Notes: Thank you for all of your reviews on the last chapter. You know how to make a writer feel good. I also appreciate all the new readers who have made both this story and The Ties That Bind a favorite.
As in the last chapter, any dialogue that appears italicized is intended to indicate that Russian is being spoken.
The Arrow characters and universe do not belong to me.
They'd been sitting inside the Shelby for ten minutes in complete silence. Both too angry at each other to speak. He didn't think it was possible to love someone so much and be so furious with them at the same time. He glanced over at Felicity who was staring out the front window, her body rigid and her fists clenched in her lap. He knew she was angry about him paying off her mom's debts, but he didn't want her owing anyone, anything. He was about to say something to her when his cell rang. "Hello."
"It is all arranged. He is waiting for you now at one of his clubs, Fever - and Oliver, I'm sorry, he wants you to bring Felicity. Good luck." Anatoly ended the call.
"The meeting is at a club called, Fever." Oliver said.
"I remember the place. My mom waited tables there." Felicity turned to face him. "I know you're about to tell me that you're taking me back to the hotel, but I'm going with you. You can yell all you want but, like it or not, I'm going with you."
Oliver sighed. "Well, I'm not going to yell because Oscar will only see me if I bring you with me, so as much as I'd like to take you back to the hotel and handcuff you to something bolted to the floor, it looks like you're coming with me."
Felicity appeared to be momentarily stunned and then said, "Well then, okay. I guess we're going to Fever."
Oliver leaned over the console grabbed her face and pulled her into a quick kiss. He held her face between his hands and locked eyes with her. "You need to promise me something, Felicity. You're going to do exactly what I say without question. You're going to follow my lead and go along with everything I say. Most importantly, I need you not to talk. Okay?" She nodded her head. "Felicity, I need to hear you say it."
"I promise." She said.
Oliver released her and reached for the wires beneath the dash. "Looks like you're going to get to add a Russian mafia drug deal to your list of felonies." With his last words, the Shelby roared to life.
By the time they reached Fever it was nearly 5:00am and the club had been closed for an hour. The first hints of the breaking dawn were stretching over the horizon. A man was waiting for them when they arrived. Oliver lifted his arms so the man could pat him down. Oliver had left Donna's gun under the driver's seat of the car. When the man moved to pat down Felicity Oliver growled and the man lowered his hands. The frisking portion of their morning over, Oliver and Felicity were ushered inside. Oliver had the duffle of meth over his shoulder and Felicity's hand held tightly in his as they entered the club. Oliver looked around, scanning his environment. From owning Verdant he knew first hand that a club never looked more seedy than when the lights were all the way up and all the customers were gone. The cloying smell of alcohol and sweat permeated the air. The sofas and chairs that the customers flirted on were stained and cheap looking under the bright fluorescent lights. The floors were sticky and squeaked with every step they took. In addition to the man who met them outside there were five other men standing around, all armed. A woman was mopping the floor, another was collecting glasses from tables and a third was behind the bar cleaning. If things went pear shaped, it was going to take all his wits to get them both out alive.
A man entered the room from a door at the very back of the club. He was in his fifties, bald and had a scar across his chin. His nose appeared to have been broken more than once and his right ear told of time spent in a boxing ring. Oscar Orlov looked as fierce as his reputation indicated. Oscar took Oliver by the shoulders and kissed both of his cheeks as he said, "Oliver Queen it is an honor to have you in my club."
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with us." Oliver said.
Oscar turned to Felicity. "Felicity, I haven't seen you since you were a little girl. You certainly have grown into a beautiful woman. You were such a strange little girl - with the computers and that frizzy hair. I guess you did get your mother's beauty after all." He kissed both of her cheeks. Felicity used the embrace to send Oliver a withering glare.
When Oscar moved away, Oliver pulled Felicity protectively against his side. He wanted nothing more than to punch Oscar in his face for saying anything that could hurt her feelings. Swinging the duffle from his shoulder, he said, "I believe this belongs to you."
Oscar cocked his head and one of the men took the duffle from Oliver. "Thank you. This was a sad business. I don't know what got into Donna. She put her trust in the wrong man. Of course, if we'd realized that Felicity was your woman, we would've gone about things differently. You should really make a public claim to her in order to prevent misunderstandings like this in the future." Felicity snorted in disgust and Oliver shot her a silencing look.
Felicity had been furious when he made her his Executive Assistant, being reduced to Oliver Queen's woman could only be worse. He squeezed her hand in apology. "It is a mistake I plan to rectify as soon as possible."
"Come, we will discuss business." Oliver followed Oscar with Felicity in tow. Oscar turned and said, "Leave her here. What we discuss is between us."
