Chapter Nineteen
Sarah
Icouldn’t stop glancing at the man in the seat next to me. He reminded me of Dmitri, with his dark hair and muscular physique. They had the same intensity about them, an aura of danger that I now suspected came from living a secret criminal life.
His name was Nikolay, which was all Dmitri told me about the man playing the role of bodyguard today. I didn’t know what Dmitri himself was going to be doing while I attended my spin class, and I told myself I didn’t care. We weren’t in a relationship or even friends.
But when I thought about the kiss we shared last night, I knew I was lying to myself. There was a reason I let him get that close, despite telling myself I shouldn’t with every step he took to close the distance between us.
My wariness of the man was quickly fading, despite the fact that I was certain the district attorney’s claims about him being head of the Russian mafia were true. I couldn’t help softening around him. The knowledge that he didn’t kill my boss helped to put me at ease a little, but it was really the way he behaved with Alexis that made me want to trust the man. He didn’t even know she was his daughter, but he was patient and kind and indulgent with her. His eyes grew soft when she spoke to him, and that made my heart flutter every time.
It also made me feel guilty. I knew I needed to tell him about her, but until I knew more about Dimitri’s life and what kind of man hereallywas, I couldn’t.
“I’m sorry you have to give up your Sunday afternoon to follow me around,” I said after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence in the car.
Nikolay shrugged, glancing over at me quickly before refocusing on the road. “I’ll admit that it’s not exactly the way I’d choose to spend my time. Frankly, babysitting some woman and her kid is beneath me.”
I cringed. “Yikes. Don’t sugar coat anything to make me feel better.”
Nikolay chuckled. “I didn’t mean to be a dick about it. It’s just that this kind of a thing, a protection detail, I mean, would normally be handled by one of theboeviks.”
“Boeviks?”I asked.
“They are the warriors within our organization.”
I hid my surprised reaction that Nikolay was openly talking about the mafia with me. He must have assumed Dmitri told me about the Bratva, and I wasn’t going to correct him on that. If Dmitri was going to keep being evasive about the nature of his work, I’d learn whatever I could from Nikolay.
“They are the lowest in the hierarchy, aside from the Sixes, who are not full members and therefore only trusted with menial tasks. Think of it as a type of probation.”
“It sounds like pledging for a sorority,” I said, thinking about my time as a Theta Kappa Omega during my college days.
“Not exactly. I doubt that pledges at a sorority do the same kind of things that the Sixes do.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. Although I was curious about the Bratva, there was a darkness in Nikolay’s voice that made me think I wouldn’t want to know what the Sixes did for them.
“So, you’re not aboevik,”I said. “Does that mean you rank higher in the organization?”
“I’m a spy. It’s one of the highest ranks, aside from Pakhan.That’s Dmitri.”
So, it was true. Dmitri was the leader of the Bratva. That confirmation should have rattled me, but I found that I felt strangely calm. I probably should have been imagining him doing things like leaving severed horse heads in people’s beds or pointing a gun at his enemies, the kind of thing I’d seen in old gangster movies. Instead, my mind lingered on the way he told me I’d be safe if I stayed at his house.
He offered me the protection that came with his position in the mafia, insisting I bring my daughter and even my cat. I was sure he could be a scary man, but with me, he was protective and intense in a way that didn’t frighten me at all.
“So, why did he order you to be a bodyguard today if it’s something theboeviksusually do?” I asked.
“He didn’t exactlyorderme. It’s more like he called in a favor. He might be the boss, but we’re best friends, so our relationship means that he doesn’t feel the need to throw his weight around. He knows I respect him and he trusts me. When he called this morning and asked me to accompany you today, we both knew I’d agree.”
My brow furrowed as I thought about what he was telling me. I didn’t know exactly what a spy was, but I understood that Nikolay was saying that he held a position of importance in the Bratva. So, why was he even asked to join me today?
“I don’t understand,” I said as Nikolay pulled into the parking lot of the gym. “Why wouldn’t Dmitri just ask one of theseboeviksto watch out for me?”
Nikolay pulled into the closest parking spot to the entrance of the gym. Putting the car in park, he turned to look at me. “All he told me was that he wanted someone he fully trusts with you today.”
I frowned. “You’re saying he doesn’t trust all of the men in his employ?”
Nikolay’s eyes shifted away from me, and a muscle ticked in his jaw. He killed the engine and pulled the keys from the ignition, toying with them in his hands for a moment. Just when I thought he wasn’t going to respond to my question, he finally spoke.
“Maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but I think it would be best if you were aware that danger doesn’t just come from masked men in parking lots. We think someone in our organization might be a traitor, leaking our secrets to our enemies.”