He didn't say anything at first - just used his body to put distance between me and Milena’s brother. Once he had us separated, he just stared at the dude, and the look in his cold eyes was one I'd seen before.
“What the fuck-” Micah started to say, but he must have seen something in Evan’s eyes that made him stop. Then his eyes widened, and there was no doubt that the look was one of recognition. He looked back to me, his eyes wider still. Then he took a half step away from the ex-Marine and glanced at his sister.
“Who the fuck are you hanging out with?” he said in a nearly breathless voice. He look to me and then back to Milena with blazing eyes. “What the fuck, Milena?”
“Just leave,” Milena told him. “Please – I’ll call you tomorrow, but you need to go, okay?”
He looked at her in disbelief but slowly backed away. A moment later, he was quick-stepping right out of the bar altogether. Evan stayed completely still except for his eyes, which followed Milena’s brother as he left. As soon as the door shut and Micah was out of the building, Evan turned back to the table where I had been before and grabbed his jacket.
“I've got to go,” he said.
“Evan,” I said quietly but seriously. He looked at me, and I could see the intent in his eyes.
I knew I wasn’t getting the whole story behind what was going on between Milena and her brother, but I was pretty sure she didn’t want him either beaten or – more likely – dead because of it. There was also a feeling of dread inside of me as I caught on to what had escaped me before – the Russian names and Micah’s attitude.
They were part of the Outfit, no doubt. Not Milena – I didn’t believe that – but her brother definitely was, which meant her uncle was as well. Not only were they a mob family but a Russian one as well.
My life was turning into West Side Story.
The only difference was, she didn’t seem to know she was in the rival gang, and I couldn’t really see her hanging out a window singing about herself.
Evan knew it, though. He glared at me.
“No,” I said, and though his eyes narrowed, he backed down. Somewhere in his warped sense of morality, I was the boss’s son and needed to be obeyed. He didn’t agree with it. He didn’t like it, but he would go along with it.
For now.
By tomorrow, he’d be talking to Dad about it, and I didn’t know what I would do then. That would be left for tomorrow, though. For now, I just wanted Milena to smile again.
“I’ve got this,” I said to Evan.
His chest rose and fell with a deep breath before he gave me a curt nod and walked back to the table with Jonathan and the others.
“What the fuck was that?” Milena asked quietly.
Grabbing the barstool, I pulled it around the table and sat up close to her.
“Milena,” I said quietly, “I really like you, and I don't want to lie to you.”
“So don't.”
“Wasn't planning to.” I sighed. “It's just that...there's shit I can't talk about.”
She eyed me, and the gaze was like Medusa’s. I mean, there weren’t any snakes in her hair or anything like that, but she was turning me to stone.
Well, part of me.
“Including telling me who the big, scary guy is and why it seems like he was going to walk out of here and beat the shit out of my brother?”
If he was lucky.
“Yeah,” I answered aloud, “like that.”
The way she was looking at me was most certainly debating…deciding…determining. In the back of my head, I knew I should say something else – that this was the time to lie, but I just couldn’t. I was too entranced with her.
She shook her head slowly.
“Maybe I don’t want to know,” she muttered.