Viktor(84)
He shakes his head. “Gotta be someone from the company.”
“Right, and they probably don’t know I’m out yet because Marcus kept me in the books. They’re his henchmen.”
“Exactly.” Winston winks as he gets up with the tray in his hand. “I’ll go grab your cell. Be right back.”
Suddenly, the doorbell rings, and I sit straight up on the couch, alert like a fucking eagle.
“Who’s that?”
“Oh, they’re here,” Alexis says, and she runs off.
“Who is?”
Right before she disappears through the door, she says, “Deangelo and my sister.”
Chapter 28
Alexis
“I called them a few minutes ago,” I say to Viktor, and then I turn around and walk to the front door. When I open it, Alisha immediately jumps in my arms.
“I’m so glad you’re safe,” she says, squeezing me tight.
“Yeah … me too, so don’t kill me now, please.”
She laughs and lets me go. “Sorry. I’m just so happy.”
My eyes drift down to the ground where there’s a body right beside the door. “Fuck …”
“Oh, it’s okay,” Alisha muses, but she’s not looking at it either, so I guess she might be a little spooked.
“Sorry, we didn’t have time to clean up yet.”
“Are there more inside?” she whispers.
“Yeah, but they’re all dead too, so nothing to worry about,” I say.
She looks a bit squeamish. “Okay …”
“My girl,” Deangelo says, stepping forward and pecking me on the cheek. “You did it! I’m so fucking proud of ya.”
“Thanks. Couldn’t have done it without you.”
“You know I would’ve come here if you’d called.”
“Nah, I needed to do this myself,” I say.
“Good for you. Still got the gun? Mind if I get it back?”
“Sure.” I pull it from my back pocket and hand it back to him. “Sorry, I went through all the bullets. I can pay it back later.”
“Nah, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad I could help.”
“Thanks,” I say. “I appreciate it.”
“So everything’s taken care of?” he asks.
“Yeah … except for that bloody mess.”
“I can call a few of my guys if you want.” He rummages in his pocket. “They know how to properly clean shit up. Ain’t no fucking cop who’s found one drop of blood.”
I hold up my hand. “It’s fine. Viktor’s already calling a few men. Thanks.”
“Okay. Your call, girl. I’m just here to make sure you’re okay and to drop off your sister.” He salutes me and turns around. “See ya around!”
“Thanks,” I say, as he walks off.
“Is he in there?” Alisha asks.
“Yeah, but you don’t have to be scared of him anymore.”
“So he’s dead?”
“What? No,” I say.
She looks skeptical. “What happened to you? Is he forcing you to say that?”
“No, of course not.” I laugh. “We just … got to know each other.” I shrug.
“And?”
“He’s not as bad as you think.” I don’t know why, but my cheeks start to glow. “He’s actually … nice.”
Her eyes widen, and she crosses her arms. “What the f—Did he drug you?”
“No! God no.” I grab her hand. “C’mon. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
“No shit,” she says as I pull her into the house.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asks again. “You don’t look like you got any scratches, but you don’t seem mentally stable.”
I sigh. “I’m fine. Viktor’s the one who got hurt.”
She makes a face. “Something changed, didn’t it?”
“What are you talking about?” I narrow my eyes at her too now.
“You … you seem different. Happy, almost.”
I glance at her. “That’s because I am.”
“Wow. This is so totally not what I expected to happen,” she says as I pull her into the room, right when Viktor looks up and waves awkwardly at her.
“Uh … hi again?”
Her eyes widen in shock as she sees his scars for the first time.
“Oh, my …”
“Yeah, I get that a lot,” he says.
“So that’s why … the mask,” she stutters, but then the look on her face completely changes. “You …” She points at him as she tries to march to him, probably to either lecture him or give him a smack in the face, but I grab her arm.