Page 3 of Best Man
“See? Told you,” Katerina said. “You never tell meanything anymore.”
“You didn’t even like her,” he said.
She didn’t try to deny it, either. “So? I’d still like to know what happened between you two. It’s weird that you won’t tell me.”
“Things were moving too fast, okay?” he blurted out. “Happy now?”
She smirked. “Says the guy wholovesto go fast.”
“Not in relationships.” He was eager to change the subject. “Look, if you really want to know how much this cost, I’ll tell you.”
Her lashes beat while she waited for her consolation prize.
Niko quietly muttered into his hand, “Fifteen.”
“Fifteen what? Hundred?”
Niko stifled a laugh. So did Derek, who had a better idea of how much these things cost.
“Fifteenthousand?” she asked, already looking scandalized.
Niko nodded. And that was bad enough for Katerina. But then he added, “Per hour.”
“Perhour—” She cut herself off with a sharp gasp. Her face stayed frozen, but Niko could tell she was doing the mental math on the three-hour-and-change flight.
Dane, sitting across the aisle with Austen, had overheard the squabble. “Hey, Niko, lemme know if you want me to toss you some cash or whatever, okay? Just say the word.”
Niko wouldn’t have it. “No, no!” His ten-million-dollar-per-year contract made him the highest paid Devil, and that big ticket came with certain responsibilities, like making sure everyone else on the team was taken care of. “Big Rig asked me to be his best man, and it’s my job to make sure everyone has a great time.”
He turned to his sister, his eyes narrowing to accusatory slits. “See, Katya? You make things weird when you talk about money.”
She wore her concern on her face. “It’s just that I worry about you. You’re always throwing your money around and—” She calmed herself and took a deep breath. “I just wish you could find a nice girl to settle down with, Sasha.”
He chuckled. “Where’dthatcome from?”
“I’m sick and tired of always worryingabout you.”
“No one said you had to,” he muttered.
“If I don’t, who will?”
Niko’s jaw tensed. She was right—Mama and Papa were gone. Katerina and Derek were the only family he had now. And as much as he loved them both, he frequently felt like the third wheel.
“But a nice girl would keep you in line,” she continued, “and watch your spending like a hawk to make sure you don’t blow your fortune.”
“Gee. Sounds great,” he quipped sarcastically.
“Better to have a nice girl who will help you keep your money”—her eyes flashed to the empty seat at Niko’s side—“than a girl who’s afterit.”
He rolled his eyes. “You think I don’t want to meet a nice girl?”
“Sometimes, Sasha, I wonder.”
He slunk lower in his seat. Chin propped up on his fist, he watched the world below fly past his window. His sister’s words stuck in his mind.
The truth was, hedidwant a nice girl.But they weren’t exactly easy to find. And how the hell were you supposed to meet a nice girl when every girl at the club knew you made ten million a year? A wallet that big had a habit of attracting the not-so-nice girls—and they could be real good at hiding it.
I’ll meet a nice girl someday,he thought, as he watched the farmland of middle America roll by his window.I have plenty of time.
