“The Division where all the crooks get punished,” I add.
“Crooks?” she says.
“The company’s men. If they do anything out of line, the tribunal punishes them. Keeps them in line.”
“Oh …” I don’t think she understands, but that’s okay.
“Right,” he says. “We just make sure everyone in the company follows the rules.”
“Okay,” she says with a sarcastic undertone. “Sounds very interesting.”
“Hmm …” I roll my eyes, hoping she won’t ask too many questions.
“And who are you, Alexis?” he asks.
She folds her arms. “Just a friend.”
God, I’m so fucking grateful for her sass.
Marcus laughs again. “Another one of yours.”
“She’s different,” I say.
“Good for you.” Marcus’s face darkens. “But I’m not here for a chat.”
“Thought as much.” I shrug. “It’s not like you have anything positive to say whenever you’re here.”
“Hey, you owe it to me,” he says, frowning. “Remember this house, which you bought using my money?”
“I bought this myself,” I snarl.
“By using my money to start a gambling scheme. Yeah, I know what you’ve been doing behind that computer of yours.”
I throw Winston a glance who gives me a useless apologetic face.
“Don’t worry,” Marcus says. “I won’t rat you out. Besides, I wanted to help you get back on your feet. I’m already glad you’ve found something … useful to do.”
“Right.” Why do I find it hard to believe he actually cares?
“I also know you’re up to something.”
I make a face at him. “Up to what? I haven’t done anything. What are you talking about?”
“Let’s have some coffee first,” Marcus says as Winston comes back with a tray in his hand.
I roll my eyes as we all go into the living room area and sit down for coffee like we’re one big goddamn family.
I sit down and grudgingly take a cup, spilling a bit on my pants as I take a sip. Marcus has a sarcastic smile on his face, so I slurp to annoy him. Suddenly, I feel Alexis’s hand on my leg, and I flinch as her hand slides up and down, softly caressing me. I’ve never been calmed like that. It’s different. Nice.
“I see you two are getting along quite well. Girlfriend?” Marcus asks.
Alexis’s face completely turns red, and she quickly removes her hand. “No.”
“Whatever,” he says, laughing a bit.
“Why’d you come here?” I ask.
“All right. Straight to the point, I see.” He puts down his mug carefully as if he’s still thinking about what he’s going to say. “I’m here because Vladim asked me to come.”
“I knew it.” I smack down my cup too. “Of course, he’d try it through you.”
“It’s not what you think.” He holds up his hand. “I’m not on his side.”
“And how do I know for sure, huh? You’re always talking with him and the other company leaders. You’re still playing their game.”
“I am, yes, but you know as well as I do that I have bigger plans than that.” He looks me straight in the eye. “Nothing has changed about that.”
“Then why are you here, huh? He told you I quit, didn’t he?”
“Yes, well, he was screaming that he never wanted to see your face again, or he’d chop off your head.”
“Do I look like I give a shit?” I point at my face. “I’m done doing his dirty work.”
“You can’t stop,” Marcus says. “You have to stay at his side. Too much is dependent on this.”
“Why the hell would I do that? Give me one good reason,” I shout. “The motherfucker has only caused me shit from day one. Joining his Division was the worst mistake I ever made. No, scratch that, dealing with this entire company you’re just as much a part of has made my life a living hell.”
I grab the cup again and contemplate for a second whether to throw it at his head, but I compose myself after taking a big breath and a big gulp of coffee.
“You need to keep working for him,” Marcus says. “It’s the only way to keep Vladim in line. He’s losing it, Viktor. He’s on the verge of declaring war with the other Divisions, and the only way to get him to relax is for you to stop this now.”
“Dammit, Marcus!” I smack my coffee cup down again, and this time, it shatters into bits.
Alexis growls, “Jesus, why do you have to lose your temper like that?”