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Her cheeks turn a darker shade of pink. “Idon’thave a habit. I don’t even do drugs. Nothing at all.”
Blatant lie, but it’s cute coming from her. I can tell she’s embarrassed, but I’ve seen enough drug addicts not to be bothered by it. I used to be myself, at one point, but I realized I had to get clean in order to run a trillion-dollar Bratva empire. These days, I only smoke cigars and have the occasional drink.
“I’m not some kind of junkie,” Valerie insists, pulling at the strings of her oversized hoodie.
“I never said you were, darling.”
“Because I’m not.”
“Well, then you shouldn’t have any issue with me forbidding you to do cocaine anymore. From now on, you’re staying sober,” I say, grabbing the wine and putting it down beside my chair.
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, sure, and you’re going to prison for triple homicide.”
“You’re still stuck on that? I thought I explained the rules here already, but perhaps I didn’t make myself clear.”
“You didn’t.”
“Allow me a moment to explain, then,” I reply, lacing my fingers together on the table and leaning forward. “I make the rules in this city. If I kill someone, they deserved it. If I kidnap a sweet little lady who was on her way to work, it was for her own good. If I steal her panties, it’s because I don’t want her wearing any to dinner.”
She gasps. “You! You’re the one who took them!”
I reach into my pocket and pull out the pair I had in my car, hooking them onto my pinky and dangling them in front of her. “Are you talking about these?”
“You bastard.” She jumps across the table, grabbing at the panties, but I hold them out of reach. “No, no, no, darling. You’re not getting these back. We have a very strict no-panties policy here at the Chazov rooftop lounge.”
She drops back into her seat, shooting daggers at me from her eyes. “This isn’t funny.”
“I never meant it to be.”
“I do have underwear, just so you know,” she says, reaching down and pulling the waistband out of her shorts. She rises in her seat to show me. “See.”
“You should hand those over as well, or you might not get to enjoy dinner at all,” I warn.
She laughs, a bitter, cold cackle. “Not in your lifetime, buddy.”
“How about we play a little game, then,” I say, leaning forward again as I tuck her panties back in my pocket. “If you win, I leaveyou alone. Forever. We’re done. Finished. I’m out of your life like I never existed.” I snap my fingers. “Poof.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “What’s the game, and what happens if I lose?”
And just like that, I know I have her hooked.
9
Valerie
Iused to love gambling. Julia and I would always be doing stupid shit together, taking risks like we couldn’t lose. We were young, dumb, and felt like we would live forever.
All that changed when she died right beside me.
We overplayed our hands, and she paid with her life. I walked away with my life, but I ended up paying in other ways. I’m still paying for that mistake, and I will continue paying for the rest of my life.
The universe doesn’t let you off that easily, unless you’re void of empathy like Pasha is.
No, I suffered greatly, wishing I could’ve changed places with Julia. Wishing I could have my sister back. Wishing I had never agreed to gamble with our lives that night.
But the moment Pasha offers me a way to gamble my way out of this mess, I’m already on board before I know what the game is. Some things never change. My appetite for risk is one of them.
Pasha reclines in his seat, his eyes dropping down to the table between us, studying the little details in the lace tablecloth. “The game is simple, really. If you can ask for something I can’t give you, any material thing, then I will leave you alone.”
