Page 48 of The Umarova Crime Family

I put up a hand, and the bartender walks over. “Want another?”

“Yes, but I also want to order a whiskey sour for the brunette woman in that booth with the Asian guy,” I tell him, and the bartender immediately looks across the booths for the people meeting the description I’ve given him.

“All right. I’ll whip one up and get her waitress to take it over to her.”

“Perfect. Thank you.”

“You want a message to go along with it? Most people have something they want to say.”

“No, just tell her the man at the end of the bar sent it,” I tell him, and the bartender walks off.

I’ve been trying my best to not make any assumptions tonight, but it’s hard when the guy keeps grabbing onto her hand or brushing his hand along her arm. Who the fuck is this dude anyway?

After a couple of minutes, I spot a waitress taking Emily’s whiskey sour over, and I watch everything. I watch as she places the whiskey sour on her table and tells her who sent it. Emily looks around, and I wave my hand at her and smile. She doesn’t seem shocked that I’m here or even like it bothers her in the least bit. If the girl I was fucking saw me with another woman, I’d probably feel bad about it, but Emily doesn’t seem to have any remorse. Her eyes eventually widen a bit, and I get up from my barstool and head over to the booth she’s sitting in.

“Hello there, I’m Lom,” I extend a hand and introduce myself to the man she’s drinking with this evening. Everything about my voice tells them I’m pissed and that I’m a possessive son of a bitch, quite literally.

The man takes my hand and shakes, “I’m Kim, and you are who exactly?” Kim looks at Emily and then at me.

“I’d like to know the same about you, actually.” I raise my brows while my anger grows deep in my chest.

“I’m Emily’s co-worker. I work in the interior design department. Now, who are you?”

“I’m the man who’s fucking her, and seeing her here with another man isn’t exactly my cup of tea. So, shoot it to me straight. Are you fucking her, too, or are you trying to fuck her?” Emily gasps at my question, but I don’t dare look away from the man in front of me.

Kim laughs. “Emily and I got an internship around the same time. I can assure you, there’s nothing else going on here. She’s not exactly my type, but you are.” Kim looks me up and down, and I think this is all bullshit.

“What in the hell, Lom?” Emily snarls at me. She has her brows raised and stares at me like I’m the biggest tool in the shed.

“I call bullshit. Don’t touch what doesn’t belong to you, pretty boy, or your face might not look the same,” I hiss at him, and Emily smacks my arm. I don’t give a fuck, though. Why would I? I don’t take too kindly to men getting too close to what’s mine.

“Oh, I didn’t realize Emily was your personal property,” Kim comments, a sassy tone underlying his words.

“I’m not his property. I’m my own person, and I think it’s something he fails to realize,” Emily grumbles, and she stops speaking for a moment. I open my mouth, prepared to speak, but Emily cuts me off. “Fuck off, Lom. I’m over you today. You’ve made nothing but a fool of yourself and proved a very valid point that you’re the world’s biggest asshole.”

“Enjoy the drink, babycakes,” I comment in a completely sarcastic manner.

I go up to the bar, close out my tab, and then head for my car. I’ve had a couple of drinks, but I’m not too plastered to drive home. I barely even feel tipsy, honestly. Probably because the woman I’m falling for is with another man at a bar.

I shake my head as I walk toward the elevator and call Ludvik, the man I promoted since Kirill betrayed my family. Ludvik’s worked for me for many years, and he was well deserving of his promotion. He’s now my right-hand man. He answers on the third ring, “Boss, what’s up?”

“I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

“You’re coming back early. Did the night not go well?”

“It’s a story for another time,” I comment, and he drops it. We both then hang up, and all I want to do is be back in the hotel suite. I might’ve crossed a line with Emily tonight, but seeing her with someone else rattled me. I don’t ever want to see her with someone else again.

Chapter Three

Emily

I know better than to call Amelia at this hour, but I’m so irritated right now. For fuck’s sake, there’s a seven-hour time difference between the two places. Kim convinced me to have a couple more whiskey sours before we both called it a night, but the alcohol’s only made me more pissed than before.

It’s nearly midnight, and I know it’s really early for Amelia, but she could even be up with Karim already. After all, babies are notorious for waking you up at all hours of the night. It’s either that or she’s just gotten him asleep, and now I’m about to wake the both of them up. The taxi pulls up to the sidewalk, and I swipe my card for the lift back to my place. I get out of the vehicle and pull my purse close against me as I walk toward the door of my apartment.

Internally, I debate whether or not I should tell her about what happened, but I have to talk to Amelia right now. She’s not only my best friend, but she’s also my cousin too. We weren’t overly close over the past few years because our lives were getting in the way, but over the last year, we’ve gotten close again. I never really knew I needed to have a close relationship with someone, but Amelia is that person for me.

I fish my phone out of my pocket and press the video chat button as I walk into the apartment. By the fifth ring, she’s answering. She already has makeup on, and her hair’s in a messy bun on the top of her head. “I didn’t wake you, did I?” I ask her, feeling a bit guilty if I did.

---