The guy, arrogant and stupid, took foolish steps forward, likely trying to be bold.
“I don’t know who you are, pal, but I don’t take orders from you, and I most certainly do not like being threatened,” he said, halting before Andrei’s chair.
This was going to be fun.
I scoffed but remained silent, knowing exactly how my right-hand man would react to this. He hated it when people pissed me off, and frankly, he did them a solid by taking matters into his own hands. I was ten times more cruel than he was, and my reaction was usually far more disastrous. Hence, he was saving them from a worse fate whenever he stepped in.
Andrei got to his feet, standing tall above the arrogant man, who was already cowering; the person he had underestimated now towered over him.
“Say it again,” Andrei dared him, gazing down at him like a predator ready to launch at its prey.
The man swallowed, fear flickering in his eyes.
“Okay…!” His friend swooped in to save the day. “Too much tension here, guys.” He chuckled. “Listen, pal, I apologize for causing any trouble—my friend and I crossed a line, isn’t that right?” He pinched the other guy at the last statement.
“Yes…we’re sorry,” he said.
“If you don’t mind now, we’ll be on our merry way.” The smart friend looked at me with a slight bow and apologized in Russian.
“Come on.” He pulled his friend by the hand, and they left immediately.
While in motion, I caught a whiff of the Russian man scolding his American friend.
“Are you mad? Did you not know who that was—not the big guy, the other one? That was Daniil fucking Wolkov. You should be glad that we’re still alive after that stunt you pulled.”
He was damn right about that.
“Idiots,” Andrei said, sitting back down.
I returned my gaze to Vivian, who had, by now, reached the pool and was seated by the edge, her feet dipped in the water.
When our eyes met, she was smiling, just having waved at some girls. She paused for a moment, unwavering in the staring contest we were engaged in.
There was a mix of dread and lust in those deep blue eyes. I couldn’t care less about the dread, my focus on the glint of lust I saw.
She smirked and took her eyes off me, directing her gaze to the two men who had squatted beside her. They were obviously trying to woo her, and she seemed to be leading them on.
I frowned at that, and my hands once again rolled into tightened fists.
She was doing this on purpose, intentionally getting on my nerves. That was a wrong move, but she didn’t know it. Or she did and was enjoying my reaction, the jealousy evident on my face. Maybe this was her own payback. Regardless, though, I hated it.
She glanced in my direction, and for a second there, I saw a sense of satisfaction in her gaze. She loved that I was jealous, and she continued to flirt with the men, smiling at them, running her fingers over their bare chests, and the fools were enjoying it.
I was burning with rage, and my breathing was heavy, especially because I knew she was doing it to spite me.
She kept playing her games, tossing stolen glances at me.
I knew the best way to deal with this was to ignore her, to act like I didn’t care, but I couldn’t. I was too upset at the time to think straight. I reached to feel my gun tucked neatly in the back of my pants. In my mind, I had fired multiple times, striking those idiots with headshots that plastered the floor with their brains.
“What do you want me to do?” Andrei asked, noticing what was happening.
I glanced at my men, dressed like regular vacationers, perched around the pool. They locked eyes with me, and I gave a subtle signal, nodding in the direction of the men talking to Vivian.
“Save your strength. I have it taken care of,” I said.
We both watched as my men approached the guys and stole them from her. The guys tried to resist until they realized it wasn’t a request. My men could be very persuasive, and by persuasive, I meant threatening and intimidating. They were trained to inflict hurt on their targets in the most subtle of ways, and no one else would understand what was happening.
Vivian stared at me and frowned, knowing this was my doing.