Devin: A Romantic Suspense (V Mafia Series Book 2) Page 2

  “How do you know it will only take two minutes?” I asked.

  “Because we’re stationed on the floor above you,” she answered, and a sick feeling settled deep into my bones.

  The idea of being watched at all hours of the day and night was unsettling.

  “These are dangerous men, Officer Avery. The sooner we gain some leverage, the sooner we can get the Volkovs off the streets. You will save countless lives. The Volkovs don’t play by any rules they don’t create, and they have absolutely no problem getting rid of people who get in their way.” Her cool eyes stayed on mine as she watched me formulate questions I’d never get answers to. “We ask that you do what it takes to get the answers we need.”

  “You can’t be sure I’ll be hired.”

  “The guy in charge of hiring at Meta has a type. We overlooked it before but not this time,” she assured me.

  “If you don’t get in, it wasn’t meant to be,” Rodriguez added.

  Lieutenant Davis flipped to another slide, and my world melded into theirs as I learned about the Volkovs and why they needed to be stopped.

  Chapter Two

  Devin

  “No fraternizing with employees,” Jaxson warned, his tone slightly teasing as I watched the new waitress fluttering around the bar.

  There was something unique about her. She had a confidence that vibrated through the room, and her beauty lit me up.

  Hard.

  She didn’t belong here. I could sense that with every sideways glance she sent our way.

  “Avery’s a good girl and doesn’t need to be brought down to your level,” Jaxson continued his do-gooding.

  My brother was right, but I was kind of surprised he knew the server’s name. She hadn’t even made her way to the table yet. He usually didn’t get that deep into the weeds of our businesses, especially not down to every cocktail waitress and hostess’s name.

  I reluctantly ripped my eyes away from the woman I could now call Avery. She was standing next to one of the bartenders Jax had briefly dated.

  I hid a smile. He really was one to talk.

  “Never in a million years.” I sighed, hoping I could order a drink soon.

  I snuck another look in her direction and couldn’t believe how her presence fazed me. I definitely needed to stay away from her.

  “So, you’re telling me the encrypted files that we got our hands on last night came up empty?” Drake eyed my brother, Blake, cautiously.

  Blake had only recently come back into the fold. He’d taken time away from our family’s endeavors to play soccer professionally. None of us blamed him. I was sure every single one of us had imagined a different life, but that wasn’t the family any of us had been born into. It wasn’t until Blake had a career-ending injury that he came back into our world, and he was still learning the ropes.

  It wasn’t like our lives were horrible. We’d experienced more luxury than most could dream of. We never had to worry about much of anything beyond staying alive, but I knew there was a change brewing in our organization. I could sense a shift away from the dealings that brought our family great wealth and power. I didn’t understand where this shift was coming from, but the undercurrent was there. I understood wanting to legitimize as many of our dealings as possible, but I knew we couldn’t abandon the other world we ran. I brought my eyes back to Blake.

  “That’s exactly what I’m telling you. Blank documents. Either Joel didn’t get into the right system or they were onto us and deleted all the files, leaving us crumbs.” Blake swirled the ice in his water glass and set it back on the table without taking a sip.

  “Impossible. There’s no way they could have known what we were after.” Jaxson’s jaw clenched as he thought about our options.

  After my father’s death, Jaxson and my mother oversaw our family businesses. He became the Pakhan, or mob boss, for our Bratva. “Joel must have hacked the wrong system.”

  I snuck another look in Avery’s direction, but she wasn’t there. I tried to shake myself out of it. It was exhausting always, feeling like I had to go after every shiny, new object.

  Maybe that was the problem. Women weren’t objects, but I treated them that way to suit my needs.

  I gritted my teeth.

  Ever since starting the therapy shit, my world had become filled with overanalyzing myself and reasoning my choices to death when there was never anything reasonable about my decisions in the first place. I was impulsive.

  Voices raised around the table, and I brought my attention back to my brothers.

  “I highly doubt that. You said Joel was the best.” Blake stared at Jax, who nodded in agreement.

  “He is, but even the best can make a mistake.” Jax drew in a heavy breath.

  “My guess is they knew ahead of time,” I told Jaxson. “I’ve worked with Joel on some of the most insane projects and never once did he get it wrong. Not only that, but he tends to take a wide sweep of data, so if files have been deleted, he would see evidence of that in the history. He didn’t make a mistake.”

  I knew it wasn’t a scenario Jax would want to think about, but we needed to deal with the possibilities of a rat. It wouldn’t be the first time a situation like that arose in our history.

  “Then who, exactly, would have informed them that we were on the prowl?” Jaxson’s expression hardened, still not wanting to believe what this meant. “I don’t buy it.”

  “I tend to agree with Devin,” Drake said rather gruffly, rubbing his eyes.

  Drake wasn’t getting much sleep since his newborn arrived. I felt for the guy. The only reason I lost any sleep was because of some midnight gambling, a bit too much partying, or a rendezvous of another sort.

  “I’m willing to bet we’ve got a leak in the ship,” Drake said, lowering his voice.

  I tried not to laugh at my brother’s not-so cryptic wording.

