Now there were only two customers in the bar and she’d already given them last call. They were two of her favorites. A couple who had met at the club. As she wiped down the bar, the man stood, then knelt and asked his date to marry him. The woman squealed and agreed.
“So romantic,” Alia said.
Would that ever happen to her? She doubted it. She wasn’t in the market for a romance. Just sex. And Viktor was doing a good job providing that.
She congratulated the couple, gave them a bottle of champagne on the house, and they headed out of the bar. She locked the door behind them. She yawned as she counted the till. Today she’d have to make a deposit. At least she’d have a bodyguard, even though the bank was only two doors away.
She was tired. She wanted to go home and sleep. The afternoon activities had caught up with her. At least she’d be sleeping in Viktor’s bed tonight. He could wake her up when he came home from the club.
A smile blossomed on her face. Though she had no idea what would happen once the murderers were caught. This was probably just a fling. She could keep it just sex. That would be fine with her.
He’d still pay for college, she’d bet.
She locked up the money in a safe, then counted the deposit once more. The place was a little creepy with no one in it. Ever since she witnessed the murder, she’d been jumpy. Even though she knew the place was locked, she still checked the doors.
Money was done. The dishwasher was running. She had to wait for Arkady.
Trash. She had to put out the trash. Damn.
The dumpster was right outside the back door. She could throw it in or she could wait for Arkady. She just wanted it done and be able to leave when he arrived.
She had more than one bag and she’d have to make more than one trip. She sighed. Dilemma. She chose to make a few trips and be ready for him.
On her second trip out, she saw the man. He was lurking. She ran back into the bar, but not before he used his foot to stop the door from closing. Her only recourse was to go out the front. Arkady would not see her, so she was on her own.
She grabbed her purse as she went by, knocking over tables. They’d be obstacles. She went out the front door. She’d text her boss later that the bar was unlocked. The only thing to steal was the alcohol.
Out on the street, she realized she’d fallen into a trap. The other man was waiting out front.
“Well, hello, there,” he said.
Without thinking, she kicked him in the balls and ran. She was going to go for Viktor’s place, but she’d never get in. She knew the door was locked. Nor did she want to lead the men to his place. She ran instead to the subway station. She heard a train rumbling into the station stop.
She jumped the turnstile and hopped in a car just as the doors were closing. She saw the men reach the bottom of the steps as the train pulled away. They couldn’t follow her.
Did they even know who she was?
She doubted it. She settled onto a seat. She would go home for tonight and call Viktor when she arrived. She’d be okay. Safe. They wouldn’t come into her neighborhood. Too dangerous.
She finally caught her breath, but she didn’t think she’d relax until she was inside her apartment. Yes, there were shooting and muggings, but it was home to her.
She walked the half block from the station to her building. No one bothered her. No one followed her. Her apartment smelled a little musty as it had been closed up for a few days. She wanted to take a shower, but didn’t feel safe enough yet.
She waited to see if anyone found her. Would there be a knock on the door?
And then there was. She looked out the peep hole. It was them. She gathered her stuff and climbed out on the fire escape. Didn’t they have anyone out here?
Nope. She ran back to the subway and took it back to Viktor’s. Hopefully she hadn’t worried him. Arkady must be frantic by now.
Her cell phone rang, but she was afraid to stop and answer it. She turned it off and then boarded the next train.
How did those guys know where to find her? She puzzled over that as she returned to Viktor’s.
***
Viktor whistled as he walked to the bar whew Alia worked He wasn’t out this time of night very often. The club was in full swing, but he knew he could count on his employees to take care of any problems. He’d left Sacha in charge.
His brother couldn’t screw this up. The back door to the bar was ajar. Oh shit.
He opened it fully and listened. He couldn’t hear anyone. Damn. Where was Alia?
He tiptoed into the back of the bar and still heard no one. When he looked at the front of the house, he saw tables and chairs knocked over. What the hell had happened? Where was Alia?
His heart rate ratcheted up a notch. Something had happened here.
“Alia?”
No answer. He checked the bathroom in case she was hiding. No Alia. He checked his watch. He had a meeting in half an hour. He couldn’t go look for her.
“Damn.”
He glanced out the front door, but saw no sign of her. He wasn’t ready to call the cops, but he would if he didn’t find her. He strode back to his place.
He barked for Arkady. “I can’t find Alia. Go find her.”
Arkady didn’t hesitate. He went out the door. Viktor hadn’t even given him any idea where she might be. He didn’t know. Viktor knew he’d pace.
If he could have postponed the business meeting, he would have.
Instead, he met with the man who supplied him with the best Russian vodka to serve in his club. If Viktor ran a normal bar, this wouldn’t be important, but his club members wanted to have a taste of home. They didn’t care what it cost.
But in order to have it supplied, Viktor had to meet with the man and give him cash every month. He’d postponed once before and the man refused to deliver any vodka for a month. His members had been unhappy.
He looked over the dance floor. The party was in full swing. Russian techno music. Viktor didn’t understand it, but he knew what his customers wanted.
He paced around his office.
“You are very worried about some girl who is going to leave soon,” Sacha said.
