Lev
Although I didn’t understand other people’s emotions, I understood my own quite well. And right now, I was disappointed.
“Explain,” I ordered.
Her hair still covered most of her face, but I could see one wide green eye peeping out at me. She looked frightened.
No. From the way her hands shook and her chest heaved, it hit me that she wasn’t frightened. She was terrified.
Nodding toward the wallet in her hand, I spoke softer this time. “That belongs to my brother.”
Her shoulders slumped. She uttered a quiet but remorseful, “I’m sorry.”
Taking a step forward, I took the wallet from her hand and held out the other. She reluctantly placed a hundred dollar bill into it and stepped away from me. I opened Sasha’s wallet and stilled.
I looked up at the girl. She had dipped her chin to avoid looking at me. “There’s a lot of money in here.” She nodded. I asked, “Why didn’t you take it all?”
When she looked up at me, she blinked away tears and whispered a trembling, “I just wanted something to eat.”
A wave of emotion ran through me. First, anger, then sadness, then something I couldn’t quite explain. Protectiveness, perhaps. “You’re hungry.” A statement, not a question.
She nodded once more and it was done.
The girl had unexpectedly become my responsibility.
***
Mina
Gentle fingers under my chin lifted my face until I couldn’t avoid him anymore.
He spoke in perfect calm. “You have a choice.” I stared, confused. I hadn’t realized I’d be given a selection. “I can call the cops and have you arrested.” I almost bunched my nose, but stopped myself in the nick of time. I didn’t like that choice. “Or you can work for the club, make good money, set yourself up.” He added, “Never go without a meal again.”
Was this guy nuts? My mind gaped. Like I even had to think about which option I preferred.
Then he added a third option, taking the hundred-dollar note I’d nabbed and he held it up high. “Or I can give you this. You can leave and disappear into the night.” His eyes trained on me, he theorized, “A hundred dollars will get you more than one hot meal.”
My head swam. I was sure this was a trick.
A hundred dollars was enough to get me by for a little while but a job, a place to stay and food. How could I pass that up?
Oh, God, food was important to me.
I swallowed hard. “Option-B sounds good.”
He seemed pleased. “I thought so.” He extended a hand. “Come along.”
Pulling my sleeves down over my hands, I leaned away from him. “Wait. What kind of work? I—” My train of thought went elsewhere and I blushed. “Dancing? Like those girls out there?”
A single brow rose. “You think I want you to strip?”
My blush turned into a full-blown flush and I felt my neck heat.
Of course he doesn’t want you to strip. You’re not exactly Jennifer Lopez.
“I don’t want you to strip. I want you to stay clothed.” He looked disgusted that I would even make the suggestion. “Fully clothed,” he added testily, and mortification turned my stomach. “You’ll tend the bar with the others.”
“I don’t know how.”
His stare was blunt. “You’ll learn.”
That didn’t sound bad. In fact, it sounded great. He held out his hand once more and, keeping my hand covered with my sleeve, I placed it into his. When his warm hand cocooned mine, I realized how large it was. It didn’t take long for me to take in the rest of him. He was tall, around 6’1” or 6’2”, had broad shoulders, narrow hips, long legs, and a stern face. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. It had to be. It didn’t look like this guy could buy off the rack. I glanced up at his face, and his light brown eyes stared right back at me.
A shiver went through me. His face came across harsh. His cheekbones were high, his chin was strong, his nose slightly crooked, and he had generous lips. His skin was lightly tanned and flawless; he didn’t have any laugh lines. It was almost as if he didn’t smile at all.
It suddenly hit me. Why would a man who wore suits and spoke in such a classy manner help a homeless girl who he caught stealing?
I pulled my hand out of his. “If this is a trick…” My hair covered half of my face, but I could see the sudden tilt of his head and narrow of his brow. I told him honestly, “If you want to call the police, call them. I promise I’ll stay and tell them I stole the wallet.” I lowered my face and added thoughtfully, “They might even feed me.” I peeked back up at him. “But getting a person’s hopes up and joking about things like that to someone who has nothing…it’s cruel.”
