Vik by Belle Aurora

21

Nastasia

My stomach ached with dread,and sometime during the argument, when Vik turned to me and spoke over the yelling, I don’t think I’d ever felt worse.

“You should go.”

My eyes slid from one person to another, and when my gaze landed on Yuri’s reddened face, I quickly came to realize this was not something Vik wanted me here for. Apparently, I’d done enough. So, with a contrite nod, I got my purse and walked out of the house just as the yelling recommenced.

I should have driven away.

Instead, I sat in my car and waited.

Unsure how long I remained in the dark, I regained focus when I saw him walking slowly toward me, his hands in his pockets, his eyes downcast, looking every bit a broken man. So, when he sat on my hood with his back to me, I took it as an invitation and slid out of my car to join him, taking the spot beside him.

Of all the things I was expecting him to say, none of them began with, “We’re broke.”

Bafflement sat heavy in my head, but I said nothing.

Vik’s stance widened. “I moved home to help out, but the debt just keeps growing. Sold my car to pay bills. Pawned all of my jewelry except for this.” He pulled his hand out of his pocket, and I saw the thick platinum ring I bought him for his thirtieth birthday reflecting light off of his middle finger.

It was engraved. The inscription said Forever and always.

I remained quiet, because he was finally opening up to me, and for as long as he felt chatty, I would allow him to speak unchallenged.

“Our investments are toast. They’re costing us more than they’re paying out. My mom is working from home. My dad has zero work experience, and the cops know who he is pretty damn well. Understandably, no one wants to hire him. Anika is falling apart, and I’m pretty sure Ksenia is up to something shady.” He blew out a breath. “My parents haven’t paid their property taxes for around nine years.” My head snapped to him, and he nodded, looking damn near defeated. “Oh yeah.”

My breathing got heavy, and I asked around the thickness in my throat, “How bad?”

It took him a while to answer.

He licked his full lips. “It’s bad, baby.” He lapsed into a short silence. “I’ve got ’til the end of next month to cough up ninety-six grand, and that’s just so we don’t lose the house.” My eyes closed in shock as he went on, “There was no money coming in, and my pops thought he could fix it. Took out one legit loan—and three others, not so legit. My account was cushioning, a mattress to fall back on in case I couldn’t get the cash any other way. I thought I might be able to swing it, but now I’m not so sure. So, on top of that almost hundred grand, I’ve been working my ass off to make sure no one comes around to break my father’s legs because he was foolish enough to borrow from some really bad people.” He pushed off the car and paced. “I’ve managed to talk to a couple, and they’re willing to give us some time because of who we were and what we did as Chaos, but I can’t hold ’em off forever.”

No. He couldn’t.

I knew how these things worked. My own brother was a loan shark. And if payment wasn’t met… well, payment would be taken in one way or another.

“How much?” I asked softly.

Vik laughed, taking a hand and brushing it over his mouth before he revealed the staggering amount. “Two hundred and ninety-three thousand dollars.”

Oh my God.

My mouth rounded in time with my eyes. I blinked, and Vik let out a rough, “Yeah.”

I thought to help, but apparently, all I managed to do was say the wrong thing at the wrong time.

“I could give you—” The moment I began to speak and Vik’s eyes sliced over to me, cold and furious, I stopped talking. So, I added carefully, “I have money. I can help.” Unfortunately, Vik was already shaking his head, and I stood, reaching out and taking hold of his arm with a desperate, “Let me help.”

He made a sound of pure irritation. “This. This is why I didn’t tell you, Nas. Fuck.” My face fell, and when he noticed, he rolled his eyes. “Jesus. You’re already looking at me different.”

“No, I’m not,” I swore, but I was. Not intentionally, of course. But this changed things.

Beaten. That was the one word that came to mind when he looked at me then.

