The Underworld Series, page 12
He turned at the bottom of the stairs and went toward all the guys’ rooms. “Ohhh, I haven’t been this way yet. It’s an adventure!” I said, trying to be as annoying as possible.
As we passed each room, he pointed out who the room belonged to. Like I was going to remember after just one time.
“Will there be a test on this later? Because I can tell you right now that I’m not going to pass that test,” I asked.
He laughed. “Net, sestrichka. No test. We will all help you when you get lost. It took me two weeks to remember where everything was when we first moved here.”
“That makes me feel so much better.”
The gym came after all the guys’ bedrooms. It was huge and completely furnished with every weight and machine you would find in a regular gym. There was even a boxing ring at the back wall. Andrei pointed to a door behind the boxing ring. “There’s a basketball court through that door.”
“Shut up. You guys have a basketball court here?”
“Da. We don’t really use it that much. In the winter more. Too hot in the summer.”
I looked at him, amazed at this house. “I just can’t believe it’s not temperature-controlled,” I said under my breath.
Andrei set me down by the extensive racks of weights. “You do my workout, sestrichka?”
I nodded. I was always up for a challenge. “Please don’t kill me.”
He chuckled. “I’ll go easy.”
While we worked out, we talked about everything. I learned about his childhood, how long he’d been working for Adrik, how he got the job, everything.
During a lull in the conversation, I cocked my head to the side and looked at him, “How long have you had a crush on Tori?”
He paused, blushing immediately. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sephie.”
“Don’t lie to me. It’s literally written all over your face right now,” I laughed.
He put his dumbbells down and walked to me. He grabbed my arm and pulled me deeper into the gym. “Shh …” he said with his finger to his lips.
I looked around. There was no one there but he and I. “Who’s going to hear me?” I whispered.
“She comes to the gym sometimes. She could walk in at any minute.”
I gasped. “Is that why we’re working out right now?”
He nodded.
“You dog,” I said, slapping his massive bicep.
He looked down, his posture crumbling slightly. “I don’t think she notices me. I don’t think she likes me.”
I scoffed. “Are you blind, son? She might try to hide it, but it’s plain as fucking day that she hearts you,” I said, holding my hands up in the shape of a heart against my chest.
“No shit?”
“No shit, Andrei. I saw it right away in the kitchen this morning. Even Adrik saw it. You should talk to her. Don’t ask her out, just talk to her,” I said, now putting my hand gently on his arm. “She notices you, trust me.”
He thought for a minute, then shook his head. “I can’t. I’m an idiot. I wouldn’t know what to say.”
“You’ve been talking to me for like an hour now. You’ll do fine. Hell, you got a marriage proposal out of me within an hour of officially meeting me. You’ve got more game than you think you do, Andrei.”
“You’re different, Sephie.”
“I am not,” I argued. “I’m just like everyone else.”
It was his turn to argue. “I beg to differ. You are different. You’re the only woman that Adrik has ever brought here. He worries about you when he’s not with you. He’s forgotten his girlfriend’s name before in the past. He wants to keep you safe. He wants you by his side, always. He’s never been like this with any other woman I’ve seen him with. It’s like he can’t keep himself away from you, like he always has to be touching you. He’s never been like that with another woman. They usually cling to him like he’s going to run away from them at any moment. But with you, it’s like he’s constantly trying to run to you. And it was like that from the first moment he saw you. I’ve worked for him for a long time. I know him. The second he saw you, he was in love with you.”
I inhaled deeply, not knowing what to say. I was completely at a loss for words. Some part of me knew he was right, but I still didn’t know how to respond. I thought for a moment more and then raised an eyebrow at him, “You’re this observant and you still can’t tell that Tori likes you as much as you like her?”
He cursed under his breath, blushing.
“Okay, Bubba. I’ll make you a deal. How about I talk to Tori and try to feel her out for you first? Find out if there’s a chance before you shoot your shot?”
“You would do that for me?”
“Bubba,” I said, hooking my arm through his, “I was ready to marry you for washing my dishes. Of course, I’ll talk to her.”
He grinned at me, then hugged me tightly. We finished our workout. He escorted me back to my bedroom, so I could shower quickly. Once again, he waited outside my door. And once again, I hopped on his back after I walked out of my room. I could get used to this mode of transportation through this giant house.
I was taken to his room, so he could get a quick shower. He walked out of his bathroom in a fresh pair of sweatpants, holding his shirt in his hands. Good Lord, were they all this chiseled? Tori better jump at the chance to get to know this Adonis better.
He pulled his shirt over his head as he walked to his door. “Come. You hungry?” he asked.
“Now you are speaking my love language,” I said, standing to follow him. He stopped in his doorway, slightly squatting down, with his arms wide at his side. I immediately jumped on his back, laughing. “Don’t tell Viktor. You’re my new favorite.”
He patted my leg, “Your secret is safe with me.”
Once in the kitchen, he backed up to the island, so I could sit while he rummaged through the refrigerator. He started pulling random things out and setting them on the counter.
