Page 44 of Love to Defy You
He leads me and Henri to a group of high-backed armchairs by the warmth of the fireplace. A woman with fire-engine-red hair comes by to offer us cigars, which we accept, while another one brings tumblers of whiskey.
Mikhail flags down one of the lap dancers and points at Henri. “Show him a good time, will you?” he says in Russian.
The girl, donning a bobbed pink wig, turns to Henri with a sly smile, although his face turns crimson when she straddles his lap.
“What about you?” Mikhail asks me. “Lap dance?”
I scowl. “No.”
He settles back in his chair, swirling his whiskey in one hand while draping his other over the armrest. The smoke of his cigar curls up around his face. “Suit yourself.” He turns to watch Henri’s lap dance but doesn’t call one over for himself.
“Ah, Aleksandr, there you are.” Enzo takes the seat across from me and puffs on his cigar.
“And here I thought my evening couldn’t get any worse.”
He lets out a dramatic sigh. “We’re brothers now. I’d like us to be friends.”
“Then stop eyeing my girlfriend,” I snap. “She’s mine.”
Enzo raises his eyebrows. “I apologize if I gave you the wrong impression. But it’s hard not to stare when she wears a dress like that. She sure likes to draw attention, doesn’t she?”
I glance at Mikhail, but he’s pretending to show interest in the girl licking Henri’s face. However, his bored expression gives him away. He’s tuning us out on purpose.Asshole.
“Anyway,” Enzo continues, “have you figured it out yet?”
The vein in my temple is throbbing. “What are you prattling on about?”
“The chapter president represents Hades, God of the Underworld. That’s me.” He points to himself. “Hades had three judges to help him decide the fates of the souls that passed through the Underworld—Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus.”
“I’m well-versed in Greek mythology already,” I say. “I don’t need a lesson.”
He holds his hands up and chuckles. “Hear me out. Each chapter has a vice president, who represents Minos, the head judge of the dead. I’d introduce you to Paul, but he’s getting sucked off at the moment.” He nods at a guy in the corner, whose hand is wrapped in the hair of the whore on her knees before him.
“They also have a sergeant at arms,” Enzo continues, “who represents Rhadamanthus, the most impartial of the judges, who executes punishments and rewards. That’s our dear friend Mikhail here.”
Mikhail can no longer pretend to ignore us, so he raises his glass toward us before taking a sip.
“He ensures members and their pythias follow the rules and keep our secrets. Don’t you, Mick?”
Mikhail grimaces. “Yep.”
So, that’s why he’s so intent on making sure I follow the rules. It’s not out of protection or friendship; it’s out of duty.
Trusting his loyalty is growing more difficult with every trial.
“And our chapter secretary represents Aeacus, who kept records of the dead. He’s around here somewhere, but for us, he keeps records of alumni and their male offspring. Hence why you’re here.” Enzo leans closer. “Because you are the son of Grigor Kurochkin, our fallen brother. Shame what happened to him. My condolences.”
“Save them for someone who needs them,” I snap. “I don’t.”
Enzo cocks his head. “Didn’t get along well with daddy dearest?”
I cross my leg over my knee. “You’re very interested in my personal life.”
He shrugs. “I like to get to know all of our initiates on a personal level. It’s my responsibility to shepherd the flock.”
This guy sees himself as both Hades and Jesus, and his overinflated ego grates on my last nerve.
I turn to Mikhail. “Oh, mighty Rhadamanthus?” I make sure to inject as much sarcasm as I can into my voice.
