Lev: a Shot Callers novel (5 page)

Chapter Seven
Mina

Lev, freshly showered and dressed in a gunmetal grey three-piece suit over a crisp white shirt, led me out the back door of his house, down a scenic path to an even larger house.

We walked in complete silence, but as we approached the front door, he ordered quietly, “Don’t talk.”

Repositioning the giant cashmere sweater he lent me, I nodded, allowing him to take me by the hand and lead me down a near identical foyer to his own and to the right, into a large dining room. A tray of fruit sat in the center of the table with two vases full of decorative greenery on either ends. A man sat at the long table in the well-lit room, reading the newspaper, his ankle resting across his knee. He was also dressed in a suit, but, unlike Lev, he was kind of scary-looking.

I recognized him instantly. It was the man I’d stolen the wallet from the night before. This was Lev’s brother.

“Sasha,” Lev said in way of greeting as we stepped into the room. I tried to pry my hand from his, but he held it tightly. I pulled a few more times and finally, compromising, he placed my hand into the crook of his elbow.

The man, Sasha, did not look up from the newspaper. “Morning.” He picked up his cup of coffee and sipped at it. Still reading the paper, his brow furrowed. “Where did you go off to last night? And where did you find my wallet? I didn’t realize I dropped it until Anika gave it back to me.”

“You didn’t drop it,” Lev responded. “Mina stole it.”

And my heart stopped.

What the
fuck
, Lev?

Oh, God. I was in trouble.

“Who the fuck is Mina?” Sasha uttered as he lifted his face. Spotting me, he looked me up and down before turning to Lev. “Any reason we’re discussing this in front of…whoever that is?”

Lev clarified, “Yes, and this is Mina.”

My palms began to sweat. I almost fainted dead away, but dug my nails into Lev’s arm to anchor myself.

“Ah. I see.” Sasha sipped at his coffee again before sneering at me. “Sit. Please.”

His please did not sound like a request, more of a command, and yet, he spoke softly.

My brow felt suddenly clammy. I looked up at Lev with wide eyes and whispered, “Is this a set-up?”

Looking down at me, he patted the hand at his elbow, pulled out a chair, and helped me sit. “Relax. We’re just talking.”

Sasha folded the newspaper and set it down in front of him. “So, Mina, is stealing wallets a habit of yours?”

“No,” I answered quietly through the thickness in my throat.

Lev spoke then. “You had seven hundred dollars in your wallet.”

Sasha glared at his brother. “I’m well aware of that fact.”

Lev reached over to the fruit platter in the center of the table, carefully took a handful of grapes, and threw one into his mouth. Chewing, he nodded toward me. “She took a single hundred.” He threw another grape into his mouth. “Left the rest behind.”

Sasha’s brow rose in a similar fashion to times I had seen his brother do it. He eyed me harshly. “Not a very good thief.”

Lev tilted his head to look over me. “Not a thief at all.”

“I see,” Sasha muttered as he absently scratched at his chin. “Okay, so why is she here?”

My brow furrowed. I didn’t like being spoken about as if I wasn’t even there.

“She’s staying with me until she gets back on her feet. I hired her. She’s the new bargirl. And what with her background, I’m hoping she’ll be able to spot trouble before it starts. She’d be assisting me.” Lev looked to his brother and laid it out there. “Mina’s homeless. She took the money because she was hungry.”

“I see.” But Sasha looked as though he didn’t. On top of that, he looked at me like I was a cockroach that needed to be squashed. He spoke directly to Lev, “You take responsibility for her. She fucks up, it’s your ass,
moy brat
.”

Lev looked to me. “She won’t fuck up. She has too much to lose.”

I wanted to protest. I wanted to explain that a person with nothing had nothing left to lose. But I kept quiet. This conversation was
about
me, not
including
me. Clearly.

It was then Sasha spoke directly to me. “I think you’ve already gathered that my name is Sasha. And although Lev is in charge of the floor at Bleeding Hearts,
I’m
the boss.” Picking up a fork, he pointed it at me. “There is no ‘three strikes and you’re gone’ bullshit, little one. One fuck up, and you’re gone. No second chances.”

