The elevator ride downstairs did nothing to alleviate the tension in the air. Even though Aleksei held her hand in a tight grip, he couldn’t have looked more distant than he did right then.
His energy was probably contagious because the two mountainous men behind them were so still, it was as if they tried to blend into the walls of the elevator.
When the elevator doors opened, Aleksei let go of her hand to exit. He stayed close, but Deva felt that he was distancing himself on more than one level. And he was probably right. Deva straightened her shoulders and schooled her features. She may be surrounded by protection, but this was the line of fire. And she was putting her own life in danger.
Aleksei lead the way until they reached a small restaurant at street level. Sun was streaming through the windows. The early crowd was gone and apart from a family obviously wrapping up for their day trip, the only people in the room occupied a corner table. A man alone. And probably his two own bodyguards sitting two tables over.
The man was the one she had seen at the tournament. Well over fifty but looking fit and incredibly polished in his tailored suit. His gleaming shaved head and trimmed graying goatee gave him an old-world flair. The look suited to a business man. That’s what he would appear to unsuspecting eyes. A wealthy business man about to start his work day with coffee.
When he saw them enter, he nodded and smiled, “Aleksei, my boy. Very glad to see you. Miss Johnson, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I’m Gerasim Egorov. Please be seated. Your men can sit at the table behind you if you don’t mind.”
Deva turned to nod at Kai and Lance who complied and sat down.
“Please tell me, do you prefer Miss Johnson or Miss Landry? I don’t want to offend you.”
Smooth, she thought. “Deva, please. I would like to put as much distance between myself and Mex Johnson as possible.”
Gerasim Egorov smiled, gesturing to the waitress. “Perfectly understandable. Family can be difficult to deal with. And I speak from experience.”
The man ordered coffee and pastries before turning back to them. Aleksei had draped an arm on the back of her chair, and she knew it was a statement. Wanting it or not, he was taking a stand, and Deva found it infuriating and incredibly dangerous. Too bad this wasn’t the time and place to smack him behind the head with enough force to make him see clearly.
As the waitress brought them coffees and a basket of pastries, Egorov turned to her. “May I ask why you chose Deva as your new name? I can certainly understand your need to break off all ties to a family who doesn’t value you, but the choice intrigued me.”
Secrets were crumbling down, so she shrugged. “Landry is my mother’s maiden name. It was an easy choice.”
Gerasim Egorov nodded. “And Deva means ‘divine’ if I’m not mistaken. And for a woman as beautiful as you, I would say it’s an apt name.”
And a flatterer too. “I didn’t know the meaning of it when I chose it. I was back in New Orleans, where my mother grew up, and a friend was working on giving me a new identity. I went to see a fortune-teller, and it was the first card she drew from her tarot deck. Something clicked. I know that in Hinduism, it means divine or deity, but I much prefer the Buddhist meaning which means immortality. Victoria was dead so Deva could be reborn.”
The Russian boss looked at her straight in the eyes. “Rebirth. The possibility of recreating ourselves is something we all aspire to, although very few of us could achieve it. In this lifetime, at least.”
Deva blinked at the man’s somber words as the waitress finished bringing the food to the table. By the time she was gone, the philosophical mood had changed to business.
“Deva, I called this meeting because I’m curious about what Aleksei’s told me and everything that happened. The news of your miraculous return and your shocking appearance at the fight was quite a shock. Even if I only learned of your true identity later on. And I’m not talking about what happened to Mr. Johnson yesterday. I can confirm that he’s threatening your life and launching an operation to bring you back. So far, only his MC is involved, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it went way beyond his group, especially if money is involved.”
And the dance began. “Yesterday couldn’t be helped. I didn’t return to see my father and had no intention of complying with whatever scheme or plan he had for me. In fact, I have tried to avoid him since I came back as he isn’t the reason I decided to return to Chicago.”
The Pakan nodded and grabbed a flaky pastry before tearing up a piece. “And what is the reason, Deva?”
