush inside the salon just as Angelina emerges from the left-side hallway, and the panic that’s been building dissipates.
“So? What do you think?” She juts her hip and raises her eyebrows.
I look her over. Other than her hair, which is a bit shorter and straighter, she looks the same to me. Even covered in mud she was beautiful, so I'm not sure what she is expecting me to say. I guess after enduring three and a half hours of torment, she needs confirmation of a job well done or something.
“I like the hair?”
Angelina sighs and shakes her head. “You are a lost cause.”
“What did you want me to say?” I ask as I pay the salon assistant.
“How amazing I look?”
“You looked amazing before we came here. What have you been doing in there for almost four hours? Watching Netflix?”
She tilts her head to the side and pouts. “You have an interesting way of giving compliments.”
“I was just making an observation.” I shrug, take her hand, and head to the car. “We should hurry. Those fancy motherfuckers don’t like it when people are late to their events.”
“And what’s the purpose of this event?”
“Roman is bribing the city officials.”
“Publicly?” She gapes at me.
“He gives money under the table as well, but he likes to make donations publicly, as well. He’s snobbish that way.”
“Why doesn’t he go himself?”
“A payback, probably. He said he doesn’t have time for it, but I think he’s still angry with me for... let’s say, breaking our connections with Ukrainians.”
“What did you do?”
I glance down at her, wondering if I should tell her the truth. She’s staring up at me with those chocolate eyes, waiting for my answer, and I can’t make myself tell her. Angelina is noshrinking violet. She must know how business in conducted in our world, but I don’t want her to fear me.
“Just, terminated the contract,” I say finally and open the car door for her.
Chapter 12
I look around the big hall with wide eyes, admiring the gigantic crystal chandeliers and the gold decorations on the walls, then straighten my dress self-consciously. I feel completely out of place here. Turning to my side, I glance at Sergei, who is standing next to me, watching the crowd.
I usually see him in jeans and a T-shirt, but right now, he’s wearing a gray dress shirt and a custom tailored black suit that fits him like a glove. He looks devastatingly handsome.
“Let’s just leave the money and get lost,” he mumbles.
We walk toward the table covered with a white silk tablecloth and flower arrangements. Two men in expensive suits stand next to it, talking with a group of laughing women in fancy gowns. When we approach, I decide to stay a few paces behind and watch Sergei as he shakes hands with the men. They exchange a few words, then Sergei takes out an envelope, which I assume contains a check, and places it on the table in front of a woman collecting the donations. The man on his left, a short bald guy in a suit that’s a little too tight around the middle, smiles and taps Sergei on the shoulder. Sergei nods, bends his head, and whispers something in the man’s ear, and the guy beams.
“What did you tell him?” I ask when Sergei comes back.
“The amount written on the check.”
“Based on his grin, I assume it was a very nice one.”
“One million.”
My eyes widen. “Wow.”
“Yup. Playing nice with the authorities tends to be expensive.” He nods toward the exit. “Let’s go. Politicians always give me the creeps. When we get home, we can take the bike and go for a ride.”
