Chapter 8
Kristina tossed her jacket across the back of her chair and then sat down across from Aleksandr. He'd seated himself as far as possible from the other patrons, his back to the wall, all exits clearly visible.
"I was surprised to get your message; I didn't think you'd turn up for another week. Were you able to find the information that we talked about?" she asked; suddenly her expression turned fierce. "Sasha! Didn't we agree that you were going to quit smoking?" she snapped, sliding the ashtray closer to him, her eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"When I got your message, I was already in town." his voice was raspy and heavily accented; she said nothing in response, but began to drum her painted nails on the table while she glared at him.
Still partially concealed in the shadows, he gave a long suffering sigh, and then leaned forward to forcefully stab the cigarette out. "Happy now…and I did not agree to stop smoking. I agreed not to smoke around you sestrenka." he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket, pulled out a manila envelope, and slid it across the table to her.
She let his remark go, and reached for the packet, eyes lit with excitement. Aleksandr didn't release the package when she grasped it; instead he reached out with his other hand and seized her wrist tightly. Kristina's head shot up and her brow furrowed in confusion when her eyes locked with his.
"This is your last chance Kristya. Once you do this, there is not any going back." he warned his expression stern, accent thicker than usual. "She will come for you if you do this. She will hunt you; you will become a threat, and her enemy."
Aleksandr would never be classified as a handsome man; attractive, dangerous, compelling, frightening…now those words would definitely make the list, but never handsome. Strangely enough, the scar that diagonally bisected the left side of his face enhanced his features, rather than detracting from them; it began in his hairline, then ran down through one eyebrow, thankfully skipped the eye itself, and ended about an inch beneath his eye.
Kristina would be the first to admit that Aleksandr was an intimidating man; but it was also peculiar to her that no one ever bothered to look beyond his scar. In a lot of ways he reminded her of Jason Morgan. Was he a killer…yes; a man not to be crossed…absolutely, but his code of honor and devotion to his friends was beautiful and endearing.
"It's too late Bolshoy Brat." she reached out with her free hand, and lightly traced his scar with the tips of her fingers. "I marked her, last month in Russia the way she marked you. Even if I wanted to back out, it's too late. I need this information; it's the only way I can fight back."
He scowled at her, tightened his grip on her captured wrist to a painful degree, and began to curse at her in his native language. Annoyed with some of his more imaginative insults she slammed her free hand down on the table top, making the ashtray rattle and clink against the wooden surface, and began swearing back at him in fluent Russian.
"…'Scuse us luv, are we interrupting something?" Ethan's voice was deceptively mild as he disrupted the heated argument.
Kristina looked up in surprise; Johnny was standing to the left side of the table, glowering maliciously at Aleksandr. Ethan, who'd been standing on the right side of the table, flipped the chair nearest him around and straddled it, seating himself between Kristina and Aleksandr.
"Why didn't you tell me they were coming over here?" she hissed in Russian. "If they ask, you are a friend I met last summer, when I was in Europe." Aleksandr scowled at her, clearly annoyed on several levels, but nodded, saying nothing.
"Kris, you ok?" Johnny asked, placing a hand protectively on her shoulder.
"I'm totally fine…didn't think I'd see you guys again tonight. Aren't you the one who said he was tired of all my verbal abuse." she teased in English, quickly plastering a smile on her face.
"How about you let go of the lady's wrist...now." Ethan's tone was easygoing, but his expression was clearly indicative of a threat. Aleksandr smiled slowly, his gaze locking with Ethan's for several moments before releasing her hand.
"The…" he glanced at Kristina and smirked "…lady was not complaining." He settled further back into his chair, deliberately adopting a relaxed pose. Kristina rolled her eyes, unzipped her purse, and stuffed the thick envelope inside
"Don't pick fight's Sasha." she said offhandedly as she zipped her purse closed. "Johnny, Ethan this is Aleksandr Sokolov. Aleksandr, this is Johnny Zacchara, one of my oldest friends…and…his associate Ethan Lovett."
Johnny gave her a strange look, and Ethan's fleeting gaze was difficult to interpret. They sat in silence for several moments.
"So how do the two of you know each other?" Johnny asked, finally breaking the uneasy silence. Kristina sighed…it was going to be a long night.
Sestrenka – little sister
Kristya - Russian diminutive (kind of like a nickname) of Kristina
Sasha - Russian diminutive (kind of like a nickname) of Aleksandr
Bolshoy Brat - Big Brother
