The man, Sasha, did not look up from the newspaper. “Morning.” He picked up his cup of coffee and sipped at it. Still reading the paper, his brow furrowed. “Where did you go off to last night? And where did you find my wallet? I didn’t realize I dropped it until Anika gave it back to me.”

“You didn’t drop it,” Lev responded. “Mina stole it.”

And my heart stopped.

What the fuck, Lev?

Oh, God. I was in trouble.

“Who the fuck is Mina?” Sasha uttered as he lifted his face. Spotting me, he looked me up and down before turning to Lev. “Any reason we’re discussing this in front of…whoever that is?”

Lev clarified, “Yes, and this is Mina.”

My palms began to sweat. I almost fainted dead away, but dug my nails into Lev’s arm to anchor myself.

“Ah. I see.” Sasha sipped at his coffee again before sneering at me. “Sit. Please.”

His please did not sound like a request, more of a command, and yet, he spoke softly.

My brow felt suddenly clammy. I looked up at Lev with wide eyes and whispered, “Is this a set-up?”

Looking down at me, he patted the hand at his elbow, pulled out a chair, and helped me sit. “Relax. We’re just talking.”

Sasha folded the newspaper and set it down in front of him. “So, Mina, is stealing wallets a habit of yours?”

“No,” I answered quietly through the thickness in my throat.

Lev spoke then. “You had seven hundred dollars in your wallet.”

Sasha glared at his brother. “I’m well aware of that fact.”

Lev reached over to the fruit platter in the center of the table, carefully took a handful of grapes, and threw one into his mouth. Chewing, he nodded toward me. “She took a single hundred.” He threw another grape into his mouth. “Left the rest behind.”

Sasha’s brow rose in a similar fashion to times I had seen his brother do it. He eyed me harshly. “Not a very good thief.”

Lev tilted his head to look over me. “Not a thief at all.”

“I see,” Sasha muttered as he absently scratched at his chin. “Okay, so why is she here?”

My brow furrowed. I didn’t like being spoken about as if I wasn’t even there.

“She’s staying with me until she gets back on her feet. I hired her. She’s the new bargirl. And what with her background, I’m hoping she’ll be able to spot trouble before it starts. She’d be assisting me.” Lev looked to his brother and laid it out there. “Mina’s homeless. She took the money because she was hungry.”

“I see.” But Sasha looked as though he didn’t. On top of that, he looked at me like I was a cockroach that needed to be squashed. He spoke directly to Lev, “You take responsibility for her. She fucks up, it’s your ass, moy brat.”

Lev looked to me. “She won’t fuck up. She has too much to lose.”

I wanted to protest. I wanted to explain that a person with nothing had nothing left to lose. But I kept quiet. This conversation was about me, not including me. Clearly.

It was then Sasha spoke directly to me. “I think you’ve already gathered that my name is Sasha. And although Lev is in charge of the floor at Bleeding Hearts, I’m the boss.” Picking up a fork, he pointed it at me. “There is no ‘three strikes and you’re gone’ bullshit, little one. One fuck up, and you’re gone. No second chances.”

I didn’t respond, simply because I didn’t want to tell him to take that fork and shove it up his ass. But at the continued silence, I realized a response was necessary. “I understand.”

Sasha smiled then, and I got a glimpse of how handsome he was. “I’m glad. Welcome to the team.”

He and Lev looked similar, only Lev was slightly taller, but Sasha was more muscular. Both had dark brown hair, styled neatly. Both had hard eyes the color of cognac. Both had generous lips, and both wore a suit rather well.

Sasha ignored me from then out. He did, however, speak to Lev. “I need you today. Can you spare some time after lunch?”

Lev ate another grape and my mouth watered. “Yes. Have you given any more thought to the first aid course I put forward?”

I hadn’t eaten fresh fruit in a long while. I wanted to sample the sweet juice to see if it tasted as I remembered.

Sasha responded, “Yeah. We’ll go ahead with it. All the security and bar staff will take it. As the roster rotates, they can pick a day off of their choosing to attend, and they’ll be reimbursed for their time.” He paused. “And Lev? Feed your fucking pet before she expires.”

Glaring at Sasha, I ran to Lev’s defense. “I’m not even hungry.”

Just as I finished saying this, my stomach gave an excruciatingly whale-like growl. And it went on for what seemed like days.

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