I snort at my own thoughts, because as if I have any room to judge them.
“Hey,” Akila says as she steps into my room. “Are you ready?”
I take one final look in the mirror, fluffing my curls and applying one more layer of red lip gloss before spinning to face her.
“Lion coming?” I ask, toeing my feet into my black Louboutins.
Akila shrugs. “He said he is, but then he got a phone call and started yelling. So, I walked out.” She rolls her hazel eyes.
Fuck, her familiarity bothers me. I don’t like that it feels like I know her but can’t place it.
“I’ll handle it,” I say.
She holds up her hand to stop me and shakes her head. “I’m not clingy, Malia. If he has shit to do, then he can do it while we go out without him.”
I chuckle. “Be that as it may, he will bury himself in his office until after we come back up to the penthouse. I love that you’re not clingy, and I’ve seen you handle his bullshit by holding your own, but that doesn’t mean him being locked away for business is doing him any good. Plus, I like when he fights me.” I smile.
Akila snorts and waves me off. “I’ll stay here.”
I leave her with a wink and walk in the direction of Lion’s office. Even from down the hallway, I can hear him yelling. Huffing in exasperation, I walk in without knocking.
Lion spins around and narrows his fiery eyes on me for not knocking. I shrug and sit on his desk, kicking my legs like an impatient child and letting my heels bounce off the wood so the sound echoes in the room.
“I’ll call you back,” Lion says, then slams his phone down on the desk. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
I suck my teeth and pick at my nails, unbothered by his outburst. He rounds his desk and grabs me by the hips, pulling me off the surface and standing me on my feet so I can no longer kick at the piece of furniture. I huff, then take in his disheveled appearance. His shaggy hair is pressed back on his head away from his face, probably from running his hands through it.
I tilt my head to the side. “What’s wrong?”
Lion blows out a long breath, and then massages his eyes before answering. “Valcov.”
Valcov has been a heavy player in the underground, and a thorn in my second family’s side, for as long as I can remember. I don’t know the full story behind their beef, but I know it goes back to when Liam and I were kids. The man is about as slimy and elusive as Rico Martinez is to my father.
I guess it comes with the territory. Power brings enemies, and threats lie behind every door and corner.
“I do have family in the Bratva, Lion. Give me the go-ahead, and I can talk to my uncle,” I offer with a shrug.
He sighs. “No offense, but I think you can understand that I don’t trust anyone on your mother’s side of the family.”
My parents were arranged to be married before they were eighteen. A week after my dad was of age, he was forced to marry my mother. The union was an attempt to combine forces and bring the British Syndicate and Bratva together through utter bullshit. The things people do for power and status are beyond me. I’ve always believed that power can be taken, and I would shed blood for it before selling my pussy.
I giggle to myself at the irony, since my own vying ball is in a few days for the same fuckery.
I hum. “Touché,” I agree. “Adrik is nothing like that woman, but I understand your hesitation. So long as you don’t go through Alexei, you’re golden.”
My mother and uncle are twins. I know Adrik has passed on his leadership to his son Alexei, but I can’t imagine my uncle has fully stepped back yet. I saw them months ago regarding a rat they had, who was planted by Liam Brenner himself. Adrik may continue to be clueless that his son is a cunt, but he’s still really involved.
“Just think about it, Big Rig.” I pat Lion on the cheek a few times. He growls in annoyance, so I just smile back. “They’ll be at the ball—Alexei would never miss an opportunity to try to remind me where a woman belongs. That’s why I fuck his bestie, because Alexei secretly in love with him and he pisses me off.”
Lion snorts. “I’ll think about it. Thanks.”
“We’re going to TLD. Akila said you’d come later?”
He hums. “I have some calls to make, and then I’ll come down.”
“Don’t make me come up here and drag you down by your ear, Castello.” He huffs. “I like her. Don’t run her off because you can’t separate yourself from business. We don’t have enough girls around.”
“We have plenty of girls around. You just don’t like anybody,” he argues.