He looked at me for a long moment before taking my hand again—without permission, I might add—and stating, “I don’t lie.”
He said this confidently, in a way that left me inclined to believe it. I was led out of the bathroom and down the hall before I asked quietly, “Why are you helping me?”
Without looking at me, he led me on and responded, “You look like you need the help.”
***
Lev
The later it got, the quieter the bar became. Paolo’s memory had been celebrated long into the night, and while patrons were calling it a day, the club would be open until three a.m., regardless of if it were empty.
I led the girl back out to the floor, and I couldn’t help but notice how tiny her hands were. I liked the way they felt in mine. I did not like how cold her skin was. I’d have to buy her warmer coat.
I gazed down at her. Scratch that. I’d have to buy her a coat—any damn coat—in her size.
At the lip of the foyer, I leaned down to the girl’s ear and ordered, “Stay here,” and then walk over to spot Anika behind the bar. Her face brightened at the sight of me.
My lip quirked. I liked Anika. She’d always been kind to me. We’d known each other since we were children, and her brother, Viktor, was somewhat of an honorary family member and could be found at our house, eating our food.
“Hey, Lev,” she said as she gently tossed her long, red wavy hair over her shoulder. She puffed out a breath, blowing part of her fringe off her forehead. “What a night, huh?”
I liked the way Anika spoke. It always calmed me. She had such a soft lilt to her voice that at one point I thought her an angel. “Hey, Ani.” I handed her Sasha’s wallet. “Can you make sure my brother gets that?”
She smiled sweetly. “Of course. You off for the night?”
I nodded. “Have a good one.”
Her smile dissipated at my hurried goodbye. She spoke quietly, “You too, handsome.”
Walking back to the girl, I was almost surprised to see her still standing there, chewing nervously on her thumbnail. Part of me figured she’d disappear while my back was turned. But at the sorry state of her, I knew she likely had nowhere to go.
I held out my hand, and she placed her small one into mine without question. And goddamn it, that satisfied me. Immensely. We walked hand-in-hand through to the parking lot, where my black Chevrolet Camaro sat waiting. I pressed the button on my keys and it chirped twice, then I opened the passenger door for the girl, helping her inside. “Buckle up.”
Perhaps it should have worried me that she didn’t even hesitate to get into a car with a complete stranger. But it was obvious that anywhere was better than here.
Once seated, I started the car and drove out of the parking lot. Without asking, I drove down the street to the twenty-four-hour burger joint and headed down the drive-thru. When I stopped at the speaker, I turned to the girl. “Anything in particular?”
She eyed the menu, but shook her head. She licked her lips. “I’m not fussy.”
I ordered her the biggest burger meal, supersized, and an extra cheeseburger, just in case she could down it. I doubted it though. She was positively tiny. Once the food came, I handed it to her, and she held the paper bag close to her chest as if she was worried someone would take it from her.
I waited. And waited. And waited.
My brow furrowed as I parked the car. “Aren’t you going to eat?”
Her eyes darted here and there. She held her tongue for a moment before she uttered an uneasy, “I don’t want to mess up your car.”
The loud growl of her stomach was an objection if I ever heard one.
I reached over, opened the bag, took out the burger, unwrapped it carefully, and handed it back to her. She took it with shaky hands, closed her eyes, and took a big bite, chewing slowly.
She ate soundlessly. I opened my window, turned up the radio, and waited patiently. I couldn’t help but look over at her every now and again. She was so quiet. A few minutes passed, and I turned back to see how she was doing, working on her food, and my chest seized.
Her shoulders jerked daintily as she cried in complete silence, eating all the while. She must have felt my eyes on her, because she turned toward the passenger door, her back to me, as her breath hitched quietly while she wept.