I didn’t respond, simply because I didn’t want to tell him to take that fork and shove it up his ass. But at the continued silence, I realized a response was necessary. “I understand.”

Sasha smiled then, and I got a glimpse of how handsome he was. “I’m glad. Welcome to the team.”

He and Lev looked similar, only Lev was slightly taller, but Sasha was more muscular. Both had dark brown hair, styled neatly. Both had hard eyes the color of cognac. Both had generous lips, and both wore a suit rather well.

Sasha ignored me from then out. He did, however, speak to Lev. “I need you today. Can you spare some time after lunch?”

Lev ate another grape and my mouth watered. “Yes. Have you given any more thought to the first aid course I put forward?”

I hadn’t eaten fresh fruit in a long while. I wanted to sample the sweet juice to see if it tasted as I remembered.

Sasha responded, “Yeah. We’ll go ahead with it. All the security and bar staff will take it. As the roster rotates, they can pick a day off of their choosing to attend, and they’ll be reimbursed for their time.” He paused. “And Lev? Feed your fucking pet before she expires.”

Glaring at Sasha, I ran to Lev’s defense. “I’m not even hungry.”

Just as I finished saying this, my stomach gave an excruciatingly whale-like growl. And it went on for what seemed like days.

I turned to Lev, cheeks heating in embarrassment. “I’m okay, really.”

But he was frowning down at me, looking mildly ashamed of himself. He leaned toward me and spoke for my ears only. “I’m sorry.”

I whispered back, “Don’t apologize. You’ve been so generous, Lev.” I reached over to squeeze his arm. “I can’t thank you enough.”

His brow low, he muttered quietly, “I wish you would’ve told me you were hungry. I’m not very good at reading people, Mina.”

How had the situation reversed so quickly? Why was I the one left feeling like I’d done something wrong?

At the sorry state of him, I apologized. He was obviously embarrassed. “I’m sorry. It’s just that you’ve been so nice to me and I didn’t want to seem like I was being ungrateful. The next time I’m hungry, I’ll tell you. I promise.”

He nodded as a plump, grey-haired older woman with glasses dressed all in black walked into the room holding a plate of eggs and bacon with sautéed mushrooms. It smelled incredible. She set it down in front of Sasha then smiled up at Lev. “Morning, Mr. Leokov. What’s this morning’s fare?”

Lev’s lip tilted up at one side. “Good morning, Ada. I’ll have oatmeal, please. And Mina will have…” All three of them looked at me. Lev waited patiently while Ada smiled encouragingly. Sasha watched me with a hawk’s eye.

“Oh,” I started, uncomfortable with the attention. “I’m not fussy. Anything will do, really.”

Ada clucked. “
Anything
is not a food, honey.” She smiled. “I can do eggs and bacon, pancakes, toast, waffles, oatmeal or cereal, or I have some freshly baked blueberry muffins. What’s your poison?”

I smiled at the kind woman. “Eggs and bacon sounds great.” I was already salivating at the look of Sasha’s plate.

“Scrambled?”

I nodded. “Sure.”

She winked. “Be back in a jiffy.”

I was not shocked easily, but what happened next stunned the speech out of me. Sasha stood with his plate, walked around the table, and placed it in front of me. He walked back to his seat, sat back down, and he did this all without a spoken word.

I blinked down at the plate for a moment before I looked up at him. He stared, his gaze cutting, and I wondered if this man was as hard as he wanted people to believe he was.

“Thank you,” I said softly, sincerely.

He broke eye contact, lifted his paper high enough to block me from his view, and continued reading. “You’re welcome.”

I ate slowly, savoring every bite of the fluffy scrambled eggs, the tender, garlic-garnished mushrooms, and crispy bacon. It was perfect, and I secretly wanted to leave my seat, walk into the kitchen, and hug Ada half to death.

Lev watched me eat. He did it so obviously that without even turning my head to catch him in the act, I felt it.

I lifted another forkful of eggs to my mouth before I heard a door open. A woman called out, “I’m home!”

