Chapter 7: Devil’s Lair: Chapter 7

Heart hammering, I turn to look at Nikolai. He’s watching me with the same unsettling amusement, and I suddenly feel like a mouse being played with by a big, gorgeous cat.

Who may be in the mafia.

“So,” I begin uncomfortably, “I should probably—”

“Give me your car keys.” He walks up to me. “I’ll have your things brought up.”

“That’s okay. I can do that myself. I’ll just—” I shut my mouth because he extends his hand palm up, his expression uncompromising.

Fumbling in my pocket, I extract the keys and drop them onto his broad palm. “Here you go.”

“Thank you.” He pockets the keys. “Settle in and make yourself comfortable. Pavel will bring your bags in a minute.”

“There’s just one—a small suitcase in the trunk,” I say, but he’s already walking out.

Exhaling a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, I collapse onto the bed. Now that the interview is over, the adrenaline that sustained me is dropping, and I feel wrung out, so completely drained that all I can do is lie there and stare blankly at the high ceiling. After a while, I recover enough to register the fact that the white coverlet underneath me is made of some soft, fuzzy material, and I spread my palms over it, stroking it as I would a pet.

A knock on the door jolts me out of my semi-catatonic state. Sitting up, I call out, “Come in!”

A man the size of a cave bear enters, carrying my suitcase, which looks more like a handbag in his enormous hand. Tattoos run up the sides of his thick neck, and his weathered face reminds me of a brick—hard, ruddy, and uncompromisingly square. His military-short hair is an indeterminate shade of brown liberally sprinkled with gray, and his hard gray eyes remind me of melted bullets.

“Hi,” I say, mustering a smile as I get to my feet. “You must be Pavel.”

He nods, his expression unchanged. “Where do you want this?” he asks in a deep, thickly accented growl.

“Right here is fine, thank you. I got this.” I walk over to take the suitcase from him, and as I approach, I realize he must be the biggest man I’ve ever met, both in terms of height and width. More tattoos decorate the backs of his hands and peek out from the v-neck of the sweater that stretches tightly over his prominent pecs.

Trying not to gulp nervously, I stop in front of him and clasp the handle of the suitcase he’s just set on the floor. “Thank you.” I smile brighter, looking up. Very far up—my neck actually hurts from how far I have to bend it back.

He nods again, his thick jaw stiff, then turns and walks out.

Okay then. So much for befriending other staff members. What’s the man-bear’s job here, anyway? Bodyguard?

Mafia enforcer, maybe?

I push the thought away. Even though the guy fits the stereotype to a T, I refuse to dwell on this possibility. What would be the point? Even if my new employers are mafia, I’m safer here than out there.

I hope.

Shutting the door behind Pavel, I unpack—a process that takes all of ten minutes—and gaze longingly at the bed with its fuzzy white coverlet. I’m exhausted and not only from the interview. Between the nightmares that haunt me at night and the constant worry during the day, I haven’t had more than four hours of sleep in weeks. But I can’t just sleep the afternoon away.

I was hired to do a job, and I intend to do it.

To perk myself up, I take a quick shower in the enormous bathroom and change into a fresh T-shirt—my last one. I have to inquire about where to do laundry ASAP, but first things first.

It’s time I got to know my young student.

The door to Slava’s room is open as I approach, and I see Alina inside, talking to the boy in melodious Russian. Hearing my footsteps, she glances over at me and arches her eyebrows in a way that reminds me of her husband.

“Eager to start?”

I smile at her. “If you don’t mind, I was thinking Slava and I could get to know each other this afternoon.” I catch the child’s gaze and give him a wink, earning myself a huge smile.

Alina’s expression warms at her son’s reaction. “Of course I don’t mind. I was just explaining to him that you’ll be living here and teaching him. He’s quite excited about the idea.”

“So am I.” I crouch in front of the boy. “We’ll have a great time, won’t we, Slava?”

He clearly doesn’t understand what I’m saying, but he grins regardless and rattles off something in Russian.

“He’s asking if you like castles,” Alina says.

“Yes, I do,” I tell Slava. “Show me what you’ve got there. Is this your fortress?” I gesture at the partially built LEGO project.

The boy giggles and plops down among the LEGO pieces. Picking up two, he attaches them to the walls of the castle, and I help him by attaching two more. Only I apparently did it wrong because he shakes his head and takes off my pieces, then places them right next to where I attached them.

“Oh, I see. You’re leaving room for windows. Windows, right?” I point at the giant window in his room.

He bobs his head. “Da, okna. Bol’shiye okna.” Grabbing my wrist, he places another piece in my palm and guides my hand to the proper place on the wall. “Nado syuda.”

“Got it.” Grinning, I attach the next piece. “Like so, right?”

“Da,” he says excitedly and grabs more pieces. We proceed in that vein, with him guiding me in castle assembly until Alina clears her throat.

“Seems like you two are on the same page, so I’ll leave you to it,” she says when I look up. “You have a half hour before Slava’s snack time. Are you hungry by any chance, Chloe?”

My stomach responds before I can, emitting a loud growl, and Alina laughs, her green eyes lighting with amusement.

“I’m guessing that’s a yes. Any food preferences or allergies?”

“I’m good with anything,” I say, grateful that my darker skin tone conceals my embarrassed flush. I can’t imagine Alina’s elegant, long-limbed body ever emitting such an indiscreet noise—though, if she’s human, it must upon occasion. Of course, jury’s still out on the human part.

In those high heels and that stunning dress, Nikolai’s wife looks too glamorous to be real.

Some of my embarrassment must show because her amusement deepens, her lips curving in a way that again reminds me disconcertingly of her husband. “How very accommodating of you. I’ll let Pavel know.”

Pavel? Is the man-bear their cook or something? Before I can ask, Alina turns to her son and says something in Russian, then strolls out, leaving me alone with my charge.