I blinked at him. This attitude was not going to get us anywhere. “Fight for her, Lev. Tell Irina she can’t have her. Let her come here. What’s she going to do? Show everyone how screwed up in the head she really is?”

“I’ll lose the partial custody I have and be charged with kidnapping my own daughter.” He looked at me, pinning me down with a single glance. “Does that sound like a good plan to you?”

Well, no. It didn’t. But there had to be something we could do.

My heart began to race as I realized that no one would be fighting this. “Nas,” I called.

She looked miserable. “Pick your battles, shorty. You aren’t going to win this one.”

My last resort. “Sasha,” I whispered, frightfully close to tears. “Do something.”

He was already shaking his head then he stood suddenly, glowering at me. “Life ain’t fair, little girl.” He stared at me. “You of all people should understand that.”

I was out on a limb, on my own.

“Lev,” I pleaded. “Please. Don’t let her win. She’s just a woman. How much pull can she have?”

I wasn’t prepared for what happened next.

Lev stood. Then he yelled.

At me.

“What the fuck do you want me to say, Mina? That I fall over my feet to please the mother of my child?” He panted, “Yes! I do.” He walked away. “I have my reasons, and I don’t owe an explanation to anyone, certainly not you.”

He said ‘you’ like I was something disgusting. Like I was a nuisance. Like I was not worthy of the explanation that even I knew I didn’t deserve to hear.

It brought my back down to reality.

I was nothing to Lev Leokov.

And yet, he remained my everything.

Sometime after midday, after Lidiya and Mirella were gone, I made my way upstairs with my tail between my legs. I should have known this was a hard time for Lev, and I pushed him over the edge. I was sure it took a lot to do that, and I was feeling like crap about it.

Standing by the open door, I peered inside. Lev, dressed in his usual uniform of a three-piece-suit, lay on the left side of the bed, his forearm covering his eyes. It was heartbreaking to see him so lost.

I made my way over to him, kneeling next to him and speaking from the side of the bed. “Hey,” I started, gently. Reaching up, I tugged on the hand covering his eyes. He allowed it to fall, turning his head to the side to look at me. His warm honeyed eyes were full of sadness. I squeezed his hand. “Oh, sweetie,” I hushed. “I’m so sorry. I’m an idiot. I didn’t think.”

He blinked at me a moment. And when he spoke, I knew I was forgiven for my careless commentary in a situation that didn’t call for it.

“Will you hold my hand?”

I didn’t need to be told twice. Rather than moving to the other side of the bed, I stood and climbed over him, laying half draped over his right side, my right leg hooked over his hip, and taking his left hand in mine, entwined, palm-to-palm.

His right hand came around me, holding me close, and his hand stroked my back. A soft sigh escaped me as I rest my head on his shoulder, my eyes closing in satisfaction. I’d never been more comfortable in all my life. And that would be the reason I fell asleep tucked into Lev Leokov.

After my nap, I got up and showered, getting ready for the night ahead. When I returned, my makeup game strong and my hair newly straightened, flowing down my back, dressed to the nines and ready for the club, Lev shook his head. It seemed he didn’t want me at the club tonight.

I didn’t beg. I wouldn’t beg. It wasn’t the way I did things, not normally.

Instead, I tried honesty. Walking up to him, I hooked my fingers into his front pockets and looked up the whole foot to his face. “You’ve had a rough day. Let me be there for you tonight. If you feel like you want to crack heads, all you need to do is reach over and take my hand.” I shook him a little. “You’ve been there for me. Will you let me be there for you?”

He thought about it.

His response was quiet. “Okay.”

I liked that response. I showed him so by reaching up and cupping his cheeks, pulling his face down so I could kiss his forehead.

We got to the club a little after seven. The crowd always took a while to perk up. The later it got, the more crowded it got.

Tonight, however, the crowd dribbled in just as it had the night before.

Lev, spotting what I had, commented, “Something’s up.”

I frowned, nodding in complete agreement. Something was indeed up. I’d never seen the club so empty since I got here. Compared to the day I stole Sasha’s wallet, this crowd was embarrassing.

That was when Birdie approached, looking mildly anxious. “Can I have a word?”

“Of course,” Lev replied.

Her nervousness increased as she wrung her hands together. “I think you should call Sasha. Nas is on her way. I need you all to hear this.”

Lev did as she asked, taking out his cell and calling his brother out from his office. Nas arrived and sat on the arm of my chair. When Sasha arrived, he spoke kindly to Birdie. “Little bird, why are you looking so worried?”

She reached into her jeans pocket, pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it to Sasha. “I found this on my car when I went out for my break. It was on all the windshields. I collected whatever I could, but…” She shrugged. “Some people were bound to get them before I could remove them.”

Sasha unfolded the paper, read in silence, and then cussed softly.

His jaw tight, he handed the note to Lev. “I think we just found out where our customers have gone.”

Nas and I both leaned over the seat to read with Lev.

Aphrodite’s Kiss. New show. New girls. Completely refurbished. Faces that will stop your heart. Free drink with flyer.

“That’s not all.” Birdie winced. “One of Laredo’s goons approached me just as I was coming in from my break.” Her eyes apologetic, she looked directly at Sasha. “He’s recruiting from right under your nose, baby.”

“Motherfucker,” Sasha whispered. “That would explain why ChaCha quit on Wednesday.”

My jaw dropped. “He can’t do that!”

Lev’s lips thinned. “He can; he just shouldn’t. It’s an unwritten rule of sorts. It’s considered bad form.”

I sat back in my chair, feeling glum. I turned to look at Sasha. “Why does he hate you so much?”

For once, Sasha didn’t glare at me. He spoke quietly, “I scarred up his son’s face when he tried to off me. The pretty boy ain’t so pretty anymore.” He sighed. “Laredo didn’t give a rat’s ass that his boy brought that shit to my property. He sees those scars and he wants to end me.”

“What happened?”

Nas explained in a short tone, “Sasha slept with Alessio’s wife.”

Sasha uttered a defensive, “She said they were done.” He ran a hand through his dark hair. “How was I supposed to know she was using my cock as a weapon against him?” He smirked at the memory of her. “I’d like to say she wasn’t worth the trouble, but she was a goddamn wildcat.”

“Well, it’s not Sasha’s fault the lady is a tramp,” I muttered.

Sasha seemed surprised by my support. But, still, his glare returned. “What new show? What’s he got that we don’t?” Frustration took over. “I can’t even send anyone down there to see what’s up. Not anyone I trust. He knows everyone who works for us. Knows our faces.”

I looked around at them all, their thinking faces on.

Was I the only one who had the solution to this problem?

“He doesn’t know me.” I offered with a mild shrug, “I’ll go.”

Lev barked, “No,” at the very same time Sasha grinned deviously and hissed, “Yes.”

They looked at each other.

Sasha spoke quietly, “You want this ship to sink, moy brat?”

“Net,” Lev replied unenthusiastically.

“I don’t mind. It’s the least I can do,” I uttered sincerely.

Sasha grinned at me while Lev frowned unhappily. Nas squeezed my shoulder in silent support.