  “Yeah. A definite leak in the old ship.” I grinned at my brother and he rolled his eyes.

  “Nothing worse than a leaky ship.” Blake laughed, teasing Drake.

  “We don’t have time for games.” Jaxson sat up straighter. “In less than four weeks, the biggest shipment of our lives will be sailing into port. Do you think it’s something to laugh about? Not getting the manifests and—”

  “If we don’t laugh a little, Jax. . .” I took a sip of my water, wishing it were a stinging liquid that coated my throat instead. “Then we’d all want to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge and never come up, and you’d have no one left to order around. We can’t all be as severe and staid as you are. There’s still life in us.”

  A wry grin spread across Jax’s mouth and he shook his head.

  “You think I’m dead inside.” His eyes narrowed on mine.

  “I think it’s a definite possibility.” I laughed and so did he. “I’ll go back to the office and see who’s been involved with this project, look over their emails, messages, and cell logs.”

  Drake’s brow rose in surprise. I wasn’t usually the brother who’d head back to the office for a midnight work session.

  “If it’s one of our boys who’s the informant, it’s better to deal with it now than later,” Drake said solemnly.

  I glanced in the direction of Avery and watched her make her way to the bar. A man’s hand grazed along her ass and my fists clenched, and before I had time to get really angry, the guy spilled a drink on her dress and stood back to get a look.

  What kind of place were we running here?

  “Hey, did you see that?” I snapped my fingers, and my brothers turned their attention to the bar, where several men came to the feigned rescue of Avery. “That jerk spilled his drink on her on purpose.”

  I watched Avery quickly head out of the bar and back toward the breakroom with another server right behind her.

  “You really think so?” Jax asked, glancing at the men high-fiving one another.

  My brow rose. “I think it’s a safe assumption. We need to get rid of those uniforms, buy a darker color fo
r the dress or something.”

  “Don’t like customers getting a little handsy with your next conquest?” Drake hid a smile I didn’t appreciate, but I let it slide.

  “Very well, white knight.” Jaxson glanced at my brothers, who all looked like they were holding in laughter. “New uniforms for Meta.”

  I leaned into the table. “You think getting involved with what I just saw happen is because I want to get with her? I wouldn’t have to go to that much trouble.” I shook my head. “That guy’s hand was on her ass. Is that the kind of establishment you want to run?”

  “Absolutely not,” Jax said flatly, amusement running through his gaze. “But I’ve never seen you care much about anything besides. . .”

  “Whatever.”

  A server came over and began taking our drink order, but Jax interrupted her. “Do you mind sending Avery over to take care of our table?” Jax stared at me. “We want to make sure our newest hire is up to speed. See if she got rattled after the drink incident.”

  “Absolutely, Mr. Volkov.” She smiled even wider, probably hoping the latest hire wouldn’t pass muster, and bounded off to her next table.

  “Consider it a favor.” Jax looked over at me.

  “I don’t need any favors from you. Besides, we need to solve this problem or we’ll be having more than a few uniforms that need changing. We’ll lose all of our staff. A sexual harassment lawsuit is right around the corner.”

  “You just want to swoop in to save the day for her,” Jax continued. “That’s how you operate.”

  “Not even close.”

  My brothers always assumed I had ulterior motives or would screw shit up. I admit I might party a little too hard now and again, but what we did for a living was wearing. Every so often, I needed a break. It wasn’t like my actions ever hurt the family business. I always separated my private life from my professional one.

  “Who doesn’t have a sense of humor now?” Jax laughed. “I only think you like this girl. That’s all.”

  “I don’t know her enough to like her or care one way or another.”

  “Like that’s ever stopped you before.” Jax kept laughing.

  “How’s it going with Jenn?” I asked, sitting a little farther back. “That was the bartender’s name, right? Or was it Jessica? Should I call her over? Get the scoop from her?”

  “Enough you two. Don’t make me call in Mama V.” Blake patted my shoulder. “You guys haven’t even started drinking yet.”

  “I’ll look into what we discussed tonight, and I’ll put a report on your desk for morning,” I told Jax.

  My mom never knew half the shit we disagreed about or she’d wonder how our organization ran so smoothly. As long as Jax and I kept it professional, things moved forward at a brisk pace. Once we started getting into the personal realms of brotherhood, the gloves came off and he became a complete prick.

  It wasn’t like his life was perfect. After his divorce, we could barely scrape him off the floor, but I never brought that up. I didn’t believe in rubbing someone’s nose in their worst behavior. I moved on.

  Jax doesn’t understand how to do that, though. His enjoyment comes from cataloging and reminding a person of all their faults and mistakes in life. Always a fun time.

  I looked around the restaurant, still not seeing Avery.

  “Thanks for going to the office,” Jax said, trying to soften his approach.

  “No problem. It’s my job.”

  “She’s still on break,” Blake whispered.

  “I didn’t ask.”

  “You didn’t have to.” Drake shrugged, answering for Blake.

  The problem was that even after all of my gripes with my brothers we were a close family. They knew me better than I knew myself, and at times, I hated them for it.