“You are a woman who is used to a particular lifestyle.” My brow pulled down in offense, and he noticed. “Not because you’re pretentious, but because you were born into that life. And after your dad died, Sash made sure you continued to live that life. And I…” He paused and kicked away a pebble. “I can’t give you that.” His tone was flat, trodden on. And my heart broke. Even more when he said, “And, God, it wrecks me.”

I knew he didn’t mean it, but he made it sound like I would only drink out of crystal glasses and eat the finest caviar. As though I was a snob. An elitist.

“I’m barely keeping my head above water,” Vik confessed through an exhale. “How am I supposed to take care of you the way you deserve without drowning us both?”

What could I say to that?

Nothing. Not when he insisted on the pity party he was throwing. I thought he knew me better than that. I thought he knew me well enough to know that kind of stuff didn’t matter to me. I would have given it up, all of it, to have him. Put us back in the one-bedroom rickety apartment with the broken toilet. I’d take it so long as I had him.

I already knew the answer to what I was about to suggest but wanted confirmation. “Coming up with that kind of money in such a short amount of time is going to be tough.”

“Not if you’re doing rough work,” he returned.

His disappearance last week. The state of his face. His irritability. It made sense.

“Do I want to know who you’re working for?” I asked through a humorless laugh.

He stared out into the street. “Some guy on the upper east side.”

That was all he gave, but to be honest, it was more than I expected. These things were on a need-to-know basis, and Vik and I had a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy when it came to rough work. It protected him but also protected me. After all, I couldn’t tell anyone what I didn’t know.

This whole situation was shocking. I wanted to help. I needed to help. I just didn’t know how.

A mild silence passed, and Vik straightened. “So, now you know. Happy?”

How could he ask me that?

My expression sad, I let out a barely there, “No.”

A bitter laugh escaped him. “Yeah.” He turned to walk away, speaking as he left me behind. “Me neither.”

* * *

I couldn’t believeI was doing this.

And as my eyes swung to the dancer sitting on the sofa in Sasha’s office, I folded my arms over my chest. My jaw ached from how tightly I clenched my teeth together, but for the sake of my brother and this business, I would play nice. For now.

Sasha sat behind his desk, leaning back in his chair as he looked between Lush and me. “You don’t have to get along, ladies. You don’t even have to like each other. But you will be respectful in my place of business.” When his eyes narrowed on me, he went on. “I know you hear me, Nastasia.”

Why was he putting this solely on me?

He knew I had a short fuse, and this bitch made it her job to mess with all my circuits.

I would choke on the words before I apologized.

Ever the dutiful sibling, I responded, “I hear you, brother mine.”

“Good.” He appeared somewhat appeased. My stomach jackknifed when his eyes softened, and he asked kindly, “Now, Lush. How are you feeling?”

I stared at him, blinking in bewilderment.

Was he freaking serious?

I was about to lose my mind.

“Well,” she spoke breathily, “my head hurts, and my neck is really sore.” Sasha nodded in sympathy. “I think I might need a few more days off.” She lowered her eyes and fluttered her lashes. And I almost gagged. “But if you don’t want me to, I guess I can just go to the cops and file a report. I’m sure you have some kind of insurance that deals with workplace compensation.”

And I slowly twisted to face her, letting my arms fall by my sides.

Was that a threat? Did she just threaten my brother?

Because if it was, I would take the four steps over, grip her hair in my hands, walk her over to the desk, and make her head meet it—again and again.

Oh, please.

I really hoped it was a threat.

Sasha put his hands up and grinned. “Whoa, now. Let’s just take it down a notch. I’m sure we can work something out.”

I got chills. He never grinned, not like that. It was slimy.

He then asked, “What about the money I gave you? Is that gone already?”

Lush simply shrugged. “I had bills to pay.”

Sasha’s demeanor changed. It was slight, but I saw it.

Something was up. I felt it in my bones.