He didn’t need his brother’s input on this. “You’re not helping.”
“I am helping. You need to put your dick back in your pants and think about your club. What if those guys decide to make trouble for you?”
“What trouble can they make? I run a clean business. A little cash here and there with some distributors. I report all of my earnings. I pay taxes. I have correct licenses.”
“Still. Remember the stories of cops in Russia.”
He settled behind his desk. He didn’t want to appear nervous to the person he was meeting. “This is America.”
“I doubt it is different.”
“You see too many criminal cases in your job,” Viktor said.
Why else would his brother be so cynical?
Viktor’s phone buzzed. He answered it. “Hello?”
He’d hoped it was Arkady. It wasn’t. The man he was meeting with was here.
“Send him up.” He hung up and looked at his brother. “Time to go.”
“I know. You don’t want to me to see in case anything illegal happens.”
“I’m protecting you, Sacha.”
“Fine. There’s a lovely woman at the bar and I want to introduce myself .z”
“Good luck.”
His brother glanced over his shoulder as he left. “Luck plays no part in it.”
Ah to be twenty again and so sure of himself. Viktor was well past thirty and wasn’t so sure of anything anymore. Well, maybe his prowess in bed. In that he knew he was legendary.
A soft knock sounded and then a man stepped into Viktor’s office. He was a short man who liked his vodka and his Borscht. Too much of both, from the man’s stomach and his permanently red face. He was known as Oleg.
Still, he imported the best Russian vodka around. And only a few clubs could get it. Viktor
had felt it a victory when he’d scored an account with this distributor. He suspected the man had Russian Mafia connections, but he wasn’t sure. He wouldn’t ask, either.
The less he knew the better.
He shook Oleg’s hand. “Privetstvuyu. Good to see you, old friend.”
Oleg smiled. “Da, staryy drug. Good to speak the mother tongue.”
“Yes, but we are American now right? We speak English,” Viktor said.
He liked both languages for different reasons, but it was nice to stretch his tongue and speak Russian once in a while. If he really needed to, he could go down to the bar. Anyone would talk with him.
They knew he was the owner. They knew he was rich. He’d had many a Russian girl throw herself at him. None of them had interested him. He’d taken a few up on their offers of sex, but that was it.
The two men sat. They had to banter for a few minutes before getting down to business. Viktor pulled a bottle from his bottom drawer. He offered some to Oleg who nodded.
“To Mother Russia,” Oleg said after Viktor poured them both a shot.
They drank it down. Now Viktor wanted a sauna and then to run into the cold river. That was how business was conducted where they came from. Not in America. Now they sat across the desk from each other.
Viktor’s mind drifted to Alia as Oleg told him a story of their country. He’d heard the story before, but it would be rude to tell the man that. Viktor hoped he’d hear from Arkady soon. He was worried about Alia.
Something had obviously happened at the bar. He hoped she’d made it out safely, but he wondered what had stopped her from coming straight here.
Oleg finished his story and Viktor laughed in the right spot. Now they could get down to business. Viktor hated the dance he had to do. Americans were much more straightforward in their business dealings. You did the deal, shook on it and you were done.
None of this tap-dancing, but Viktor would do it to get that vodka. He sighed, but it wasn’t time to bring out the money yet.
That was a negotiation, too.
*
Alia boarded the subway car and the hairs on her neck went up. Someone was watching her, but the only person in the car was a cop. Not that she felt safer with the cop there, but she shouldn’t have felt this creeped out.
She moved to another car. There were more people here. Safety in numbers. The cop followed her. So he wasn’t the one she was worried about. Why? She hadn’t done anything wrong. Was he a dirty cop? In league with the bad guys?
He approached her, but she refused to make eye contact. He was going to work for this.
“Hi,” he said.
She glanced up at him. “Hi.”
“Is everything okay?”
She smiled. “Yes, just tired.”
She wasn’t up to anything. She shouldn’t feel guilty. Keeping his gaze, she didn’t blink. He did.
He moved on, but she was still not sure what he was doing. Was he a real cop? He left the car and she decided she was just being paranoid. Where she came from, people didn’t talk to cops. That’s why she’d been so hesitant to tell them about the murder she’d seen.
The odd feeling she was being watched didn’t leave with the cop. Looking around, she couldn’t see anyone interested in her. Two stops later, she ran off at the last second. No one followed. No one could have. She waited on the platform for the next train.
She was jumpy. Had been since leaving Viktor’s place earlier. Maybe she needed to take a few days off.
She texted her boss about the bar. He wasn’t happy, but she couldn’t help it. She’d been threatened. Or at least felt threatened. She hopped on the next train. When she arrived at Penn Station, she saw two cops when she disembarked.
Were they everywhere? She’d not seen so many cops on this trek, ever. Okay. She was just paranoid. She walked past them to find her next train. They didn’t follow. Just chatted to each other.
Okay. They were not interested in her. She blew out a breath. This had been a harrowing trip back to Viktor’s apartment. Once on the next train, she saw that he had called. She called him, but it went to voicemail.