"She goes where I go." Oliver said tightening his grip on her hand. "S he doesn't understand Russian, she is no threat to us."
"You want to protect your woman, I admire that." Oscar studied Felicity. "Her mother was a lying whore that got what she deserved. I hope her daughter shows more loyalty."
Oliver nodded. "I shed no tears for her mother."
Felicity watched their interaction but showed no reaction to their exchange. Satisfied that Felicity couldn't understand what was being said, Oscar relented. "Okay, she can come."
Oscar led them through a maze of hallways and down a flight of stairs into the basement. As they descended the stairs, Oliver looked back and saw the fear on Felicity's face. He squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. He didn't trust Oscar, but he didn't think he'd risk the wrath of Anatoly by killing them, at least not before they had a chance to talk. She gave him a weak smile in return. Two men stood outside of a nondescript door and opened it at their approach. Oliver and Felicity followed Oscar into his office. "Please sit." Oscar indicated two chairs opposite his desk. Oliver led Felicity over to a chair and nodded his head. She sat down, reluctantly releasing his hand. Oscar poured two shots of vodka. "Strength."
"Strength." Both men swallowed their shots and then took their seats.
"Did you kill Jimmy Roman?" Oliver raised his eyebrows at Oscar's question. He'd expected Jimmy to have already been recovered.
"When I left them, Roman and his man were alive and locked in their car trunk. Your man Victor knows where we met." Oliver said with disdain. "Your men are without honor."
Oscar nodded his head. "Yes, I will speak with them about that." He opened a ledger that was sitting on his desk and began to search through it before settling on a page. "Now that we have our merchandise back, there is still the matter of the $100,000, not to mention the inconvenience." Oscar said, his hands pressed together, as if in prayer, tapped against his chin.
"I will gladly pay you that sum and any interest owed." Oliver offered.
"I think, money is a cheap commodity between us. Wouldn't you agree?"Oscar poured out two more shots of vodka. "Your reputation as Knyazev's enforcer is widely known and much admired. The creativity you showed with your brutality put fear into many men. I'm surprised Knyazev let you leave his side. Men such as you, are very valuable within our organization."
Oliver reached for the shot glass and drank, swallowing the silent curse that rested on his tongue. It was as he feared and Anatoly warned. The Lion wasn't going to let him leave with a promise to pay the money Donna owed. He was going to exact another form of payment, one, Oliver, knew would come at a much higher cost. He would do anything to keep Felicity safe, he just hoped whatever Oscar asked him to do wouldn't cost him Felicity's love. Felicity was intently watching him and he was doing his best to keep his face blank. He saw her make the slightest of winces and a look of worry clouded her face. In that moment, Oliver wished he'd left her upstairs. She could read him too well. "I am in your debt. What do you need?"
"The Bratva no longer have a presence in Starling. I find myself wondering why a Captain wouldn't establish a new crew under his authority." Oscar leaned forward and looked eager to hear Oliver's response. "Have you lost a taste for the life, Oliver." He nodded at Felicity and leered. "Has she softened you?'
Oliver knew the insult to his potency was meant as a challenge, but he couldn't risk escalating their situation. As long as Felicity was with him, he needed to avoid violence at all costs. "My priorities are elsewhere for the Bratva. Anatoly is not interested in establishing a large presence in Starling. He has other plans for me." Anatoly did have other plans for Oliver, they just consisted of leaving him alone to live a life untouched by the Bratva.
"Yes, but I am. There is money to be made in Starling now that the competition has been run out of town or thrown in to jail. I'm glad we don't have the Arrow complicating things here in Vegas." Oscar said as he lit a cigarette.
The last thing Oliver or Starling City needed was the Bratva filling the gap vacated by the Triad. "You understand that I will not welcome another Captain in my territory. Debt or no debt."
Oscar laughed. "Relax, I don't wish to take over your territory. I just would like access to your port and help when complications arise. I will gladly pay you a fee for everything that comes through Starling."
Oliver would be more than happy to give him access to the Starling ports, but the Arrow might have other ideas. "I can assist with port access for fifty percent of what comes through my city."
Oscar exhaled a plume of smoke. "Excellent, I'm glad that is settled. But the ports are business not a way to settle debts. I think your other area of expertise might be of more value to me."
"What do you want me to do?" Oliver asked with as much disinterest as he could feign.
Oscar smiled and Felicity took a sharp breath. Oliver's heart sank as he saw the look in Oscar's eyes. Oscar's lips might have been turned up in a smile, but his eyes were cold and full of malice. "I don't know yet, but I will let you know."
Notes: Thank you for reading. Only two more chapters left.
Next up: Oliver and Felicity return to their hotel.
