Blood & Torment (Pins and Needles: Moscow Book 2) by Elizabeth Knox (best short books to read TXT) 📕

Ruslan moves to the bar and pours us all a drink. Of course, it’s vodka. One thing I’m realizing is how it’s a staple drink here in Russia. It’s a good thing I’ve always been a clear liquor girl and not dark. I can’t stand bourbon or whiskey. Give me vodka and gin any day. Well, it has to be the clear kind of gin and not the spiced stuff. Oh, and if we were back in the States, I love apple pie moonshine. That stuff is the best and puts even vodka to shame, in my opinion.

Taking the glass from Ruslan, I take a seat at the table while Sascha does his thing finishing dinner. I learned quickly you don’t step into his space while he’s cooking. He could go to school for culinary arts, but he prefers to keep his talent to his own kitchen, cooking for only one man and me, of course.

“How was your day?” Sascha asks, pulling a pot off the stove and ladling the contents into three bowls. The smell is to die for and my mouth waters.

“What’s that?” I ask, countering his question and trying to find out what he’s fixing for dinner.

“This is solyanka soup. Now answer my question,” Sascha demands, bringing two of the bowls to the table and goes back for the other bowl, and rolls he freshly baked.

Everything Sascha makes is homemade and he balks at anything that’s out of the can. It’s ironic considering he works at a café and there must be things they have that’re processed.

“My day was the same as it always is. You know that,” I murmur as I shrug, not wanting them to know the truth of how I’ve felt throughout the day. If they knew, they might tell Dema or even Kronid. I’m just thankful they’ve kept it to themselves for this long and I hope they continue to do so. I don’t want anyone else knowing how weak I was. It’s embarrassing, and it will forever be my biggest regret.

Chapter Five

Michail

“Kronid! Didn’t think I’d see you for a couple more days.” Meghan’s voice echoes through the parlor like always, but she’s a loud one. Maybe a bit too loud if you ask me.

Kronid isn’t supposed to be back until tomorrow, so I leave his office and shut the door behind me, heading out to the parlor area. He’s standing in the center, in the middle of a conversation with Meghan. “Michail, I’m sure you’ll be as surprised to see Kronid as I am.” She’s sounding like a teenager who was throwing a party while her father was out of town. I don’t know why she’s acting so weird, but she is, and I don’t like it.

“I have a few things to update you on, but it can wait until tomorrow if you’re not working today.” The last thing I want to do is cause more stress when he has enough going on. Dema’s pregnant, for goodness’ sake. His entire life is going to change soon and everyone here knows it to be true.

“I’m working today. Dema missed her grandparents, so we came back a day early. She’s at home cooking with her grandmother for a few hours, so I thought I’d check in on things. Come to my office with me and update me on how the last few days have gone.” Kronid walks ahead of me and we head into his office. I make sure I shut the door behind me because I know the moment I tell him about what transpired the other day, he won’t be happy.

“Things went well while I was away?” Kronid asks me, sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans. After I don’t answer him right away, he turns and stares me down. “What happened, Michail?”

I inhale and take a moment to find the words. Regardless, the man is going to be pissed. He’s quite the hothead, especially when it comes to the business. “First and foremost, I handled the situation and everyone is okay.”

“What the hell happened?” Kronid hisses, accentuating every word.

“A man came into the shop and was with Nikita. I saw on the camera he grabbed her, so I came out and he thinks she’s a whore. He said it multiple times, how she was a whore and he was supposed to get more than the tattoo. He had his hand wrapped around her neck, and Trista was slapped by him.”

“You’re kidding me!” Kronid roars so loudly I believe he’s going to pick up a piece of furniture and throw it across the room.

I take a step closer to him, but the moment I do regret swarms through me. Kronid glares at me like he’s a caged animal. “You should’ve called me and you know it. We have protocols here for a reason.”

“Dema asked me to let you both have a few days of peace. She’s pregnant, Kronid. Who am I to deny her?”

“You work for me, not for my fucking woman!” Kronid picks up a vase from the side table next to the couch and slams it against the floor. With nostrils flaring, I know I’ve made a grave mistake here.

“I am sorry, Kronid, but I will not disrespect the things she asks of me. She is basically your wife and you know this to be true. I respected a boundary of a woman asking me not to nag her husband, who is my boss. You cannot be angry at me for such a thing. You would do the same.”

Kronid clenches his fists at his sides but curtly nods. Though I can see he’s not happy, we agree to disagree at this time. “I don’t like what you did.”

“I know, and I’m sorry you don’t, but it was the right thing to do. Dema is much more terrifying than you, my friend,” I joke at the end and it works. Kronid cracks a smile and laughs.

“It’s true. I’ve been teaching Dema how to defend