Page 13

I never thought Andrey would be much of a perfectionist, but I could only imagine it contributed to his success in some way, at the very least.

We had already hit up several prospective joints for the strip club, and while I could’ve been convinced to accept the first one, he had us moving all around the city.

It was a longer game than I anticipated, with him pointing out things I wouldn’t have considered on my own. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but part of me was growing tired of it.

I was more than prepared to settle on something we had already viewed, but Andrey insisted there was more to see. Something else that would surely be the right fit.

Trusting he knew what he was talking about, I allowed him to continue, regardless of the growing desire in me to just get home.

There was a strange sort of nervousness about him that caught my attention, almost like he was feeling antsier than usual. He could hardly sit still, moving throughout the buildings for sale and then moving on despite the others being more than suitable.

After hours of driving around the city, I assumed he would be worn out. He wasn’t exactly a spry young man anymore…yet he still hadn’t run out of steam.

“There’s another available on Fifth…great location with ideal foot traffic,” Andrey said, trying to sound casual despite the slightest tension in his tone.

It seemed like he was trying to brush me off or convince me that everything was perfectly fine. But something wasn’t sitting right with me.

He was being weird.

After I hummed my agreement, more focused on him than the words leaving his mouth, Andrey eventually pulled up to the curb and parked.

Getting out, I leaned against the passenger side of the vehicle and studied him for a moment.

I couldn’t tell what, but something was off, and I wanted to find out why.

Andrey always seemed like a sharp guy; he ran a tight ship when it came to his businesses, and he was always calculating. Always ready for the next move.

But in that moment, I could see the subtle tension in his frame, like he was trying to keep himself busy.

He was hiding something…he had to be.

“You alright, Andrey?” I asked while he got out and rounded the front of the vehicle.

He glanced at me, barely throwing a faint smile in my direction. “I’m fine, why?”

Keeping things casual, I shrugged. “You seem…jumpier than usual.”

“Jumpy? No…just tired, I suppose.”

“Tired? You’ve been hauling us all over New York,” I returned smoothly, watching his face for any kind of reaction.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Andrey chuckled while waving me off, walking alongside me towards the building for sale. “It’s been a long week. I’ll be fine.”

Despite his reassurance, I couldn’t help but feel like that was far from the truth.

I didn’t believe him, even if I didn’t press him further.

When we walked into the place—an old lounge that went under some years prior—I expected to see that fire in Andrey’s eyes. The one that spoke of his excitement for the game, the chase he was primed to execute, given his track record.

But I only found traces of trepidation there. Hesitation. Maybe even worry.

We moved through the space with the agent as everything was laid out for us, and while I wasn’t thrilled about still searching for a location, I had to admit Andrey did have a point.

It seemed ideal, on a busy street, and it certainly had the potential to give off the air of luxury I was hoping for.

“Well…do you think this could work?” I asked, looking at Andrey, when we were given a moment to chat.

His eyes roved over the place for a moment, and with a breath, he nodded. “I do. It’ll be an easy but lucrative flip, and the location is ideal. I can crunch some numbers and run it by you before we make any final decisions.”

I watched him for a moment longer, taking in those strange tells of his that were triggering more suspicions of mine.

As much as I didn’t want to dismiss it, there was no reason for me to believe it had anything to do with me or the task at hand. Andrey was a busy man, with plenty of businesses to oversee; he could’ve had anything on his mind.

“All right. I’ll wait on that for now, but in the meantime, I think this one is the best contender,” I said with a note of finality, ready to wrap up for the day.

Andrey’s acknowledgment was more subdued than I anticipated, but I didn’t say anything else about it. If he was having problems elsewhere, then I was going to leave that up to him.

There was no point putting my nose in his business.

With the ball rolling and the prospective location in my mind, Andrey dropped me off at our main warehouse before I got in my own vehicle and headed home.

Regardless of her father’s out-of-character behavior, I found myself looking forward to seeing Tia.

Maybe that was the wishful thinking in me, given how she wasn’t exactly in a place to be anticipating me coming home yet, but it didn’t matter.

She could still be as distant as she wanted to be, but she was my wife, and I was more interested in her than I cared to admit out loud.

It had been a long day, and I just wanted to be near her.

Pulling up to the house, the sun was steadily lowering for the approaching night, and I went straight for the door.

I let out a relieved breath upon stepping inside and being surrounded by my belongings. It was always good to get back and recharge.

Even if Tia ended up being prickly with me, it wouldn’t matter—I was just glad to be back.

Just as I dropped my keys in the foyer, a soft padding sound caught my attention.

Brows furrowing, confusion stitched into my features the moment a small, scruffy dog ran out of the kitchen and headed straight for me.

I froze, feeling completely thrown off by the sight of it.

“Who are you?”

The white and brown dog came up to me and gave a small wag of its tail before sniffing my pant legs.

