Her Russian Millionaire

Chapter 2

If you didn’t know what you were looking for, the building was easy to miss. It was one of a hundred brick buildings in Los Angeles, nothing special. Two stories and a flat top were connected by a hazardous looking fire escape. A neon green sign displaying the name of the bar blinked lazily at them. An alley full of trash and something moving around gave off an awful smell. Jalisa was not impressed.

Two drunk men stumbled out of the bar and into the street in front of them. They were attempting to yell at each other, but their speech was so slurred that it came out sounding like a monster screeching. They swung at the air near each other, missing the other man by a wide margin. Jalisa pulled Nikita close and said a silent prayer for the men as they stumbled closer and closer to the traffic on the road.

“Don’t mind them.” Marie laughed, her kitten heels clicking along the sidewalk.

 “Should we call someone?” Nikita said. “Like the police?”

 “You think the cops care about two drunks trying to fight on the street? This is L.A., baby; they got bigger things to worry about.” Marie paused in front of the alley and watched the men for a second.

 “They might get hit by a car,” Nikita whispered to Jalisa, her body shivering as the warmth from the diner wore off.

 “It’s okay.” Jalisa gave her a reassuring squeeze. “Jesus will take care of them.”

 “See? Look-y there.” Marie pointed her finger back to the men. One was now doubled over and vomiting profusely. The other appeared to be sleeping standing up and pressing his face against the cold brick wall. “These drunks only got about one good minute of fight in them. After that, it’s done.”

 Marie gestured for the girls to follow her down the alley. Jalisa watched her be swallowed by the shadows and rushed to keep up while Nikita dug in her heels and had to be dragged. Jalisa understood that it was smelly and scary, but Marie might be able to save them from sleeping in an alleyway just like this.

 The two girls made their way through the darkness to the only point of light in the alley. A single light bulb with a metal net cover hung over the top of a door that displayed ‘Employees Only.’ The door was a thick metal that was odd in comparison to the old wooden door at the front of the bar. A series of complicated locks lined the right side.

 “Just one second.” Marie glanced over her shoulder before reaching into her purse and pulling out a roll of keys. There had to be at least fifty of them on the key ring, all painted brightly with different colors of nail polish. Jalisa had no clue why a bartender would need so many keys, but she kept her mouth shut.

 The locks clicked open, and the door squeaked on its hinges. Muffled music thumping in the distance played. The smell of smoke and alcohol rushed out like a fog. Nikita coughed a few times and covered her mouth with her shirt. Marie stepped into the doorway and motioned for the girls to come inside.

 It was not much brighter inside the back entrance. Jalisa tried to look around while Marie relocked the door, but she could hardly see. Large square shapes that had to be storage crates took up most of the room. Jalisa squinted and tried to make out one of their labels, but failed.

 Marie guided them through the maze of storage crates and to a set of stairs. Jalisa went first, holding Nikita’s hand and leading her. They soon arrived at a landing and door. Marie knocked on it a few times before it opened.

 The light blinded the girls. Jalisa blinked a few times and looked around Marie’s shape once she had regained her vision. An enormous white man with a sour expression held a bottle of something. Jalisa’s muscles tightened in fear.

 “Hey, Stone. I brought by a girl looking for a job.” Marie’s bubbly voice seemed out of place on the dark stairs.

 “Oh.” He quickly moved out of the way. Marie walked in, and Jalisa and Nikita followed. The man set down his beverage before wiping his hands on his shirt and giving Jalisa a dazzling smile. “I am so sorry for the mess. I was not expecting company.”

  “It’s fine.” Jalisa reached out and shook his hand while still holding onto Nikita with the other one. His hand easily dwarfed hers.

 Standing at six feet, Stone was intimidating. His hair was so light that his crew cut made him look bald. A detailed tattoo of a dragon with two heads curled around his biceps. He dressed casually in a loose t-shirt with the sleeves cut off and a pair of black pajama pants. His eyes were the shade that could only be described as icy, and Jalisa could almost feel their chill as he raked them up and down her curvy form.

 “And you are?” He lowered his hand to Nikita, his voice sounding too friendly for his appearance.

 “Nikita.” She sounded a bit too happy for Jalisa’s liking. Her older sister hoped she was just being friendly.

 “Well, Miss Nikita, how about I set you up on the Xbox and your sister and I can talk about getting her a job?” he asked, smiling to reveal a set of perfectly straight, white teeth.

 “You have an Xbox?” Nikita let go of Jalisa’s hand and smiled back at him.

 Jalisa and Nikita walked over to the main area of the studio apartment. A giant TV was surrounded by chairs and a coffee table in a living-room-type setup. He let Nikita flip through his games, and it took a while before she found one that wasn’t rated Mature.

 The TV turned onto a loud building block game, and Nikita was instantly enthralled. She sat cross-legged on the shaggy white rug in front of it and started playing. Marie walked over and lounged on one of the seats, quietly sipping a beer. Stone excused himself to change into more reasonable clothing.

 By the time he emerged in the same t-shirt and jeans, Jalisa had taken a seat on one of the plush couches. He took so long to change that Jalisa was certain that wasn’t all he was doing, but she didn’t say anything. She simply rose and followed him to the corner where it was quieter. They sat at the kitchen table.

 “Tell me about why you’re here,” he murmured to her. “How can I help?”

 “I just need a job.” Jalisa tried to make eye contact but found his stare was too intense. “I’m willing to work anytime. I can do late nights or early mornings. I can go to work right now if you want.”

 “Tell me about you.” He placed both elbows on the table and rested his head in his folded hands. “The Semya is a family, and I don’t just let anyone into my family.”