“Is there a plan here or are you just so hungry that you’ll eat anything?” I asked, eyeing the strange combination of food he had compiled on the counter.
“There’s a plan. Trust me.”
“If you say so …” I said, still very unsure about what was going to happen next.
He ultimately ended up being a very good cook. It was unorthodox, I’ll give him that, but his combination of, like, six different meats, potatoes, and peppers was delicious. Or I was just so hungry that I would’ve eaten anything. It could go either way.
As we were cleaning up, Tori walked through the kitchen. She looked like she was on her way to the gym, and she stopped to ask, “Is there anyone in the gym?”
“Nope,” I said. “Everyone else is gone and we just got done.” I caught her face fall briefly. She looked to Andrei, who was looking down like he was petrified of looking at her directly.
She’s not Medusa, Andrei. I smiled at her, shrugging my shoulders, and jerking my head toward Andrei. She blushed slightly and continued on her way. When she was out of the kitchen, I smacked his arm. “What the hell was that? You didn’t even look at her!”
“I get nervous.”
I sighed. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. “You can like kill people with just your thumbs, but you’re scared to talk to a girl?”
“Basically.”
I shook my head. “Okay, that’s it. I’m going to talk to her right now. You guys are going to keep playing this game forever unless someone intervenes on your behalf. You can wait outside the gym,” I said, walking back toward the gym.
As we got closer, he started to get more nervous. “Are you sure this is a good idea right now? I mean, we could wait until later. It might not be a good time. We should wait.”
“Nope. We’re ripping this Band-Aid off right now,” I said, opening the door to the gym. “Wait here.”
As I walked in, Tori was just finishing her warm-up on the treadmill. She gave me a small smile, but she was looking past me to see if Andrei was going to follow me into the gym. I glanced behind me, following her gaze, to make sure he was waiting outside.
“Hi, Tori,” I said walking up to her.
“Hi,” she said, somewhat unsure of what I was doing there.
“Okay, so this is weird and I’m just going to come out and say it. Andrei really likes you, but he’s also terrified of you. He wants to talk to you, to get to know you, but he’s so scared that you’ll turn him down that he won’t let himself even look at you, which is why he acts like a buffoon anytime you’re around.”
Her eyes went wide in shock. “He does?”
“He does. He very much does. And I’m guessing from what I saw this morning that you do too?”
She nodded eagerly. “I’ve had such a major crush on him since I started here. The other guys are so intimidating, but Andrei just seems really genuine. I didn’t think he liked me though because he rarely looks at me.”
I crossed my arms, “Terrified.”
She laughed nervously, “I can understand. I’m mostly terrified of him too. All of them, really. They’re so serious all the time. This morning was the first time I’ve ever seen any of them smile and I’ve worked here for two years. Especially Ivan. He’s scary, but he was like a normal guy with you.”
“Eh, a normal guy that can kill you in two seconds. Clearly normal is relative with him.”
“I’ve never seen any of them act so relaxed before. Especially Boss. He’s always uptight and looks like he wants to punch the wall. We have a stockpile of punching bags for him because he breaks them frequently.”
“Seriously?” I asked, completely surprised.
“Yeah. Me and the rest of the staff thought he had anger issues or something. And we’ve never seen him with a woman. The house staff thinks he’s gay.”
I laughed, “He did tell me that.”
We were silent for a moment. Then I came up with an idea. “Okay, I have a plan. You’re supposed to cook dinner for everyone tonight?” She nodded. “How about I do that and give you time with Andrei, just the two of you? He’s supposed to be babysitting me, until everyone returns, but that doesn’t mean you guys can’t be in the next room without five other pairs of eyes on you for once.”
She looked shocked. “You would do that? No, I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You’re not asking. I offered. We have a unique opportunity tonight, might as well take advantage of it, no?”
“Oh my gosh, thank you so much. You’re seriously awesome,” she said.
“It’s a gift,” I winked at her. “I’ll tell the buffoon and coach him on speaking publicly until you’re ready,” I said, walking toward the door. Andrei was going to be so happy. And nervous. So nervous.
Chapter Fourteen
Adrik
We left the house in three vehicles. Ivan and Viktor with me, Stephen and Misha each driving a separate vehicle. Sometimes I showed up in two, sometimes three. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was walking into, so we chose three vehicles. Since we were coming back to the house and not staying in the city, I wanted to make sure no one followed us. We could confuse any tails we had easier with more vehicles.
Salvadori had asked to meet me to discuss his son. He started off by apologizing for him and said he had a plan that he felt would satisfy everyone. I was sure it would, in fact, not satisfy me, but I would hear him out nonetheless.
We pulled up in front of Salvadori’s house. The Italians loved to show their wealth, so he had a giant fountain in his driveway and usually kept one or two sports cars parked in his driveway. Today, it was the Porsche and Bugatti. Nice cars, but I didn’t understand the need for multiple cars that no one ever drives. If you’re going to own one, you might as well drive it.