“See, here’s the thing—” My brother stood and rounded the table, sitting himself down on the edge. “—Martha.” My head snapped up just as his eyes darkened, and he stared at her through his thick lashes. “You think you know me, but you don’t. If you knew me, you’d know that I don’t fuck with women like you.” Her face paled, but Sasha went on. “And I sure as hell don’t let them put a target on my head.”

Lush’s eyes widened. She seemed to be contemplating her life’s every decision, and when Sasha looked the way he was looking at her right now, I didn’t blame her.

“Sash,” she began. “I wasn’t…. I didn’t mean….” She then forced a wide smile. “I don’t think I explained myself properly.”

Lord. She was trying to fix this. And Sasha was not biting. “No, you did. I got exactly what you were laying down, and I…” He moved then, coming to crouch in front of her. “I don’t like your tone.”

Oh my God.

I should have felt bad about the glee that soared through me then, but no. I didn’t.

This was what happened when you screwed with people’s livelihoods. Especially with men like Sasha.

He rose and twisted, walking toward me. He took the space beside me, standing tall but peering at the petrified woman shuffling in place, looking over at the door like she might attempt to escape.

I’d like to see her try.

“Heard you went on a little shopping spree with that stack of cash. Left those notes all over the east side.” Her lips parted in surprise. “I know this, because regardless of what you thought, I am not a stupid man. And whether or not I’m still in the game, I always protect my back, because people rarely stab you in the front.” The smirk on his face was downright petrifying. “But you? You tried for both, didn’t you, honey?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her voice was barely audible.

Sasha asked a sober, “Do you know what usually happens to people who pay for diamonds with counterfeit bills like you did yesterday?” He paused a moment. “You will if you don’t pack your shit and get out of my club within the next five minutes.”

Her expression fell, and for a second, I almost felt bad for her. “You set me up.”

Sasha moved then, making his way around his desk and reclaiming his seat. “Yeah, well, play stupid games, win stupid prizes.” He checked his watch. “You got four minutes and twelve seconds. I’d get moving. You pass that time and you’re officially trespassing. You want to know what I do with trespassers?” He looked her over slowly. “I dare you to stay and find out.”

Martha was off the sofa before he even finished. She moved quickly, her heels clip-clopping as she rushed to leave, and the moment she exited the room, I turned to face my brother. He typed out a quick email before hitting Send. The chair spun, and he watched me for a short while before asking, “How long she been messing with you?”

My gut clenched.

How did he know?

He always knew.

“A while.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me?” He didn’t sound upset, but I knew my brother well, and the slight change in his tone was enough to let me know he wasn’t happy I hadn’t.

“This isn’t high school, Sash. I don’t need you to protect me.” Then quieter, “I didn’t want to cause trouble.”

“Yeah,” he uttered, taking his pen and tapping it on the table, then deadpanned, “How’d that work out?”

The ass.

My jaw tightened. “Not as well as I hoped.”

He made a sound of agreement deep in his throat. “Look,” he began in an offhanded way. “Our family has a reputation, and regardless of who we are now, we’ll never escape who we were. That kind of standing comes in handy. We are and forever will be Chaos.”

I understood. And maybe it was sick, but I didn’t hate it. Knowing people had that fear was somewhat of a reassurance. We never got taken advantage of. People thought twice before dealing with us, knowing if things went south, Sasha would recoup whatever he lost and more. We were a hazard people rarely spotted until it was too late.

Being a Leokov had its advantages.

“Next time you want to smack a bitch, come find me.” He vowed darkly, “We’ll smack 'em so hard they see stars without ever using our fists. You get me?”

Was he serious?

The way he held my gaze told me he was.

Why did that excite me? More importantly, what the hell was wrong with me?

“Yeah” was all I could say. “I get you.”

“Good,” he said as he turned to face his computer. “Close the door behind you. I’ve got work to do.”

And I just stared at him a moment. But when I finally found my feet and moved to walk away, I got the distinct impression that I would never truly appreciate how dangerous my eldest brother was.