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Boris’ eyes snap to Alexi, apparently not knowing the depths of his plans or not aware that I know. “But I don’t trust you, and your attitude has me not liking you on top of that. So if you want me to listen, then you better change your tone.”
I get the feeling not many people talk to him this way because the shock on his face is very apparent, and it has me feeling almost smug. I smile at him, flashing my teeth in a threat, and his face turns red.
“Father,” Alexi says in warning, but this is all good. I want to see how he reacts when he’s mad. I want to see if he has control because that says a lot about a man.
“She just…” Boris waves his hand in the air like I’m the problem before he takes a breath and looks at the floor.
“The last time your father and I talked, we were planning to introduce the two of you again. You had met before at a gala but didn’t really know each other.” He keeps his eyes down, clearly trying to gain control of himself. “We decided together if marriage isn’t something the two of you wanted, then we would back off. Damir was going to give me my own share of the company instead, but I always had this feeling about the two of you.” He looks up and that’s when I finally see what I’ve been needing to so that we can move forward. Shame. Remorse.Guilt.
“That feeling wasn’t wrong, but I am sorry I tried to force it on you.” When he apologizes this time, I can see that he means it.
I don’t know how often the Pakhan of the Bratva apologizes, but I’m going to go ahead and assume this is a once-in-a-lifetime moment. I soak it in. The desperation on his face for me to believe him, the concern he has clearly seeing that I’m interested in more than just his son. And the regret.
“Okay,” I say, and they all turn to me.
“Little Shadow, care to explain what ‘okay’ means?” Damien asks.
“I’ll go home with you, but it’s not a permanent solution. We need a plan. A real plan.”
It's Alexi who speaks up, walking around my chair so I don’t have to crane my neck to look at him. His body covers the sun, making him look like a silhouette as it rises behind him looking like a Roman soldier ready to wage war. “Then let's gather the team, I’ve got a few ideas.”
Chapter 10
If there is anything I’ve learned about this group dynamic, it’s that Laney is right up there at the helm guiding the boat with Evie. So when she comes to my suite looking worse for wear, I immediately put my guard up. I feel like I’ve proven myself to them, but there are still parts of my brain that remember being locked in that shed, and I would like to avoid going back there.
“Can we talk?” Laney asks, standing at my door. I usher her in and direct her to my room. I have two other suitemates, but we only have two rooms and Laney stops before she gets to my door.
“I thought you had two suitemates? Why just two rooms?” she asks.
“Lyra and Kia are together, and they asked to share a room,” I explain, gesturing for her to enter my space. I have two chairs with a coffee table between them in the corner since I love to cuddle up and read with Kia. I bring Laney over to them.
The girls might have helped with the ambush incident, but I haven’t had the time to gauge what they are comfortable with when it comes to this group, so I won’t have Laney in our common area until I can ask them about it.
“What do you want to talk about?” I ask hesitantly. I’m not offended by the fact that the girl doesn’t seem to trust me, in all reality none of us should trust each other.
“I…” she starts, looking around the room as if scanning to see if we are really alone. I let her look. I have nothing to hide. “I need your help.”
I try really hard not to let my jaw drop open in shock over those words but damn that feels good to hear. She notices my shock and laughs under her breath.
“I know it's surprising I’m here, but I messed up and I’m doing what I can to fix it. Do you think you can help me?”
“That depends,” I answer cautiously. I feel like Laney wants to trust me and I want to earn her trust, but I feel like there’s going to be a long road ahead of us.
“We need a plan, and I want your help in coming up with one. I have some ideas, but Evie won’t talk to me. I have a feeling she will listen to you though.”
I soak this in for a moment. These two girls are together all the time and act like they are practically sisters. For Evie to be shutting her out, she had to have messed up big time. “What did you do?” I ask.
Tears stream down her cheeks as she explains her story and I sit there listening with a neutral expression on my face. I don’t want her to know how much the whole thing reminds me of my life and what I’ve had to do for my father. Laney is fiercely protective of Evie and a very strong woman, but when I look at her now, she looks like someone who needs a friend.
“What did you have in mind for the plan?” I ask, not needing to explain myself. If she wants my help, she will take what I can offer her. It’s not that I don’t want to share why I believe her or even tell her about my life too, it’s that I need her to change the subject now so that I can stop thinking about my damn past.
“You’ll help me?” she asks in surprise.
I clear my throat, careful not to show how many emotions are waging war inside my head. “As long as it’s a good plan. I’m not going in there with those people to give them shit ideas. If you’ve got something solid, I’ll bring it to them.”
She nods in approval and takes one of my hands in hers. She’s a very touchy person, and I’m trying not to squirm in my seat over how that makes me feel. Every once in a while, my mind gets stuck looking at her hair, noticing she hasn’t washed it in a few days. Or the way her eyelashes stick together after she rubs the tears from her eyes.
She talks for what feels like hours, and I have a whole new respect for Evie because if she’s friends with this girl, then she must have ear drums of steel. I’m about done with listening for the day when she finally wraps up.
