“Bunny.”
I darted against the wall, surprised to see Tayte grinning at me. He didn’t look threatening at all, so I relaxed and tipped my head his way. “Hello, stranger.”
“You doing okay? That business with CeeCee long done, yeah?”
I still hadn’t seen nor heard from the woman. “Would appear so. Having a night out?”
“Nah.” He waved toward the end of the corridor. “Business. Mrs Ischmova thought Friday night at her ex husband’s bar was a great place to discuss it.” His sarcastic comment was not lost on me.
“No Yannick tonight?”
“He hasn’t told you, has he?” Tayte took a step closer, shielding my view of the opening to the bar.
“Ummm, told me what exactly?”
That smile of his grew soft, then he leaned down and whispered into my ear. “He’s a free man now, Bunny.” Sucking in a breath, my heart did crazy stupid things that seriously made me question if I would be needing a defibrillator to get the beat going right again. What was he saying? And why hadn’t Yannick said anything to me? “He’s also a good man, one of the best I know. Yannick’s safe, Jolie. Nothing will follow him, I give you my word.”
I could have burst into tears. Unconsciously, I knew this was what I’d been waiting for, the green light for go, the last hurdle to throwing my heart at a man who’d won it over months ago. The belief I was better off on my own, living an unfulfilled life, had been eviscerated over the past weeks spending time with Yannick. He’d proved I was more than just a notch on his bedpost, hadn’t he?
Jarred from my thoughts, I jumped a mile when an arm appeared around Tayte’s side and Irina Ischmova took a tight grip of my throat, shoving a shocked Tayte out of the way. He stumbled while I choked, frozen to the spot.
“You!” she spat.
“Irina, stop it!” Tayte clasped his hand around her wrist but the pressure never left my neck.
“She’s the one? A fucking server in his bar?” She looked me up and down, disgust written all over her face and I shrank back against the wall, not wanting to make a move that would exacerbate the situation. “You know who I am?”
“Yes,” I croaked. “Mrs Ischmova.”
“That’s right. Mrs Ischmova. And you’ve been fucking around with my husband.”
Tayte grunted, prying her nails from my throat as he wound an arm around her waist and pulled her backwards. Practically throwing her to the side, he stood between us. “Pack it in. He’s not your husband anymore.”
“There’s nothing that says we aren’t,” she hissed, getting in his face.
“Semantics, Irina. And no, she hasn’t been fucking around with Yannick, as you so eloquently put it. They’re friends.” Why Tayte would defend me when he knew very well, I had in fact, messed around with his friend months ago, staggered me.
My hands shook, and I took the cover of Tayte to clench my fists together, not wanting Irina to think I was afraid of her. I wasn’t, but I was very much shaken at the abrupt confrontation. She threw another derisive look my way then turned to leave. Taking a few steps and outsmarting Tayte, she rounded on me a second time, swiftly back handing me across the face.
“Motherfucker,” I hissed loudly, lunging for her. Grabbing hold of her perfectly styled hair and her perfect cream blouse, I grappled her against the opposite wall, Tayte’s arms coming around my waist this time, pulling me away. I kept my fist tight on her blouse and yelled, surprised at the fury running hot. “You want a bitch fight? Come ahead, don’t think I’m going to make it easy for you.”
“Jolie, stop it,” Tayte called into my ear. “This doesn’t end well here.”
“Fucking tell her,” Irina screamed. “I can have her pushing up daisies by breakfast with the snap of my fingers. Now get the fuck off me, whore.”
The realisation of what I’d done and who I’d done it too sank in quick and I immediately let go, Tayte hauling me further down the corridor.
“Yannick will not like this,” he spat at Irina.
“He can go fuck himself too. I don’t answer to anyone.” She swept her ruined hair back from her forehead, returning her attention to me. Pointing her finger, she scowled. “He’s still my husband. You stay the hell away or you’ll get more than the measly slap I just handed you.”
Hanging my head, I shrugged from Tayte’s hold, refusing further engagement with either of them. I stood where I was until they were both long gone, and my breathing was back to something that resembled normal. Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back against the wall, my jaw throbbing.
Home. I wanted to go home and maybe find another bar to work in because all this one had brought me was grief and face slaps. Jesus. All I wanted was a quiet life, why was it so hard to achieve?
Irina had known the minute she’d walked into the bar, or at least thought she’d known, that’s why I’d felt the immediate tension. Tayte cornering me in the back hall had been enough confirmation for her to pounce. I didn’t know what to make of it. Yannick had said their marriage had been a business arrangement, Irina’s actions were anything but. She was a woman staking a claim on her man with every right; she was his wife.
They had dragged me into something I knew