“I’m okay. I’m on my way back to you. Will explain when I get there.”
She hung up. Must be a busy night at the club. When she got off at the stop closest to the club, she saw something suspicious.
A cop. She’d never seen a cop on the platform. Ever. This was a pretty safe neighborhood so they didn’t patrol on foot. She’d seen them in cars.
“Miss Jefferson?”
How the hell did he know her name? That was not good.
“No.”
She walked past him, but he grabbed her arm. “Miss Jefferson. Come with me.”
The last thing she was doing was getting into a cop car.
“Am I being charged with something?”
“Just come with me.”
“Give me a reason.”
“If you cooperate, you’ll be fine.”
The words chilled her. She tugged on her arm. He didn’t let go. She tugged harder, then slugged him with her purse. He yelped, but let go.
She ran down the steps turning in the direction of the club. Hopefully a bouncer would be close to the door and they could let her in. She had no time to call ahead.
The cop ran after her. “Hey!”
She glanced back. He was gaining on her. She slipped into an alley that she knew had another exit. He followed.
She faked left then turned right out of the alley and ran into a wall. She bounced off the person, but he caught her.
“Alia.”
She looked up into Arkady’s face. She’d never been so happy to see anyone.
“There’s a cop chasing me. I don’t think he wants to give me a citizenship award,” she said.
Arkady shifted her behind him as the cop emerged from the alley. The man stopped in his tracks, eyeing the large Russian.
“Good evening officer. Can I help you?”
The cop looked him up and down. “No, I’m fine. Guess it was a case of mistaken identity.”
Alia watched from behind the large man as the cop turned away from them, then strode away. She finally let out a breath. “Thank you, Arkady.”
“Boss sent me out to find you.”
She smiled up at him. “You did. Just in time. Now take me to the club.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She fell into step next to him. Well, tried. He was a large man so she had trouble keeping up with him. “Could you slow down, please?”
He nodded, then did. They were a few blocks from the club.
“Why didn’t you wait for someone to come for you, Alia?”
“The man I saw killing someone came into the bar. I never made the night deposit. My boss is mad at me. I had to run out. I was so afraid.”
“Why didn’t you come to the club?”
“I didn’t want to lead them to you guys.”
He stopped, turning to her. “But we can protect you. You’re one of us.”
She looked up at him. She couldn’t see his face in the darkness, but she could feel the affection from him. “That’s great to hear, Arkady.”
“Now let’s get you back. The boss is going nuts.”
Going nuts? “Was he worried?”
“Of course he was worried. He came to walk you home and you weren’t there.”
“Viktor came to walk me home?”
“Yes. He never leaves the club when it’s open, but I guess he wanted to see you. I think he likes you.”
Alia laughed. “I’m sure it’s not that. He feels responsible for me.”
Arkady shook his head. “No, it’s more than that. I’m sure.”
She believed that Arkady was reading the situation wrong, but that was okay. At least Viktor had been concerned about her.
If she was killed and her body dumped somewhere in Jersey, someone would bring her killer to justice.
***
Oleg was chatty. Viktor wanted to look at his phone. It ha
d buzzed. He wanted to see if Alia had called. Or Arkady. He couldn’t get his mind off of that little mocha minx. She’d surprised him with her body and now he felt even more responsible for her.
His companion droned on.
“Shipping costs have risen,” Oleg said.
Here it comes. He wants to raise the prices. Viktor was in no mood for this bullshit. The man had raised the price last month. The only problem was he wanted the man out of his office. He wanted to know about Alia.
None of that would happen until he played the game.
“Business is getting tougher and tougher,” Viktor agreed.
Maybe if he offered sympathy the man might not gouge him too much.
“Well, you don’t really want to hear my tale of woe,” Oleg said. “You want to hear my price.”
He gave him the price. Not much over what it was last month, but Viktor had to balk a little. “Not sure that’s a fair price.”
Viktor knew that not many clubs were willing to pay a premium of the true Russian stuff. Oh, they all bought the usual vodka, but this was made in smaller quantities and was what the natives drank. That’s what put his club above the rest. Viktor wanted the authentic alcohol. Not an Americanized version.
“What? My costs are rising. You know this? The dollar versus the Ruble, not so good.”
Yeah, yeah. He should have made Oleg buy him dinner before he screwed him. Viktor didn’t blink. He stared at Oleg, but the man was not backing down. Without a word, Viktor reached into his desk drawer and pulled out an envelope. He’d anticipated the price increase.
He didn’t even look at the bills, just slid them across the desk. Hopefully, Oleg would get the hint.
He did. The man tucked the envelope into his pocket then rose. “I’m getting the impression you are done with me? You have a woman waiting, heh? No man would rush a business transaction for anything less.”
Viktor rose. The men shook hands. Oleg left. Viktor let out a sigh. Finally, he could look at his phone. Arkady had sent him a text. He had Alia. He was bringing her up to the apartment. As much as he wanted to run upstairs to see if she was safe, he knew it wasn’t very manly of him to be so eager.
Viktor, Her Russian Billionaire: A BWWM Billionaire Romance Page 5
