He slid his fingers across the screen. “I thought I had the translation right. I read the Russian words exactly, but I guess not. After I said it, she’s been yelling the whole time.”
The bartender screamed in Russian something about him being a piece of shit and that she would never talk to him again.
“Hey. Hey. Chill. I don’t know what you’re saying.” Maxwell held his hand out and then looked at me. “Can you help me, man?”
The bartender yelled in English, “Asshole!”
I smirked. “Do you need me to translate that for you?”
“Nah.” Maxwell frowned. “But I’m trying to tell her that it was good, but now it’s time to go home. Could you do that for me?”
The bartender hit his chest and stormed back into the bedroom.
“I think she got the message.” I yawned and headed to the kitchen.
Thankfully, the interaction had softened my cock.
My men lounged in the living room. A few had been laughing as they glanced down the hall at Maxwell.
Well, I’m glad everyone’s having a jolly good morning.
Usually, I didn’t walk around half-naked in my boxer briefs, but my head was pounding. I needed some water to hydrate. This week had been horrendous. No doubt the weekend would continue to punch me in my gut and jaw.
I got to my fridge, opened it, pulled out a bottle of water, and guzzled down most of the it.
One of my men walked up to me. “Sir, we have a problem.”
“Of course we have a problem. That is my destiny. Problems after fucking problems.” I finished the bottle and threw it into the trash. “What now?”
“Someone sent a threatening text message to Ava.”
I glared at him.
He stepped back. “We tracked the number, although it came up unknown. We have an address. It belongs to the artistic director.”
“Akiva?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” I nodded. “Now I can kill him. What did it say?”
“It said, ‘he can’t save you.’”
“Well, at least the morning is looking up. I’ll get to prove him wrong.” I patted his shoulder.
The man widened his eyes.
“Find out his schedule. I want to get him in his apartment. It cannot be the theater. Anything else?”
The man frowned. “Naveen has been calling.”
“I am sure he has. I will call him in a few minutes.” I headed back to my bedroom.
The bartender stormed past me, wearing wrinkled clothes and yelling out curse words in Russian.
Maxwell leaned out of the bedroom and waved goodbye. “Alright, baby. I guess I’ll see you again.”
And I thought I was bad with women.
Maxwell turned my way. “I’m about to shower and dress. What are we getting into today?”
“I’m going to meet the artistic director at his place and separate his spine from his body.”
“Never a dull moment with you.” Maxwell nodded and went back to this room. “Give me thirty minutes.”
“Twenty,” I called back.
“Man, twenty? It takes thirty to get the Maxwell glow.”
“We’ve had enough glow from you this morning.” I rubbed my eyes, trying to get that sound of Maxwell climaxing out my head. “In fact, make it fifteen for waking me up like that.”
Maxwell muttered, “Someone’s grumpy.”
I stomped into the room, shut the door, and checked my phone. As usual, over thirty missed calls hit the screen. But then my heart stopped, when I spotted Ava’s number
She called.
I fumbled with dialing her back, dropped the phone, picked it up, and took my time calling her.
The phone rang.
I swallowed.
Blood rushed through my veins.
Her sweet voice came on the other side. “Hello?”
“Ava.” I must’ve sounded like a desperate man in need of saving. I cleared my throat. “I saw that you called, and. . .I’m calling you back, if that’s okay?”
“Of course. Hold on.” Classical music played on her side. After a few seconds, the music silenced. “Sorry. I was just finishing stretching so I can go home. Um. Wait. You didn’t ask. Sorry. I know you’re busy—”
“No, say whatever you want for as long as you want.”
Fuck. Stop sounding desperate.
“I don’t know. . .” Her voice went soft. “I just wanted to say hello. I. . .didn’t really have a reason to call.”
My spirits brightened for the first time that morning. “That is good. Really good.”
“I just wanted to. . .hear your voice.”
“Anytime. How are you?”
“I’m doing great.”
It didn’t sound like it. Nervousness and a little fear mixed with her words.
I frowned. “Your guards told me about the threat. I have it under control.”
“Um.”
“What?” I quirked my brows.
“I don’t want you to have to hurt anyone, if you don’t have to.”
“My men told me that it was Akiva.” I gritted my teeth. “I was going to talk to him.”
“Just talk to him?”
I had no idea how to answer that question. She’d made the move to call which meant that maybe she was rethinking the space between us. I wasn’t sure if I should tell her the truth.
Her voice went shaky. “Misha?”