The food suddenly felt heavy in my stomach. Women did not like me. They found whatever issue they could with me, and I never really understood it. I always tried to be nice to everyone.

A tall, stunning brunette with long wavy hair, a wide mouth, and gleaming white teeth stepped inside the dining room pushing a stroller with an adorable little girl in it. She was dressed in jeans, heels, and a caramel-colored sweater. Her light brown eyes immediately lit on me. Her smile fell. “Sorry. I didn’t realize we’d be having company.”

Stepping forward, she leaned down to kiss Lev’s cheek and uttered, “Brother mine.” She turned and did the same to Sasha. They accepted her kisses graciously. She didn’t need to mention the fact that Lev and Sasha were her brothers. Anyone could see they were closely related.

She walked to the farthest seat, pulling the stroller up close to her, unbuckling the young girl, and lifting her out. “I’m Nastasia,” she uttered distractedly.

Lev responded for me as I chewed. “This is Mina, the new bargirl.” Then he did something unbelievable.

He smiled.

It was wide, and shining, and perfect. His teeth were white and perfectly straight. He had a single perfect dimple cut into his cheek, and his face was perfectly transformed with it.

My God.

My heart stuttered as I realized just how handsome Lev was. I mean, he was attractive before, but now he was incredible. Delicious.

The woman, spying Lev’s smile, handed the little girl to him, and again, I was surprised when he took her without complaint, sitting her onto his lap and hugging her gently before kissing the top of her head.

Nastasia looked back at me, her smile fading rapidly. She regarded me much as Sasha had. She was unsure of me. And I didn’t blame her one bit.

Her little girl was gorgeous though. She had the family’s light brown eyes and dark hair, but unlike the rest of the people sitting at the table, her hair curled into sweet, bouncy ringlets and was currently styled into high pigtails. It was hard to watch her and not smile. She was adorably chubby, and her lashes were so long that she looked like a porcelain doll.

Nastasia’s stare became borderline painful. I needed to do something and quick.

Standing, I walked over and stopped a foot away from her. She looked up at me, and a single brow rose. I stuck my hand out. “Sorry, I had a mouthful of eggs. I wasn’t trying to be rude. I’m Mina.”

Her eyes narrowed at my hand and, eventually, she took it, shaking it slowly. “Call me Nas. Everyone does.”

She released my hand and I took my seat, picking up my fork. I glanced at Nas, who watched her brother and daughter with a tender look on her face. I couldn’t help but smile at the woman. “She’s beautiful.”

“I know.” Nas smiled softly. “So does she.”

Sasha stood, walking over to Lev. “Give me my girl.”

Lev handed her over, and Sasha kissed her cheek lovingly, speaking softly into her little ear as she snatched up his decorative handkerchief and shoved it into her mouth. I sat there, suddenly confused.

Whose child was this?

Ada brought out another plate of eggs and, spotting the plate in front of me, she smiled at Sasha, replacing the plate he’d given me. As she passed Nas, she leaned down and kissed her head before placing the oatmeal in front of Lev. She was walking out the door before she asked Nas, “You want something, honey?”

Nas suddenly looked tired. “No, I ate on the plane. Thanks anyway, Ada.”

Lev stated, “I’d like to ask why you’re home early, but I have a feeling I already know the answer to that question. How was the flight? Did Lidiya fuss much?”

It was then the little girl started babbling. “Eeya. Eeya. Eeeeeeeya.” She looked at Sasha and said, “Asha. Ma Deeya. Deeya.” She looked at Lev and stuck a hand into Sasha’s mouth. I was stunned that he offered no complaint and that he simply smiled around the tiny fingers. “Otet. Papa. Papa. Otet.” Nas came next. “Azeeya. Azeeya. Ma tetu. Tetu.” Then she glanced at me, blinking before turning to Sasha and uttering an unsure, “Zzzzhena.”

Sasha huffed out a soft laugh around the fingers, and little Lidiya smiled a toothy grin, her eyes smiling just as Lev’s had.

I turned to Lev and smiled. “She kind of looks like you.”

He turned to me, his eyes full of amusement. “That would make sense.” He paused a moment before adding, “After all, she is my daughter.”