Her coffee finished brewing, the machine gurgling as it spurted out the last little bit before shutting off. Annika picked her cup up, carefully balanced it in her lap, then pressed the lever to wheel her chair closer to the table. Tim scooted aside, moving one of the chairs out of the way to make room for her, and she wheeled in between us.
Her scent reached me. Soft and feminine. Flowery.
My breath hitched. My pulse quickened.
I picked my cup up again, taking a sip and keeping my head bent.
Annika sipped her own coffee before setting her cup on the table. “I believe you, Adrik. You have a sincerity about you that is rare and refreshing.”
Heat crept up my neck and into my face.I did?
“I’m really sorry I doubted you earlier.”
Warmth spread into my chest. She didn’t know how good that made me feel. The last thing I wanted was for her tonottrust me.
Tim chuckled softly. “Sacha said the same thing about Adrik’s sincerity the night Adrik asked him for a job.”
Annika turned toward me, but I kept my head lowered, the hoodie pulled up to hide my face. “You asked Sacha for a job? When?”
I hesitated. “Eight years ago.”
“Should have seen him.” Tim snickered softly. “He was homeless. Scruffy. His clothes were old and tattered. Looked like a street kid. But he was brave as shit. Daring to approach Sacha Plotnikov. Not many people would be that stupid.”
I snorted. I’d been more desperate than stupid. And it had paid off. Not once had I regretted it.
Annika glanced at Tim, then back at me. “What happened?”
Deciding transparency was best with Annika, I admitted, “Sacha said if I fought his biggest guy and won, I could join his crew.”
Her mouth dropped open. Her head swung toward Timofey. “He kickedyourass?”
Tim reddened. “Yes, Miss Annika, believe it or not, he did. He’s probably the best MMA fighter I’ve ever known. Fast as shit. Stomped me into the ground.”
I huffed. “Did not. I choked you out.”
“You smacked the shit out of me, danced out of the way, and did it again and again. I felt like a punching bag. Like I said, fast as shit.Thenyou choked me out.”
Annika’s head swiveled back toward me, her stare burrowing into me from the side. Though I longed to turn my head and meet her gaze, to see the expression in her eyes, I resisted. The moment she saw me, she would turn tail and run.
“I can believe that. Adrik has quick reflexes. He caught me when I fell out of the car.”
Tim cocked a brow, catching my gaze over her head, a smirk pulling at his mouth.
I ignored him.
“If you were a homeless street kid, where did you learn how to fight?” she asked.
“I exchanged services with a gym owner.”
“What kind of services?”
Damn, she was like a dog digging for a bone. “Janitorial.”
“Oh.” She grew quiet, contemplative. “I was afraid you were going to say something like drug running.”
I huffed. “No. Definitely not.”
Another moment of silence.