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