Page 17 of Silent Ties (Ruling Love #1)

Russet

U nimpressed by my bravery, Yelena refuses to allow me to eat a burger. She does however order us wine which is something.

Blue bruises line her lower lashes, proof that the long night got to her too. It means she’s too tired for her normal bitchy small talk. I chalk it up as a win.

Especially when I spot Lennie Akatov walking to a table. Her mother isn’t with her, but there’s another woman, and the family resemblance is strong. I know she has multiple sisters but I’m not sure where she falls in the mix.

She’s tucked into a back corner. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she chose to sit by the wall so she could hide the scar on her cheek.

When she stands up, I excuse myself.

I’m at the row of sinks when Lennie steps out of a bathroom stall.

“Hi. Are you. . .”

I lean my hip against the sink. “Everyone knows your dad loves your mom. Otherwise, I’d ask if you knew any of the girls. ”

Marissa sent him a girl one time and he laughed. Then kindly sent her on her way.

Lennie chews the inside of her lip. “And you did?”

“Yeah.” There’s no point in denying it. “Can I borrow your phone?”

The tap runs, her hands covered in soap suds. She blinks up, then leans back over the sink.

“Please,” I ask. There’s not much time. This place is always booming during the lunch crowd and the bathroom acts as a hive for women primping and prepping.

“Will it start World War III?” she warily asks.

“God, I hope not.”

She lets out a deep breath, internally struggling, but I’m right about Lennie. The girl wears her heart on her sleeve.

“You really think they’re listening in on you?” She passes over her unlocked iPhone.

“You don’t?” My what it must be like to be Boris Akatov’s darling daughter. I bet he dotes on her.

“I’ll stand over there,” she politely replies but I’m afraid I’ve cut her with my remark. I nod, hoping she’s able to read the apology and gratitude on my face.

I get Daisy’s voicemail. I try again and again. If she hasn’t been to any of her old spots, her work, or the bars she frequents, then I’m not sure where to call. There’s Marissa’s bar which is basically a brothel. But if I call there I could end up talking to several unpleasant people.

She doesn’t warn or rush me, but Lennie nervously waits by the door, dark eyes peeking at me every few seconds.

Throwing one last Hail Mary, I dial Daisy’s number again.

“H-hello?”

“Oh, thank fuck.” I tug at my hair, relief washing through me. “You’re fucking alive.”

“Russie?” Her voice is tired but clear. “Is this a new number? ”

“No. I just. . . um, I borrowed it in case you know. . .”

“So you’re really married to him? To Max Zimin.”

Three months ago, I agreed to help Daisy pay Marissa back. Now I have a driver’s license with a new last name and Max made me memorize our address. I’m standing in a swanky bathroom, right next to the daughter of one of the biggest crime lords in town.

“Yeah,” I say softly, swallowing. “Are you? Where are you at?”

Marissa promised she’d be free, but that’s not the case. She’s keeping Daisy somewhere.

Her voice quiets. “I’m fine, but obviously. . .”

“Meena’s sister?” I whisper.

Daisy chokes up. “Let’s not talk about it.”

Agreed. “Where are you?”

“I’m fine,” she quickly says. “I mean I’m not in some penthouse like Marissa tells me you are, but I’m fine. Guess what?”

“What?” I ask, avoiding Lennie’s eyes. I’ve already borrowed too much time.

“I’m having a girl!”

A laugh bursts out of me. A blessing among the curses.

“And it’s good?” I’m careful with my words with Lennie nearby. “Everything healthy?”

“Yes,” she promises. “And Marissa is anal about me taking my vitamins.”

Because that’s exactly what Daisy’s kid needs—Marissa as a godmother.

“Marissa promised.”

“It’s fine,” Daisy cuts me off. “Seriously, I’m not. . . She’s not keeping me here. She’s helping me, you know.”

That’s exactly what you thought when you got into this mess in the first place.

“Marissa only ever helps herself. ”

Noise echoes in the background. “I love you, Russie. But please don’t ghost me for another three months.”

“That’s not what?—”

The noises get louder and more hectic. “I love you,” she says again. “I have to go.”

There’s a smacking sound, Daisy blowing a kiss in farewell. When the line drops, my ears buzz with silence.

A two-minute phone call. That’s all I got. But at least I know she’s okay.

At least sort of okay.

Lennie’s sneakers swim into my vision. “Are you okay?”

I nod, not trusting my voice.

Her warm brown eyes shine with worry. “Look, I’m not asking this because I’m trying to dig or anything, but was that Daisy Montgomery by any chance?”

Horror spreads in my chest.

She shakes her head, tucking her phone back into her pocket and keeping her hands there. She’s trying to be casual, I think, or less of a threat.

“You should know,” she says, hair falling away from her scar-free cheek, “that people are putting out feelers for her.”

“Feelers?” What does that mean?

“Looking for information,” she clarifies. “They know she’s connected to Marissa. People want to know why.”

“But why would they care?”

Daisy and I grew up in a shitty area, wrapped under Marissa’s influence but we’re not like the Zimin or Akatovs.

There’s nothing exciting about our upbringing where our mothers struggled to pay the bills and we got jobs as soon as we could.

Not because we wanted to buy anything fancy, but because we needed food.

Lennie lifts a brow, though. “She’s the reason you married Max. ”

I tried to keep her off the grid but it didn’t matter. Now there’s even more of a target on her back.

“Nobody’s surprised about the stunt Marissa pulled,” Lennie says. “But then it turns out nobody could find her. That Marissa is keeping her close, but nobody knows why.”

Oh, fuck me. “Everybody wants to figure out the mystery.”

Lennie nods. “Information is power.”

And sometimes more powerful than a gun.

“What do they know?”

“She’s your best friend, whatever debt she has, you tried to pay. People assume she started working for Marissa and that she likes cocaine.”

“She does not like cocaine!” One summer she went a bit wild but I promise, “She’s clean.”

Lennie doesn’t dispute it, but the wary expression doesn’t leave her face.

“Thank you.” Not just for the phone, but for the warning.

“Is she okay?” she quietly asks.

The ringing in my ears has yet to go away. “I’m not sure.”

The wary gives into pity and I bit down on my lip. This is hardly how Gia Akatov would handle herself, but her daughter’s empathy is too strong to handle right now.

Lennie turns to the door. “Tell Yelena I needed a tampon.”

It takes me a second to understand. As quiet as she is, Lennie knows how to strategize like the best of them.

I’m thankful for it because when I sit down Yelena is frowning.

“Sorry.” I flip my hair back and reach for the wine. “Turns out Lennie is here.”

Her frown deepens. Cold blue eyes search the room, rolling when they spot the Akatov.

“I had to track down a tampon for her.”

“Stay away from the ugly one. ”

My mouth drops. “Hey!”

A brow rises in response.

I lean forward. “That’s rude.”

My defense causes the temperature to drop.

But I’m not done. I cross my arms, tired and raw from the day. “She’s my friend.”

If I think that’s going to cure Yelena’s bitchiness, I’m sorely mistaken.

“She is a useless, entitled brat.” Yelena spats every word, her accent thickening. “Who will bring shame to her family.”

“Hardly.” Yelena hates the Akatovs but her intensity takes me back.

“Well I suppose whores do understand one another don’t they.”

Lennie’s anxiety rolls off her in waves. I doubt she’s even dated. “I don’t know, do they?”

The pointed toe of her stiletto spikes into my shin. I bump into the table, my breath leaving me for a second.

Yelena smiles. “What was that?”

It’s a pity Marissa didn’t decide to kill her today too.