Then, a stifled laugh followed, and I found him standing there.

Yuri.

I should’ve known.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I pulled in a breath to try and keep myself together. “Yuri…what the hell is this? Why is there a dog in my house?”

The grin on Yuri’s face was far too triumphant for his own good, clearly giving away just how much joy he was finding at my steadily increasing irritation.

“Oh, that’s just a little friend we found earlier today…don’t worry, we made sure to wash it before the thing decided to roll around in your bed,” he mused before continuing, “Don’t tell me you don’t like dogs now, Val.”

My eye nearly twitched at that, but I reminded myself to hold it in…he wanted a reaction out of me, as usual.

“Dogs are fine, but I’m not keen on having strays in my house,” I muttered, struggling to completely hold back. “And what do you mean by ‘we’?”

Yuri chuckled and bent down to scratch the scraggly dog between the ears. At the very least, it did smell faintly of shampoo. “Come on, now, this isn’t a stray. Not anymore, at least.”

My eyes narrowed further. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

Standing to his full height again, Yuri crossed his arms over his chest with that shit-eating grin. “Not at all. Tia seems pretty attached to it already.”

“Like hell,” I mumbled, shaking my head. “No dogs…not in my house. Do something about… this .”

At my vague gesture to the dog, my brother laughed to himself, not threatened one bit by my words.

“Oh no, I’m not about to be the bad guy. Not after we already got supplies for it.”

“Yuri,” I grumbled under my breath, growing more irritated with him the longer I had to brave his amusement. “She doesn’t need a dog…take it to the pound or something.”

“Since when did you become such a stickler, hm? She won’t like it, you know.”

Opening my mouth to snap at him, I closed it again the moment I heard the squeak of a toy from the living room, followed by Tia’s surprisingly cheerful tone.

“Come here, Bear!”

My expression dropped, well aware that wasn’t a good sign. I watched as the mutt scampered into the next room over before glancing at Yuri.

“She named it already?”

His triumphant grin gleamed back at me, and he nodded. “She absolutely did. Good luck!”

Sighing, I massaged the bridge of my nose and muttered, “Remind me to never let you take her out again.”

Yuri laughed and reached for his keys, grabbing his jacket to swing it over his shoulder. “Noted. Although I might have to fight you on that. I actually had a good time.”

I wanted to strangle him. But that was nothing new.

Forcing out another breath, I followed the sound of Tia’s laughter and the faint squeaking of toys while Yuri trailed behind me.

I was more than ready to blow up and tell her every reason why we needed to get rid of it—ready to become even more of a villain in her eyes.

But the second I approached the living room and hovered in the doorway, I caught the vibrant smile on her face. The way she looked so content while playing with the dog, almost like she had been given the greatest gift, stopped me in my tracks.

I didn’t want to admit it, but there was almost something infectious about her happiness.

It was…nice.

That wasn’t much of a surprise, of course, given that it was Tia. But to my dismay, I could already feel something stirring in me.

“Do I even want to ask?” I questioned, lifting a brow at her while I entered the room.

Tia paused, and a flicker of hesitation moved through her eyes at first. Then, somewhat sheepishly, she murmured, “Yuri supported the idea…”

“Oh, I know he did,” I uttered, throwing another glare in his direction. “And he’s lucky I’m restraining myself…”

“He’s well-behaved for a stray, and he seems very comfortable here,” she said, letting another smile slip while the dog happily jumped into her lap.

“I’m sure he is…”

“Can we keep him? Please?” Tia asked, picking the dog up and turning it to face me, giving me her best pleading eyes. “Just look at this face.”

Deadpanning at her, I was at a loss.

“Please, Val?” Yuri echoed in a teasing tone, still annoyingly getting way too much satisfaction out of it.

I gave Yuri a scalding look to try and stop him from making the situation worse, but it only made him laugh to himself.

“He’ll be on his best behavior,” Tia added, giving the stray a gentle pat on the head after letting it go.

I wanted to say no. I should’ve said no.

But I sighed. “Fine…but we’re going to put something out there to make sure it doesn’t already have an owner. If it does, it’s gone.”

Tia brightened again, making something twist in my chest. “Thank you!”

While she continued playing with the mutt, who did indeed look incredibly happy to be receiving all that attention, I couldn’t help but feel the faintest hint of satisfaction myself.

She looked genuinely relaxed, almost like she had something to look forward to.

And if it meant not having her scream at me or be angry with me all the time, then it felt like a win in my book.

“Looks like someone’s getting soft,” Yuri said, tone just as pleased as the moment he first saw my reaction. He clapped a hand on my shoulder. “This is your beast now…good luck.”

“Shut up.”

As annoying as his glee was, I focused on Tia’s joy instead, struggling to fathom how she twisted my arm so easily.

I was bending my own rules for her, and that seemed like a foreign concept entirely.