CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Ben is already seated by the time we arrive at the café. And chatting up a waitress. The redhead giggles as he pulls out his phone, probably texting her his number.
I roll my eyes and place my hand on Everly’s lower back. The dress she has on dips low and my palm comes in direct contact with her skin. Skin that only minutes ago, I had the pleasure to kiss, bite, and suck. Wash. We had spent nearly the entire time in the large tub, exploring one another as jets sent streams of water everywhere.
Everly had refused to believe that I could hold my breath under the water long enough to make her come with my tongue, but I changed her mind. Repeatedly.
Ben spots us, that goofy grin never leaving his face as he waves us over. The waitress blows him a kiss and saunters off.
“For someone that might be trying to kill us, he looks pretty happy to see us,” Everly points out as we move to the table.
“He’s not the brightest Romanov,” I say and she snorts. “It took me forever to teach him how to ride a bike properly.”
“You taught him how to ride?”
“And shave. And tie a proper bowtie. Helpless, that one.” I try to make a joke of it, but I know the truth. Ben is like a little brother to me.
“That’s sweet,” Everly says as we reach the table.
Ben stands, greeting Everly first with a kiss on the cheek, and then me with a slap to the shoulder. “What took the two of you so long?”
“—I was hungry.”
“—Nap.”
He gives us a curious look. “You ate while you were sleeping, or you slept while you ate?”
I wave away his question. “We need to talk.”
His shoulders fall. “I know.” He watches as I take out my gun and hold it under the table. “Put it away, Kolya. I’ve not betrayed you.”
“That is for me to decide.”
Everly clears her throat and nods to her left, indicating that we are not alone. The server smiles, ready to take our orders. I have no idea what I tell him, because everything inside of me is focused on Ben.
“Vladimir is the one behind the attacks.”
I blink. “He wants me dead?”
Ben nods slowly, as if he knows what his confession is doing to me. Though I’m not sure if I do know. For years, I felt nothing for the man, but now…
“Why?”
Ben takes a sip of his coffee. “Because you are the natural choice to take over. He wants to live in order to seize power…and protect Sebastian. There will be no trade. He lied.”
They will come after you first. Vladimir had spoken those very words to me. Had I known he meant himself, I would have shot him then and there.
“Who’s Vladimir?” Everly asks, her gaze bouncing between us.
“The most egotistical, selfish man in existence,” Ben replies. “And he’s Grandfather’s firstborn.”
Her brow wrinkles as she looks at me. “Who does your grandfather want to be in charge?”
I know the answer, but I’m afraid by admitting it, that I’ll lose her forever. I’ll never have the pleasure of her company again. Never again be able to hold her hand simply because I feel like doing so. I give myself a mental shake. No matter what I want, she deserves normality. As soon as possible, I have to find a way to get her inside the American embassy.
Ben makes a noise, a cross between a snort and a grunt. “Anyone but Vladimir.”
“Working with family is never easy,” she says.
“That’s one way of putting things.” My cousin grins. “I’m really glad Viktor didn’t kill you.”
I smack the back of his head.
Wincing, he gives me a look. “Well, I am. I like her.”
“It’s okay, Roman,” Everly says, taking my hand and squeezing it. “I’m really glad I’m alive, too.”
Warmth flows through me at her touch. The softness she brings to my life…I will never be able to repay. “What about the house in Berlin?”
“Vladimir hired Gustav to burn it down. Gustav also hired some local skinheads to help out.”
“No wonder they went down so quickly.” Letting go of her hand, I quickly put my gun away. “Professionals wouldn’t have spent their bullets so quickly.”
Everly grabs a roll and begins to tear at it. “How do you know all this, Benjamin?”
“I hacked into Vladimir’s personal email accounts,” he says with no small amount of pride. “No one in the Bratva trusts him anymore, and there’s a huge lack of trust among the organization as it is.”
“Bratva?”
Looking around, I lean into her. “Mafia. Mob.”
“That’s your family business?” she squeaks.
I’m amused by the horrified expression on her face. “Assassin is okay with you, but not crime lord?”
“Yes. Well, no.” She looks at me, and then at Ben, before her gaze returns to me. “But you said you only, ah…bring the bad guys to justice. Does that mean you’re the nice mafia?”
My cousin laughs so hard that his face turns red and it seems as though everyone in the entire café stops eating to look at him. I rub the bridge of my nose. So much for circumspection. But I have to admit it’s my fault for ordering him to meet us here, instead of the privacy of a hotel room.
“Nice… Jesus. That’s priceless, Ev. Priceless.”
“Her name is Everly. Use it.” Although it is part of mine and Ben’s culture to shorten names of those we know and sometimes hold dear, I do not like it. It is not amusing to see him act so charming to her.
Holding up his hands, Ben says, “Yes, sir. Sorry. Everly, that’s damn funny. I’ll have to put it up on my Yahoo group.”
Her roll falls to the table. “There’s a mafia Yahoo group?”
Ben winks at her. “There’s a group for everything.”
“Can we stay on topic, please?” Everly and Ben turn their attention to me. “I work for independent financiers eighty percent of the time. The rest is at the request of our family.”
“And those people are bad guys too?”
“Roman is known for his requirements. No one bothers to secure his services otherwise,” Ben interjects. “He’s the one with a conscience.”
“Will you bring Vladimir to justice?” she asks softly.
I nod grimly. “He hasn’t earned the right to terminate me.”