Lifting her bag from the floor, I hooked it over my shoulder then gently scooped Jolie from the sofa without a word of protest from her. Light as a feather to carry, she fit perfectly against my chest, but I’d already known that. Jolie huddled in, her arms around my neck and I couldn’t help the small smirk of satisfaction I felt at how comfortable she made herself. After a bit of juggling, careful not to jolt Jolie, I had my keys in hand, a woman in my arms and was striding out the side door of Caulder’s.
Jolie said nothing, the side of her head lolling against the passenger seat as I drove her home, happy to see Andrey’s car already idling at the kerb outside her block of flats.
“Be upstairs in a minute, just need to give Andrey the keys.” Rummaging around in her bag uninvited, the keys were easy to find, the ring full of tokens and cute things, inherently Jolie. I slipped from the car and joined Andrey on the pavement, handing him the keys.
“CeeCee jumped her on the way to work.”
Andrey sucked in a breath and muttered, “Stupid woman.”
“If I go looking for her, the end result won’t be good.”
“Consider it done. I can put the fear of God in her so she won’t go near Bunny again.”
“Thanks.”
He tipped his head and went to open the doors.
Inside the flat, I took Jolie straight to her bedroom, placing her carefully in the middle of her bed, untying her trainers and dropping them to the floor. Jolie curled on her side in a ball so off I went in search of supplies. I needed to get her cleaned up; the blood distressing me.
“She don’t need the hospital?” Andrey asked.
“I’ll stay with her. If I think she needs someone, I’ll call.”
“She took a bash to the head?”
“To the face and stomach too,” I seethed while I filled a basin full of hot water at the kitchen sink.
“You like this woman,” he pointed out
My guys knew me well and Andrey’s statement was just that, he wanted the confirmation straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. “Yes. What’s not to like?”
“True. She’s a pretty thing.”
“Inside and out.”
He smirked at me. “You’ve not had one of those in a long time.”
“Try forever.”
Clapping his hand to my shoulder, something he’d never done before, he handed over two towels he’d grabbed from God knew where. “I’ll sort it, no problem. Just take care of Bunny.”
“What was the stupid bitch thinking?” I tugged off my jacket and threw it on the floor, then rolled up my sleeves to test the temperature of the water. “That club belongs to me, surely she knows I wouldn’t find this anything but disgusting and unacceptable.”
“Probably wasn’t thinking at all. Could she have figured out the connection between the two of you? It’s not like you’re advertising you have a thing for her, and I doubt Bunny’s the type to gossip. CeeCee isn’t that stupid, surely?”
“No. That would put her on Irina’s shit list. Still, it’s my bar, Andrey. CeeCee is well aware of who we are and there’re repercussions for assaulting my staff. I won’t tolerate it from anyone. It’s not just about Jolie.”
“You sure you want to do this, Yan? She doesn’t live our life.” He pointed to the half-closed bedroom door where Jolie lay on the bed. “This world will chew her up and spit her out. What if she can’t handle it?”
Sighing, I leaned against the counter and blinked a time or two. “I don’t plan on living this life for much longer, Andrey. I know that leaves a lot of unknowns but fuck… I’m done with it.”
“She means something to you?”
“Something. Could definitely be more, you know?”
“Then for now, look after her but be honest, yeah? Your heart could get broken as easily as hers. I know you’re this big, tough guy who doesn’t do emotions and shit but underneath you’ve got a heart of gold. It’s why we all love you. We all know you deserve something more than the shitty hand Lev and his fucking lot dealt you. You’re not too old to fall into good things, just be wise, be realistic.”
A lump formed in my throat. We’d always been honest with one another yet stopped short of putting our hearts on our sleeves because it wasn’t the done thing. Showing emotions were dangerous, they denoted weakness and vulnerability, not part of the life we lived. There was so much I wanted to say to Andrey, to them all, but instead, I held my tongue. The time wasn’t right yet and as much as I wanted to reach out and hug my friend, I knew he wouldn’t appreciate it, he’d struggle with the personal contact, so I kept my feet firmly planted where they were and spoke with sincere gratitude. “Thank you, Andrey.”
“Go be her guardian. I’ve got a visit to make.”
Andrey left me alone with Jolie and I went back into the bedroom carrying the basin of water and towels. She hadn’t moved, looked so small in the middle of the bed and I almost didn’t have the heart to wake her. Needs must though. I placed everything on the floor before resting my hand on her hip.
“Hey, Jolie. Got to get you cleaned up, sweetheart.”
Her eyes popped open, those fathomless pits clear for a moment, staring back at me. “Okay.”
“Can you sit up for me?”
Jolie didn’t argue, and for the next ten minutes I swabbed her head as gently as I could, swiping away the blood crusted to her scalp and hair. Encouraging her to undress and get into bed, I was satisfied for the moment. Without asking, I undressed down to my underwear
