“Oh, I’m counting on it.” Demyan licks his lips like a hyena about to pounce on his prey.
The comparison suits him well. Demyan may be almost two heads shorter than me, but what he lacks in height, he makes up in presence. His deadly blue eyes are sharp and merciless. His body is lean and wiry, but it’s covered head to toe in tattoos. The only part of him that’s left untouched is his face. Well, almost untouched—just a tiny dagger inked underneath his left eye. He had it done after our first big fight. Right after I took over the reins and became don of the Makarova Bratva.
“Enough about my errands,” he says dismissively. “What about yours?”
“I have the girl.”
“Which one?” Demyan asks.
“The younger sister. Olivia.”
Demyan glances towards me, his shrewd eyes picking up on my body language. “It went smoothly, I take it?”
“It went perfectly,” I confirm.
“But…？”
There’s no sense lying to Demyan. The man knows me well. “She’s more… attractive than I expected.”
He chuckles. “So fuck her and be done with it.”
I hoist my leg up and rest it on the table sitting between us. “Already did.”
“You gotta be kidding me,” Demyan laughs. “Multi-tasker of the year. You delayed an entire flight and got laid? When did you have the time?”
“I delayed the plane so I’d have time to build a rapport—to learn more about her. And it worked flawlessly.” I smirk. “I fucked her in the plane bathroom.”
“Lucky you,” he says. “You must have picked the fun sister.”
I cock my head to the side thoughtfully. “Actually, I don’t think so. She’s as boring as the reports indicated. Dresses like she’s forty and barely has a social circle back in New York. The people she does know are all work colleagues.”
“What’s your point?”
“She’s not the type of woman who fucks a stranger in an airplane bathroom,” I explain. “I think I was a rare exception.”
“Of course you were,” Demyan says. “Having you by my side for half of my life has been the bane of my fucking existence. Women take one look at you and suddenly, I disappear.”
I shrug. “You’ve eaten well on my leftovers.”
“Yeah, but being a bottom feeder sucks ass.”
Chuckling, I reach for the unopened beers that are sweating condensation onto the tabletop. “Want one?”
“Does a bear shit in the—”
“Here,” I interrupt with a scowl. “Take the goddamn beer and shut up.”
I pop the cap and hand him a fresh beer. I grab one for myself, too.
“I was an exception,” I continue to muse, “but I could tell she was trying to talk herself out of it. The entire time I was undressing her, I couldn’t tell if she was going to fuck me or bolt. She’s not confident. Not about her body or her life.”
“Methinks I sense a little fascination,” Demyan suggests in an obnoxiously twee voice.
I roll my eyes. “I just haven’t come across a woman like her before.”
“That’s because you’ve never taken the time to venture out and find them. And they aren’t exactly the type to come looking for you.”
“Fair point.”
He takes a swig of his beer and gives me a curious glance. “Just how attractive are we talking?”
“She’s beautiful,” I say honestly. “But she tries hard to hide it. Seems like she’s been fairly successful in that regard.”
“Beautiful, huh?” Demyan says. “Be careful with that shit, amigo. The last time I used that word to describe a woman, I married her. And we all know how that turned out.”
I smile. “Speaking of which, how is Miranda?”
Demyan leans back into his seat again and sighs. “She’s talking about moving to Nebraska.”
“Jesus Christ. Nebraska? Why?”
“Her family lives there,” Demyan explains. “Her parents and both brothers. The older one got married and popped out a couple of kids and now, she’s talking about moving Callie there so she can be with her cousins.”
I raise my eyebrows. “And what did you say to that?”
“I told her if she wants to move to Nebraska, she’s more than welcome to. But she’s not taking my kid with her.”
I snort. “I bet she took that well.”
“Does she ever take anything I say well?” he growls. He takes another swig of beer. “Trust me, man, it’s not fucking worth it. Marriage is… Suffice it to say it’s not for men like us.”
“Whoever said anything about marriage?”
“Finding a woman beautiful is one thing,” he says. “Finding a woman fascinating is another. When they go hand-in-hand… that’s trouble.”
“This girl is nothing more than a conduit, Demyan. I took her for a purpose. Once that purpose is served, she’ll go right back to her mundane little life. And I’ll get on with mine.”
Demyan purses up his lips. “You sure about that?”
“Just because you married the woman you thought was beautiful doesn’t mean I will.”
“Okay. But just remember I also divorced her,” he says. “You know why? Beauty doesn’t get you very far when you’re living together day-to-day and trying to mesh together two lives that just don’t fit.”
“You married outside the Bratva,” I point out.
“Good point. So remind me: is this chick Bratva?”
I give him the finger. “She is a means to an end,” I growl. “ I sought her out to carry out a mission. You married a girl you met in a club because she got your dick hard. The two things are worlds apart.”
He narrows his eyes. “Does that mean you’re done fucking her?”
“I can fuck her without getting attached. Believe me.”
“That’s dangerous territory, brother.”
“You think too much.”
“Doesn’t make me wrong. Women like them… they’re not suited for this lifestyle, man. She’ll crack under the stress of it. She’ll fall to pieces every time you have work to do.” He shakes his head. “They want quiet and calm. They want stability. And the Bratva feeds on chaos.”
“I’m not going to marry the woman, Demyan. And as for fucking her, I’ve already done that. Why would I need to do it again?”
Demyan doesn’t look fully convinced, but he nods regardless. It’s been three years since his divorce, but it still wears on him. He tries to hide it, but I know the toll it takes. He is a good man at heart.
Me, on the other hand?
Not so much.
“Do you think she’s serious?” I ask. “About Nebraska?”
“Her argument is that I’m barely around anyway,” Demyan says through gritted teeth. “The fact that I missed her birthday doesn’t help.”
“When was that?”
“Three weeks ago, when we were dealing with the Boskovic scum.”
“We were out for three days.”
“Exactly. Which is all it took for it to slip my mind that Callie’s birthday was right around the corner.”