This was one of those moments that did it to me. I was officially overwhelmed. I didn’t know what to do. I was clueless, and that caused irritation to well up inside of me.
I took the decorative handkerchief out of my breast pocket and held it between my fingers, nudging her gently. She took it, muttering a low, “Thank you,” then I stepped out of the car to give her some time to recover from her emotions.
Ten minutes passed, and I looked in through the car window to see the girl sitting in silence, her hands clutching the paper bag tight. Sitting inside the car, I reached for the bag, but she snatched it out of my reach.
My brows rose.
Her hair was becoming a problem for me. Her visible cheek flushed as she explained, “I didn’t finish. It was a lot of food.” She added hesitantly, “I’d like to take it with me if that’s okay.”
Who was I to object? I bought the food for her, after all. “Not a problem. Where can I drive you? Do you have anywhere to stay?”
She paused. “Yeah, um, I’m actually only a few blocks away, so I can walk from here.”
I was already shaking my head. “I’ll drive you.” She tried to object a second time, but I added inflexibly, “I insist.”
She stared at me a long while then nodded. “Okay. Turn left and drive until you see Café Alonzo.”
I knew where that was. I wasn’t aware of any housing in that area, but I drove anyway. Slowing to a stop, I looked out the window, unconvinced this was where she lived. “Are you sure this is where you live?”
She smiled faintly. “Positive.” At my frown, she quickly added, “It’s not much, but it’s home.” She turned to me then and did something I’d been longing for her to do from the moment I saw her.
Placing her fingertips to her cheek, she moved the hair away from her face, tucking it gently behind her ear.
I was mesmerized.
She was gorgeous. Absolutely stunning.
Her heart-shaped face looked too thin, but her mouth was small, full and pink. Her green eyes were large and expressive, framed prettily with long, dark lashes. She was pale, her skin unblemished. She had black makeup smudged under her eyes, but I could see the beauty she tried to hide from the world. And what a rare beauty she was.
Her expression soft, she avoided eye contact and dipped her chin as she spoke. “I want to thank you for your kindness tonight. Not many people would have done what you did.” Her rosebud mouth quirked into an awkward smile. “I owe you. More than you’ll ever know.”
Feeling mildly uncomfortable of her thanks, I turned off the car, ignoring her suddenly anxious expression. “Are you able to get yourself to the club tomorrow by seven? If you can’t, I’ll have someone pick you up.”
I would pick her up.
Her brow bunched and she bit the inside of her bottom lip, thinking. “I think so. I don’t have a watch, but I’ll make sure I’m there, even if I’m early.”
I pulled up my shirtsleeve, undid the latch on my Tag Heuer watch, and handed it to her. She frowned at me. “What…?” When I did not retrieve the watch, her eyes widened. “I can’t take that.”
I fought to control my anger. Gritting my teeth, I spoke calmly. “You can give it back to me tomorrow.”
Her expression turned panicked. “Do you know what would happen if someone saw me with that? I’d get mugged!”
I scowled. Just let them try. I fucking dare them. “Then I’ll buy another.”
The change in her expression was so sudden that I blinked. She took the watch carefully and muttered, “Must be nice to have that much money.”
Shame caused me to flush, and my anger showed itself. I snapped, “Do you need a ride or not?”
“No.”
She held the fast food bag tightly and peeked over at me before evading my inscrutable gaze. “I’m Mina.”
“Mina,” I tested it out. It felt good on my tongue. “I’m Lev.”
She opened the door and stepped out, leaning down into the open space. “Thank you, Lev. For everything. I’ll work hard.” She smiled tiredly. “You won’t regret it.”
My stomach flipped at her sweet smile. “Goodnight, Mina.”
She lowered her lashes. “Goodnight.”
I watched her walk down an alley connecting to the street behind, waited until she was out of sight then started the car and drove two blocks down.
With a light sigh, I parked my car, turned the lights off, and waited.