  Chapter Three

  Avery

  “If one more guy calls me over for a lap dance, I’m going to come unglued.” I took a sip of my water and groaned, catching my reflection in the mirror. My auburn hair was still in a messy knot with a few well-placed curls. Thankfully, my false eyelashes were still holding on. I hadn’t mastered those stinkers yet, so it was always a win when the strips stayed glued on each lid, but my uniform was a loss for the night.

  At least I loved what I did for a living.

  I had to hold in an eye roll.

  “They’re called diners, Avery.” Jill’s laughter filled the room and a couple of the girls looked in our direction.

  “Yeah, but they’re supposed to be ordering drinks, not strippers.” I placed my hand on my hip, completely befuddled how it was okay for Jill to look the other way with all this groping.

  “So, would you rather they behaved themselves and gave a twenty-percent tip instead of say… a forty-percent tip?”

  This time, I really did roll my eyes and draw in a deep breath. “All I’m saying is that I’m a waitress, not a stripper. We work at one of the hottest restaurants and bars around. I don’t understand what’s up with some of the customers.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.” Jill’s dark brows shot up and her smile widened. Usually, Jill looked beautiful with her dark brown hair down to her waist and bright blue eyes, but right now, she looked like my first-grade teacher who was a know-it-all.

  I glared at her and she chuckled.

  “That’s what I thought.” She spritzed some perfume on and patted my shoulders. “I think you’re only feeling this way because a guy spilled his martini on you.”

  “Yeah. I’m sure that’s it. Not like the old spilled-drink trick hasn’t happened two other times this week,” I said sarcastically.

  I quickly traded one ivory slip dress for another. The one bonus of working at Meta was that they provided the uniforms. The downside was the dress’s color. After the first week of working here, I realized that the men had learned that the fabric became see-through when wet.

  “I’ll be right out.”

  “Promise you aren’t going to make a run for it out the back?” Jill teased.

  “Promise. I need to pay rent.”

  And I had a job to do.

  Jill gave a thumbs-up sign and left the breakroom. I’d been working here for the last three weeks wondering if any of the Volkovs would ever actually show up at the place.

  Meta had only been open for two months, but it had already climbed up the list of places to be seen in Manhattan. Getting a job here was trickier than the department thought, but here I was.

  I pulled my pink lip gloss out of my purse, dabbed it on my lips, and shoved my purse back in my employee locker.

  A life like this was kind of peculiar. Beyond the double doors, an almost mystical place existed where booze flowed freely, money wasn’t a concern, and beauty was essential. Back here where the workers got ready, the walls were dingy, the lockers were already trashed from too many annoyed employees, and the mood was somber.

  Someday, working at a place like this would be a far-off memory, and it would make me appreciate my accomplishments that much more, or at least that was what I promised myself every night when I went home to the tiny apartment that wasn’t mine. The last few weeks had been downright miserable.

  Pushing the doors open leading to the bar, I took a deep breath and scanned the packed room. Crystal chandeliers hung from the fifteen-foot ceilings, exposed timbers sectioned off the dining area from the actual bar, and leather wrapped the exterior walls, where one long bench with multiple dining tables, emphasized the overall feel of Meta. It was industrial chic with a bit too much leather and forced closeness, but it worked, so what did I know?

  Thankfully, the guests who’d thrown the drink on me had left and a new group of four had just been seated.

  “Hey.” One of the servers I didn’t know called me over. “The Volkovs wanted you at their table.”

  My pulse spiked.

  “Okay, thanks,” I said, almost mechanically.

  Why me? Why on the one night they came in would they ask for me? Was my cover already blown? />
  I wove my way through the bar and landed at their table.

  I’d heard tonight might be the night, but I was still shocked when I actually saw all four of them sitting at a table.

  Had they not been notorious mobsters, the sight might actually be a beautiful one.

  “Welcome to Meta. Have you been in before?” I asked, placing four black cocktail napkins on the table. I didn’t want it to look like I knew who they were.

  “No, first time for all of us,” a low, sexy voice informed me.

  I brought my eyes to the man who spoke and nearly gasped.

  He was gorgeous. I quickly looked around the table and saw four incredibly good-looking men staring straight at me. Far more good-looking than the photos let on.

  Attractive men were a dime a dozen in a bar like this, but these brothers were beyond words. All the photos I’d studied preparing for this assignment didn’t do them justice.

  I had to snap out of it. I brought my gaze back to the guy who answered my question and smiled. I wasn’t sure why they were pretending never to have been in before, but as my eyes settled on the man with the sexy voice, butterflies collided deep in my belly.

  He was by far the most attractive guy sitting here, and he was Devin Volkov.

  Devin was the youngest brother of the batch. There was something about him that was really charming. His blue eyes were piercing, his lips were luscious, and he wore his suit nicely. So maybe there were three things that made him that way. . .

  I pushed down the nervousness that was zipping through me. The safe thing to do was to act like they were normal customers and not the owners of the bar.

  “Well, I always like to start by offering a taste of Hardy’s ‘Perfection’ 140 Year Cognac,” I said, knowing none of them would take me up on the offer.