just gave you,” I lie. “Too many enemies. Too many problems.”
He goes still and closes his eyes. Whatever’s happening inside his head, I know he’s trying to figure out if he believes me. What if I kept more videos than I gave him, just as insurance or leverage in a future disagreement? What if I made copies of the data? He has to believe everything I tell him, or nothing I tell him. Anything else doesn’t really help clarify his decisions.
“You should have given the rest of the files to us,” he says.
“Nikolai, last time we spoke, you said your brothers owed me one—”
“Yes, and some would say letting you live after we asked you to leave would more than repay any debt.” He senses value. Like any businessman, he doesn’t want to let go of it.
“I’ve done you another favor.” His eyebrows arch, probably at my presumption. “I took care of your bird and made sure no one hears any of his songs.”
He purses his lips, and by the time I’ve finished, they’ve vanished to a thin line. I have no idea what it means.
“I suppose you could see it that way, but what do you want from me?”
At last, I understand what he’s getting at. The way he looks at the world, resources aren’t wasted. People don’t destroy things of value to make their lives easier. For him, there has to be something else. Or I just don’t make sense. And not making sense to a man like him is dangerous—to say the least.
“It’s better that a friend should find your secrets than an enemy keep them, don’t you think? Better that Washington loses leverage over that friend. I don’t want to deal or bargain. I want to settle in Nashville. That’s it.”
Nikolai Koltsov weighs up everything I’ve told him. He doesn’t need to consider whether the information I gave him is legitimate. If it’s not, it’s just more work for him. He can just find me again. He doesn’t have to do anything at the moment. “I watched you. It’s been a couple weeks now. You love that girl. You want to stay,” he says, an almost romantic glint in his eye. “But—can I be honest with you for a moment? Man to man?”
“Of course,” I say slowly. This is taking an unexpected turn.
“You fight in public. Always screaming. Angry. This is not how a gentleman treats a lady, Sterling.”
Did I just get fucking relationship advice from the Bratva?
“I think that’s behind us,” I say. “We had a lot of…”
“History?” Nikolai says, flashing a knowing smile.
“Exactly.”
My cell phone, which is on the table, begins vibrating. A message flashes on the screen:
“Nikolai—”
“Yes, I read it. Time to go. ” He downs the last half of his whiskey, standing at the same time. “Yes, very good. West’s, was it?”
“That’s it.”
He nods in my direction, ducking out from beneath the umbrella above us and raising his hand. Another man stands, revealing Sutton sitting behind him. She glares at me. Standing, she saunters over. There’s not a hair out of place, but she’s not happy.
“Exactly, why did I just spend the day with an overly polite, flirtatious Russian man?” she demands.
“It’s a long story,” I say as another text comes through.
“I’m listening,” she says.
“Look, this isn’t a good time.” I’d rather she not be here when Noah shows up.
“Are you serious?”
I stand up and kiss her on the forehead. “I’m really glad you’re okay, and I’m really sorry I put you through that. Maybe it’s time for you to head back to New York?”
“Are you kidding? That was the most interesting thing that’s happened to me since the FBI showed up at my dorm room.” She crosses her arms, tilting her head defiantly. “I’m going to transfer to Valmont.”
“That is…” I trail away as a large, black SUV stops catty-corner from Cafe de Flore. Noah jumps out of it, scanning all sides of the intersection for signs of me. I wave, and when he sees me, his expression turns feral.
“You look busy,” Sutton says as he marches toward us. “I’ll catch you at home.”
“Adair’s there,” I call after her. “Try to be nice.”
She gives me a far too enthusiastic thumbs up to be genuine. Skirting past Noah, she blows him a kiss.
“I got my sister back,” I say as he approaches.
“I have eyes,” he says as he draws up next to me. “You met with Koltsov.”
“You knew I would,” I say, gesturing to the seat Nikolai just vacated. “Coffee?”