Page 5 of Arseni

I nod as I open the back hatch.“He didn’t have any money to recoup the loss.”

“Junkies never do.”

I grab the body bag but halt when Nikita clucks his tongue.

“Leave the cleanup for the cops.Maybe this will enlighten his friends on what happens to those who steal from the Bratva.”

I toss the body bag back without a word and shut the hatch.As I’m stuffing my gloves into my hoodie pocket, Nikita tips his head toward the sidewalk.

“Come… I want to show you something.”

It feels risky to just leave the vehicle parked here with a dead body twenty yards away, but I’m convinced my boss likes the danger.He gets off on pushing his luck.And something I knew before ever working beneath him is not to challenge him.Ever.

Rubbing at my forehead, I step onto the sidewalk and walk to the pace of Nikita’s cane tapping.His limp barely slows us down, but I often wonder if he’s in more pain than he lets on.He refuses to show his vulnerabilities or admit that he has any at all, and if you ever point it out, if youeverask if he needs to sit or slow down or anything of that nature… I’ve seen more than one person lose their life over it.

Obnoxiously loud voices sound when we turn the corner at the end of the block, and two tweakers come stumbling toward us.One is walking backwards while he talks to his friend in a fur coat too warm for Vegas, even on a fall night like this one.

“Watch it,” I growl, subtly shifting in front of Nikita so the man doesn’t bump him.When his back connects with my shoulder, the guy spins, his hands held out like he’s going to fall or something.

“Oh shit, my bad.”He chuckles, an acrid smell coming from his mouth.I don’t guess it’s from food.The guy is so skinny he looks as though he’s on the brink of starvation.

My annoyance sobers into dread as I recognize the man in the fur coat.His face looks like it’s aged thirty years since I last saw him.It’s only been four, but it feels like a lifetime since the Bratva pulled me from the cesspool of men like Titan.

I feel the blood drain from my face, and for half a second, I’m stuck.I push around the guy who bumped me and lower my head to pass, but I’m not so lucky.

“Baby?”Titan grabs my arm.I jerk from his hold and keep walking.“Holy shit, it’s Baby Ruth.”He laughs and jogs to catch me.“How the hell are you doing, man?I haven’t seen you in… Fuck, how long’s it been?”

“I don’t have a clue who you are, but get the fuck away from me.”

“Dude, it’s me,Titan.”He laughs and swats my shoulder.“What, you don’t recognize me in my fancy getup?”He twirls.

When he puts his arm around my shoulder, I swing toward him with my fist raised.“Get the fuck back, you fucking junkie.I don’t know you.”

Titan stumbles backward with his hands raised.“Woah, my bad, dawg, my bad.Shit, don’t go swingin.’”

I face forward and resume my strides.

“Hey, man, you got any change?”he calls to my back.I shove my hands into my pockets and keep walking.

The two linger only a few more moments before they start the other way.The skinny guy howls like a fucking wolf as they jog across the road.

“Arseni,” Nikita calls behind me.Too far behind.

I stop and turn to see him standing still with his cane cocked the same direction his head is.Slowing my breaths, I walk back to him with my head high.It’s forced.I’d be in a fucking corner hugging my knees in shame if he wasn’t staring at me.

“There a problem, boss?”

He looks back at the two men entering one of many tunnels the city built for Vegas’s once a year rain.Here, when it rains, it floods.It’s a fucking nightmare for the homeless who live underground.People drown beneath the feet of thousands of tourists who never knew they existed.

When Nikita faces me, he gives me a knowing raise of his brow.“Former roommates?”

I don’t blink.Don’t react.Even as shame slams its fist into my gut, I just shrug.“Guy was high, boss.Probably a fucking schizo.”

“Why did he call you Baby Ruth?”

Again, I shrug, though now oncoming anger returns the color to my face.“Don’t have a clue.Should we keep walking?”

Nikita taps his cane while he stares at me for a moment.Finally, he breaks eye contact to gesture to the building across the street.“We’re here.”

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