know. I had a couple of contractors who do historical renovations come out here to take a look at it, but most of them suggested I salvage whatever I can and then tear it down. Only one guy had a plan for fixing it up, but his bid was so low I had doubts he could finish the job on budget."
Sergei made that low, grunting noise that seemed to accompany anything he found distasteful. "He was probably trying to cheat you. He'd have gotten halfway done, made your life miserable and then asked for more money than even your highest bidder."
"I don't know about that." He shot me a dubious look. "No, really. Marcus—the contractor—said he grew up around here and wanted to see this place restored to the way it was when he was a kid."
"That sounds like a bullshit story to soften you up and make you sign a contract with him so he could rip you off."
"Wow!" I said with an exaggerated huff. "Aren't you just grizzly this evening?"
Sergei winced and rubbed the back of his neck. The movement stretched his black T-shirt tight across his broad chest. The flexing of the crazy huge muscles in his arms made me feel a bit woozy. "I'm sorry, Bianca."
Sensing something was wrong, I closed the distance between us and reached for his hand. I interlaced our fingers and stared up at my big, sexy giant. "What's up with you?"
"It's been a long day for me. I had to take care of something ugly."
I swallowed. "Are we ever going to talk about what you do? About what you are?"
His fingers tightened around mine. "I think you know what I am and what I do."
"I don't know specifics."
"And you won't," he warned. "I will not involve in you in that part of my life."
"Don't you think I deserve to know what I'm getting into if—"
"If?" He seized on the word. "Am I still on probation with you?"
"I don't know, Sergei. You can't stand here and tell me that you had to do something ugly today and then refuse to give me details. What I'm imagining is probably a thousand times worse."
"What are you imagining?" When I didn't answer, he prompted me with that rumbling voice of his. "Bianca, what do you think I do all day?"
"I know that you guard Vivian." After some hesitation, I added, "I've heard that you fight for money."
"I do."
"And that you maybe, you know, beat people up sometimes."
"There's no maybe to it, Bianca. When someone steps out of line, I'm the one who persuades them to get back into formation."
"By hitting them?"
"I don't have to hit them that often."
Sizing him up, I figured that was probably true. If Sergei walked through my door and I was on the bad side of his boss, I'd toe the company line pretty damned quick. "Do you like doing that?"
He visibly flinched, his cheeks tightening and his lips pursing. "Do you really believe that I enjoy hurting people?"
I shook my head. "But why do it?"
His wide shoulders bounced. "What the hell else could I do? When I came here, I had very few choices, Bianca. I worked at the Samovar as a dishwasher until Nikolai saw me fighting. He sent me to Ivan to be trained, and eventually I was brought in as his enforcer. This wasn't the life I wanted, but there was no other choice for me."
"I don't believe that. There are always choices."
His jaw tensed as he rubbed his thumb across my knuckles. "You're right. I could have taken a different path, but I didn't. This is where I am right now, Bianca. If you want to be with me, this is where we start our journey."
"Where are we headed?"
He gulped, his Adam's apple sliding up and down as he carefully chose his words. "I have a destination in mind…and it takes us far away from this point to some place much better. To a place where you could be as proud of me as I am of you."
His sweet compliment touched me. The promise of what we might have if I just had a little faith in him tempted me a great deal. I wanted to believe that Sergei could find a way to deftly extract himself from the mobbed-up life he led.
My thoughts turned to Erin and Ivan. From what
Sergei made that low, grunting noise that seemed to accompany anything he found distasteful. "He was probably trying to cheat you. He'd have gotten halfway done, made your life miserable and then asked for more money than even your highest bidder."
"I don't know about that." He shot me a dubious look. "No, really. Marcus—the contractor—said he grew up around here and wanted to see this place restored to the way it was when he was a kid."
"That sounds like a bullshit story to soften you up and make you sign a contract with him so he could rip you off."
"Wow!" I said with an exaggerated huff. "Aren't you just grizzly this evening?"
Sergei winced and rubbed the back of his neck. The movement stretched his black T-shirt tight across his broad chest. The flexing of the crazy huge muscles in his arms made me feel a bit woozy. "I'm sorry, Bianca."
Sensing something was wrong, I closed the distance between us and reached for his hand. I interlaced our fingers and stared up at my big, sexy giant. "What's up with you?"
"It's been a long day for me. I had to take care of something ugly."
I swallowed. "Are we ever going to talk about what you do? About what you are?"
His fingers tightened around mine. "I think you know what I am and what I do."
"I don't know specifics."
"And you won't," he warned. "I will not involve in you in that part of my life."
"Don't you think I deserve to know what I'm getting into if—"
"If?" He seized on the word. "Am I still on probation with you?"
"I don't know, Sergei. You can't stand here and tell me that you had to do something ugly today and then refuse to give me details. What I'm imagining is probably a thousand times worse."
"What are you imagining?" When I didn't answer, he prompted me with that rumbling voice of his. "Bianca, what do you think I do all day?"
"I know that you guard Vivian." After some hesitation, I added, "I've heard that you fight for money."
"I do."
"And that you maybe, you know, beat people up sometimes."
"There's no maybe to it, Bianca. When someone steps out of line, I'm the one who persuades them to get back into formation."
"By hitting them?"
"I don't have to hit them that often."
Sizing him up, I figured that was probably true. If Sergei walked through my door and I was on the bad side of his boss, I'd toe the company line pretty damned quick. "Do you like doing that?"
He visibly flinched, his cheeks tightening and his lips pursing. "Do you really believe that I enjoy hurting people?"
I shook my head. "But why do it?"
His wide shoulders bounced. "What the hell else could I do? When I came here, I had very few choices, Bianca. I worked at the Samovar as a dishwasher until Nikolai saw me fighting. He sent me to Ivan to be trained, and eventually I was brought in as his enforcer. This wasn't the life I wanted, but there was no other choice for me."
"I don't believe that. There are always choices."
His jaw tensed as he rubbed his thumb across my knuckles. "You're right. I could have taken a different path, but I didn't. This is where I am right now, Bianca. If you want to be with me, this is where we start our journey."
"Where are we headed?"
He gulped, his Adam's apple sliding up and down as he carefully chose his words. "I have a destination in mind…and it takes us far away from this point to some place much better. To a place where you could be as proud of me as I am of you."
His sweet compliment touched me. The promise of what we might have if I just had a little faith in him tempted me a great deal. I wanted to believe that Sergei could find a way to deftly extract himself from the mobbed-up life he led.
My thoughts turned to Erin and Ivan. From what
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