And there it was, the big gamble. “I’m helping a friend who is worried about what Jamieson Finch is up to. She needed someone with knowledge of the city and its... particularities. Maybe you would be so generous as to give me your take on the man.”
Something passed over the man’s face. He looked at Aleksei and then back at her. His smile had dimmed a little.
“There is nothing much to tell about Finch. At least from my point of view. He wants to do business with us. For several years now, if I recall. He’s persistent, I must give him that. And if the rumor is correct, he has contacted most of my counterparts here with the same intent.”
“Mr. Egorov, may I be so bold as to ask you what he wanted from you?”
“Please, call me Gerasim. Let’s say that he wanted to expand our business. But some of that expansion would have been, uncomfortable, to say the least.”
“But he insisted. And still does.”
Gerasim nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. “You are very perceptive. Yes, several times, but always in a very courteous matter. Except that lately, I heard he was focusing more on street gangs and MCs. Like your father’s.”
“Don’t you find it strange, his insistence? Finch is already wealthy and powerful in his own right.”
Again, Gerasim’s gaze flickered to Aleksei before settling on her once more.
“Deva, no amount of money, and no level of power will never be enough for men who have tasted it.”
“You included, Gerasim?”
Discreetly, Aleksei touched her back in warning. However, the Russian Pakan looked more amused than insulted.
“With your father, you already have the answer to that question. Do you find yourself above the need for power and money, my dear?”
Deva shook her head. “No. I’m not. But I doubt men of your stature suffered from the darker side of it. From being victims of that quest. That’s reserved for women usually.”
To her surprise, pain and deep sorrow etched the mob boss’s face. “Deva, I know first hand that you couldn’t be more right. Women are the first victims of our folly. And I experienced that pain in ways you wouldn’t imagine.”
Something moved behind her. She saw Aleksei reach for a gun in the small of his back. Kai and Lance pushed themselves up and reached for their weapons as well. A man in a suit walked in the restaurant, ignoring everyone else but Gerasim. As the Pakan’s men stayed seated, there wasn’t an immediate threat. Deva nodded at Kai who re-holstered his gun under his shirt. Lance scanned the room but didn’t sit back at the table.
“Ah, Semyon. Glad you could make it. Aleksei, I don’t think you’ve had the chance to meet my second-in-command, Semyon Kuznetzov.”
Aleksei stood to take Semyon’s arm. Deva saw it as some sort of secret Bratva handshake. Semyon was younger than Aleksei by a few years she guessed. Dark blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, the man had a baby face with deep dark eyes. With a lean, tall body, he looked more like a student than a member of the Bratva in her opinion, but as she wasn’t that familiar with their whole hierarchy, she decided to let it slide.
“Semyon, I’d like you to meet Deva Landry.”
He took her hand but didn’t shake it. It was as if he was disgusted by the contact and needed to end it as quickly as possible. It didn’t show clearly on his face, but what passed in that touch definitely made Deva uneasy. Semyon didn’t look at her long but was the epitome of politeness.
“Miss Landry. A pleasure to meet you.”
And then he turned to his boss and murmured something to Gerasim who nodded before turning to her once more. “I have something to attend to, so you will need to excuse me.”
Gerasim got to his feet, followed by almost everyone in the room. But before he left, he rounded the table to take Deva’s hand. “My dear, rest assured that I have absolutely no intention of doing any sort of business with Finch. Ever. Also, I admire courage and tenacity, but even with those, I wouldn’t wander off without your protection. I find you interesting Miss Landry. But I would be very angry if anything happened to Aleksei because of you.”
Deva blinked at the praise mixed with a threat. “The last thing I want is to hurt him.”
He looked a long time at her before finally smiling. A genuine smile. “Good day, Miss Landry.”
He walked away, Semyon in his wake. But before it could be concealed, she saw resentment in Gerasim’s second-in-command. Another ball to add to the ones she was juggling.