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“If you’re gonna ask me for the code again, you can forget it. It’s a no-go.”
“Let me guess: your brother told you to keep an eye on me?” His gaze flickers to me before he pops open the can of beer in front of him. “Do you always do exactly what your brother tells you to do?”
“Yes.” He says it without apology or shame.
“Why?”
“Because he’s my brother,” Aleksandr says with a shrug. “And he’s my pahkan. It’s a double whammy.”
“So if he asked you to jump off a bridge, you would?”
He considers that thoughtfully. “Why does he want me to jump off the bridge?”
“Seriously?”
“That’s a lot of judgment coming from the girl who agreed to be the living oven for her sister and brother-in-law.”
He’s got me there. “Shut up.”
Chuckling, he leans back in his seat and props his feet up on the kitchen table. “Listen, Wrenny, the best way to get something you want is to ask.”
I roll my eyes. “Have you met your brother?”
“I know he seems like a stubborn ass to you. But he’s quite reasonable most of the time. Well, some of the time. Okay, not that often—but it does happen, I swear.”
“Funny. I haven’t experienced that side of him.”
He slurps noisily at the beer and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. It’s almost charming how boyishly gross he is, actually. “That’s different. You’re carrying his baby. He gets a little intense when it comes to family, especially since we lost Elena.”
“Elena?”
Aleksandr’s face freezes. “Uh, y-yeah…” he stammers. “You haven’t… heard about her?” When I shake my head, he plops his feet right back off the table again. “Fuck. Well, you didn’t hear about her from me.” He jumps up and starts to swiftly depart the kitchen.
“Wait!” I call after him. “Who’s Elena?”
“What? I can’t hear you.”
“Aleksandr!”
“You’re breaking up! I’m going through a tunnel! Bye!”
“Idiot,” I grumble as I abandon my crackers and stand. Now, I’m doubly annoyed. One, because I want to go to this concert and Dmitri is undoubtedly gonna be a major ass about it.
And two, because I’m curious about who this Elena person is.
Since Bee’s in the picture and seems to have been for a while, I’m guessing Elena wasn’t a girlfriend? But then again, I have no idea how long Bee and Dmitri have actually been together for. Maybe Elena was the girl before Bee? Or maybe she wasn’t a girlfriend at all. Maybe she was his friend? His sister? His colleague?
Or maybe this is none of my business and I shouldn’t give a shit. What do I care about these people or their lives? I’m a pawn in it. They don’t care about me as an individual. I won’t do them the kindness of wasting my thoughts on them.
So instead of getting distracted by stuff that doesn’t concern me, I decide to take Aleksandr’s advice and just go and ask Dmitri about the concert. I don’t have high hopes, but perhaps we can come to some sort of compromise if I ask nicely.
And perhaps pigs will fly past the window.
I cringe at the mere thought of asking permission. I’m a grown-ass woman, for God’s sake. I shouldn’t have to go ask Dad if I can stay out past curfew.
Still, I feel a vague sense of nervousness when I knock on his office door. “Enter.”
It takes some effort to push open the dark mahogany door. I linger on the threshold, looking around as if for the first time. It’s massive, of course, and it has a professorial vibe. Leatherbound books, crystal decanters of brandy, that kind of thing. A big desk just built for fucking his?—
