Alexi is standing holding the lift door open when I catch up and slink past him with my head held high. Avoiding his eyes as they run up and down my body for the umpteenth time in my very tight little number, and come back to rest on my face as he lets the door go to slide shut. He punches in the 3rd floor button for the office and then leans back against the opposite wall, eyes eating into me brashly and I cross my arms across my chest to stare at the chrome doors and our slightly distorted reflection—doing my best to appear unaffected by the eye raping.
‘You do look good. I meant that and I like this.’ He motions to my outfit and I just glance his way with a disinterested smile. Not caring if he did or didn’t, he doesn’t get to choose how I dress this time around. I never chose it for his benefit and I have no shits to give either way.
‘It’s because I have class and taste. You’re not used to it after spending months with Hoe-anne.’ It’s heavily toned with sarcasm. I just can’t stop taking bites at Joanne, like an itch I have to scratch because even though I’m here, I still haven’t forgiven him for anything that went on before I left here. I still harbour so many resentments about everything, and it’s what I will use to continue to keep my distance when it comes to him.
Alexi laughs under his breath, extremely amused at my jibe and says nothing about it. We resort to silence as we climb up two floors in the very small enclosure. I can smell him from here, more so than sitting in the bleach-fumed bar—Aftershave, body wash and his own personal scent. He likes citrus and subtle spice and all together it makes for an alluring combination.
When the doors open on the third floor Mico greets us with a smile. He’s leaning against the doorframe to the office and there are another couple of security guards perched on the desk with the bank of monitors to the right. I am happy to see the two uniformed men sitting behind that are distinctively Carrero and I guess he only trusts blood to watch his club from here on in. I wonder whatever happened to the guard from before, the one who let that arsehole try to take me, and shiver with the obvious answer.
Alexi would have extracted whatever information he needed and then literally cut him loose. Not breathing and weighed down with concrete boots in the bottom of the river probably. I wonder if he ever sorted the Santagato issue out and if I am still in danger by coming back here.
Although, knowing Alexi, he is a lot more inventive with ways to get rid of baggage. I presume with his sadistic mind he probably has more fun than just disposing of them.
I follow him out and walk past Mico with a warm smile, always genuinely happy to see him. He grew on me a long while back and I don’t harbour anything but real genuine feelings of care when I see him. It’s nothing like what I felt for Alexi, more like sibling affection, if I knew what that was, and even though he looks a lot like him and is a very handsome man. There is just no attraction there at all. Life would be a lot simpler if he and I gelled that way, and he had no fiancée to speak of; but the sad truth is, I’m just not interested in Mico beyond friendship. I adore him; I may even have a sort of love for him. I feel safe with him and I know I can trust him in every way. He genuinely has a good heart.
I hate myself for thinking this, but … he’s not Alexi.
I was always a sucker for a powerful and dangerous path and Alexi is exactly that.
Get a grip, Camilla.
‘Looking good Camilla, nice to see you again,’ he grins and flicks my hair as I pass and earns himself a head turn from Alexi in front of me. I only see the side of his face but it’s a filthy look and I guess he hates that his toy won’t let him touch, but Mico can. He must be furious with that little detail as we all know how much he likes to be the lord of all things. Mico however, completely blanks it.
To add salt to the wound I stop to pat Mico on the arm and give him a little twirl of my new dress to show it off— can’t bypass annoying Kingpin Carrero.
‘You like?’ I wiggle my hips and lift my heel to show off my sexy black patent Louboutin shoes, making a real show in modelling for him, and Mico gives me a mock wolf-whistle in response.
‘Definitely … nice to see you back to how you were. This place has been severely lacking in beautiful redheads.’ Mico hits full boyish smile and it’s cut short by the sharp-toned, anger-filled voice in the office ringing our way.
‘You done? I haven’t got all day!’ Alexi sounds pissed and a tad green-eyed, and I giggle under my breath as I make my way in getting a small shake of the head and knowing smile from Mico. He knows what I was doing, and he finds his cousin’s reaction equally funny—my ally in annoying all things Alexi.
It’s what he deserves.
‘Shut the door,’ Alexi snaps at me as I get inside, and I just can’t stop the smile spreading across my face at his irritation. It’s obvious I still have some skills at getting under his skin. He is behind the desk at the wall where his safe is, body poised with a hint of angry stiffness and I slide the door shut until it clicks quietly, smug, before walking over to stand in front of it.
Alexi glares at me for a second, cold and unamused, and then goes to the painting which conceals the steel door of the office safe and punches in the code to open it, before scanning his thumb.
Alexi has a double wall safe in here—inside the main large space is another concealed door which is activated by his thumbprint alone. It clicks internally and I watch him pull out a bag from deep within that’s about the size of a shoe box; he pulls it out steadily, supporting the weight carefully. I forget my fun and become intrigued with a package this size; he implied it was for me, so I perch against the desk to watch him.
He keeps his more sensitive things in the inner safe and only Mico and I are ever present when he opens it. I figure his brother designed this for him some time ago—Mr high tech who thinks of everything his underworld twin would need to protect himself in criminal doings. If law enforcement ever got into his safe, they would never know the part behind existed and I know he has the same system in the one in his bedroom. I have seen him leave it sitting open when I stayed there before. Not that he uses the bedroom safe that often or that I am in there frequently, but I remember.
He brings the velvet black bag and deposits it on the desk, right in the middle, motioning with a finger at me to come to him and I do as I am told without hesitation. Too engrossed on whatever is in that bag to think about defying him.
I’ve always been a curious little kitty; it’s why I always get in so much trouble.
Alexi moves over so I come to stand in front of the bag on the desk beside him as he leans and pulls out the contents carefully, stretching in front of me so his shoulder and arm almost graze me. I move back a little apprehensively.
First thing I see, with a small sharp inhale, immediate unease hitting hard, is the compact, dainty black handgun he draws out of a black leather holster and holds it up sideways in front of my face. My mouth goes dry and my hands tremble as I am filled with severe nervousness.
I glance from it to him in hesitation, heart hammering instantly and body rippling with goosebumps born of trepidation, unsure what the fuck he’s doing.
He looks completely deadpan.
‘Why are you giving me that?’ I ask in mild panic, suddenly afraid and alert all at the same time. Guns and I, in his presence, don’t bode well.