Page 145 of Pistols and Plush Toys

It did a lot to keep the peace, he had to admit. This sort of thing was a greater good situation. Nikolai usually attended to most of the violence directly, so he could control just how it was applied.

Except today he couldn’t afford to have bloodied knuckles, because he knew it would make Elliot worry.

Not that stepping back and having someone else do things on his behalf made him feel any better.

Nikolai reminded himself again, that if he didn’t do this job, his father would just hire someone else to do it. Someone who would no doubt have far fewer scruples than Nikolai. There wouldn’t just be men beaten bloody, there’d be bodies.

And the careful application of violence today seemed to have worked. These men had just been run-of-the-mill idiots who thought they could skim a little off the top. But like the men working for Eisen who’d tried to short him on his stones, they were quick to find that men in power did not get there by accident.

At least in the mess with the gems, Eisen had taken care of it. Last Nikolai had heard, there was a new shipment on the way.Guaranteed authentic.

Nikolai felt his phone buzz in his pocket and he pulled it out. Gerard.

Gerard who knew what Nikolai was up to today.

He answered. Because whatnow?“Yes?”

“Looks like your favorite Italian managed to cough up the money for a plane,”Gerard said in Russian.

For fuck’s sake. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. Nikolai rubbed his temples.“When is he coming back?”

“Next week,” Gerald said.“Contact says he’s spending the time trying to raise the manpower to go after you.”

Next week…?

“Why isn’t he doing that once he’s back in the states?”It was much less trouble to pay the men he had here, wasn’t it? Why import them?

Gerard chuckled.“Little birdy told me it’s because he’s trying to avoid his family. They’re not all that fond of him right now. I think he’s gotten it into his head that if he kills you, it’ll get him back into their good graces.”

Nikolai didn’t groan, but he wanted to.“Oh for fuck’s sake.”

“At least it’ll be over in a week.”Gerard said, trying for levity.“You can get back to your life. No more looking over your shoulder.”

As if.“I always have to look over my shoulder,”he muttered. He’d had security on his payroll long before Vitale, and he’d have it on the payroll long after.

“Fine, well. No more having to share your space?”Gerard offered.

The reminder hit Nikolai harder than he expected it to.

“But I like sharing it with Elliot,”he said softly. The words came out before he knew they were going to.

There was a silence over the line. It grew weighty as Nikolai realized what he’d said. How he’d said it.

“Oh—fuck.Kolya,” Gerard said, switching to English in his surprise. “Really?”

Nikolai cringed, taking a few more steps away from the building. It was unlikely anyone was listening to him, but he still felt the shame. “I know. I’m stupid.”

“You’re not stupid,” Gerard said on a sigh. “You’resoft, but that’s not the worst thing to be.” A pause. “And I know you’ve been… happier this last month. I should’ve figured it out.”

That almost made him laugh. He wasn’t that transparent, was he?

“I was not wanting you to,” Nikolai said. “I’m bad person. He’s been hurt, I should not want–”

“You’re not a bad person,” Gerard cut in, annoyed now. “Cut it with that shit, Kolya.” Gerard had never had the patience for his negative self-talk. “Yeah, he’s been hurt, but you’ve been making itbetter.”

Better did not make it right. What wasbetterwhen compared to what Elliot had been living through for the last five years? “I’m first safe thing he’s have in years. Is not right.”

“Not right?” Gerard scoffed. “Fuck that. What’s not right is the shitstain he was with before.”

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