We were met at the front door by Salvadori’s head of security. A man named Andy. He was a mostly good man. He had worked for Salvadori for years. Salvadori didn’t know it was Andy that had first alerted me to Anthony’s dealings with human trafficking. He said he couldn’t stand that Anthony was “soiling the family name” by stooping to such a low level. Since then, he’s been my mole in Salvadori’s operation. Unfortunately, even Salvadori doesn’t know everything that Anthony has been up to. He can’t control his own son and that is going to bite him later.
“Andy,” I said as I spread my arms wide so he could pat me down for weapons.
“Sir, good to see you again,” he said. That meant he had no new information for me. If he said it had been a while since he’s seen me, then he had information I would be interested in. Andy patted down both Viktor and Ivan as they would accompany me inside. Stephen and Misha stayed armed and remained outside with the vehicles. They all had wireless earpieces, so they could communicate with one another. Misha and Stephen would be ready in the event we needed to leave in a hurry.
I wasn’t expecting trouble, but I was always prepared for it. Salvadori was a smart man. He knew his place within my organization and appeared happy with his slice of the city. He was active in his community, as well as loved by the people in his area of the city. He had a good relationship with the other bosses of the city. The issue remained, however, that he was incapable of controlling his son and that needed to be rectified.
Andy escorted us through the house to the back patio. Salvadori was seated at a table; his grandchildren were playing in the pool. I relaxed slightly. This was a sign that he meant no harm. We were criminals, but we had a hard and fast rule of no harm coming to children intentionally. Ever. This is why Anthony’s foray into human trafficking was unforgiveable.
Salvadori stood and extended his arms, exclaiming, “Welcome, sir. Welcome to my home. I’m pleased you have come.”
I shook his hand, nodding once. I was a man of few words, whenever possible. I noticed early in life that it tended to make others say more than they should. Most people were uncomfortable with silence and would fill it however they could, spilling secrets in the process.
He motioned for me to sit as he took his seat once again. Once seated, he began immediately, “My sincerest apologies for the disrespect my son has caused. He has always been a difficult child, with his own ideas of right and wrong. His mother spoiled him to the point of ruin, I’m afraid,” he said, making the sign of the cross as he talked about his late wife.
I remained silent, allowing him to finish. Viktor and Ivan stood behind me, keeping an eye on our surroundings.
Salvadori continued, “I believe I have a plan that will satisfy everyone. I want to keep my son safe, difficult as he is, but I recognize that he is out of control at the moment. I propose to send him to Sicily. I have a brother there who can watch him and keep him out of trouble. He can stay there until this rebellious time passes. He’s young, coming into his manhood. Hormones and what not.” He flipped his hand in the air, like that was a suitable explanation for his son’s behavior.
I inhaled, thinking about this “solution.” My reach in Sicily was minimal at best. I’m sure that Salvadori knew this, which is why he picked Sicily. It was one place that I couldn’t easily reach Anthony. I felt my anger threaten to rise to the surface. I didn’t like this plan. I would much rather see that piece of trash dead.
“He goes to Sicily immediately. He is not to return here without my permission. If I catch him in this city, he will be a dead man. The entire city will have shoot-on-sight orders for him. Understood?”
Salvadori’s left eye twitched, just as Sephie had said, but he nodded his head in agreement. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something still felt off about this situation. I didn’t like it, but I didn’t know why yet. Was he being dishonest or was he angry?
“Your tax will be increased for two years, as well. Forty percent. Take it from Anthony, I don’t care.”
His eyes went wide in shock, but he immediately gained control of his reaction once again. “Of course, sir. That’s very reasonable. I will make sure Anthony leaves within the week.”
“He has two days.”
“Yes, sir,” Salvadori said. He looked to Andy and nodded his head, waving his hand toward the table. “Now, please, I have a gift for the lovely Sephie. A token of apology from an old man.”
Andy set a jewelry box in front of me on the table. I opened it to reveal a diamond tennis bracelet. It was beautiful, but I couldn’t imagine her wanting to wear it. I still had that feeling that something was off, but graciously accepted the gift on her behalf. I stood to shake Salvadori’s hand and followed Andy back through the house. As we walked through the front door, Andy looked to the sky. The spring storm from earlier had passed, but the sky was still slightly overcast. “Looks like it might rain again, sir. Be careful on your drive home.”
I nodded my head. We got in the vehicles and drove away from the house in silence. Instead of turning to go back to my house, we turned in the opposite direction to drive back into the city.
“Penthouse, sir?” Ivan confirmed.
“Da. Something is off. I don’t like this,” I said, turning the jewelry box over in my hands.
“Agreed,” both Viktor and Ivan said.
It took us twice as long to get to the penthouse as usual. We basically drove in circles for at least twenty minutes, trying to make sure we weren’t being followed. When Ivan was satisfied we were safe, we pulled into the underground parking garage beneath the building. I owned the entire building. The bottom floors were office space and apartments. The top three floors were restricted, with only my people having access. The top floor was my penthouse, the floor beneath that was apartments for each of my men, and the floor beneath that was office space for me, gym, and secure rooms where I could keep anyone I needed to get information from.
