"Like a date where I sniff out yer boss's contraband and somebody recognizes my stitching from the wrong side of it." I shook my head, but I was already turning it over, already half in. "Ye understand what yer asking. Every shop that's dirty has somebody in it who might ken my face. Or worse, ken my work and wonder how it walked out of that warehouse with all its limbs."
"You'll be with me." He set the bag down firmly. "And if they touch you, I won't just take a finger. I'll take the whole fucking arm."
"That's no' as comforting as ye think it is." But I was smiling, the mean, small one. "Fine. We'll go shopping, Aleksi Laskin. On one condition."
"Name it."
"Ye buy me something real while we're at it." I picked the tray up off the floor. "I've spent six months making beautiful things for men who'd have killed me. I'd like to walk into a shop once as a man somebody's buying for."
He smiled like he'd won something. "Perfect. We can buy you some accessories to go with your new suit."
It was raining whenwe pulled up outside Bianchi's, and Aleksi had his hand halfway up my thigh, which would've been grand if his brother hadn't been sitting across from us watching it happen.
"Ye want to maybe save that," I said.
"No." His thumb pressed in along the inseam, slow, like he was testing the stitching to see if it'd hold. "Niko can look elsewhere if he doesn’t like it."
"I see nothing," Niko said, not looking up from his phone. "Continuez.Pretend I am not here."
"Bit hard, that. Yer the loudest thing in the car and ye've not said a word in ten minutes."
He smiled at me over the screen, the pretty one, the one that came easy to him the way the threats came easy to his brother. "He insults me," he told Aleksi. "All day, insults. This is how I know he’s good for you."
"Stop talking to him."
"You brought him on a date and made me come along. What did you think would—"
"Niko." Aleksi turned his head, didn't raise his voice, and Niko lifted both hands in surrender.
I turned my head to look out the window across the street. This was the fourth shop of the day, and I was starting to think Nikita’s theory about diamond trafficking was complete shite. But at least I’d gotten a nice wool coat out of the deal, and a matching hat. The whole ensemble had cost Aleksi an embarrassing amount, and Niko was never going to let him live it down.
Me, I felt like some lass whose man had bought her pearls and Balenciaga heels. The man was earning his keep, diamonds or no.
"Out," Aleksi said against my ear. "Before I do something that makes Niko blush."
"I don’t blush," Niko said almost sadly. “It’s a fault I blame on my Russian half. C’est la vie.”
We got out and made straight for the shop’s front door. A little brass bell rang overhead when we pushed it open. The shop smelled of wax and money. A man came round the counter with his greeting half out of his mouth, got a proper look at Aleksi, and the rest of it died on him.
Niko was already gliding in to handle him. “Ah yes! Forgive my brother. He has the manners and the taste of a closed door,” he said and steered the poor soul off toward the display cases with both hands.
That was the arrangement. Niko charmed, Aleksi loomed, and I worked.
I went down the wall of jackets first. Aleksi came with me and stood at my shoulder, close enough I could feel the heat coming off him through two coats.
"Ye're crowding me," I murmured.
"I know." His hand settled at the small of my back, under the new coat, spread wide and heavy and proprietary, and pressed me half an inch closer to the leather. "Keep working."
"Cannae work with yer hand there."
"You worked fine with my hand other places."
"Aye, well." I picked up the next jacket to keep my own hands honest. "Different sort of concentration."
"Find me what I'm paying for, Fin." His mouth was at my ear now, low enough Niko's chatter covered it. "Be good for me in a shop full of people and I'll be very bad for you when we're not."
"Careful, boss man. I’m susceptible to bribes."