Run

Dinner with the Devil

I almost want to laugh at the sheer coincidence of this all. I quickly notice the next red flag, none of our usual guards and staff are around. My father loves to say our security team rivals that of any president, so how the hell did Nikolai get here?

Stunned into silence I am frozen in place. Nikolai flashes me a feral grin and I guess that finally triggers my fight or flight because I throw a knife at him. Growing up in a family like mine it is second nature to always keep a weapon on you. Usually, I have a better assortment than the flimsy little pocket knife I chucked at him but I never expected to be exposed at my home of all places. He doesn't just dodge my impeccable throw he catches it too which makes me wish more than anything that I had another knife up my sleeve.

"Gianna I see you're still a cheap shot," he says his tone clipped while tossing the knife in one hand. Before I can say anything further my father pops out of the adjacent room.

"Gianna" his scold a familiar one. "I'm so sorry Nikolai she can be rather..." he seems to ponder his next words, "impulsive".

"Though that's nothing new is it Enzo" Andrei, Nikolai's father, says while stepping into view.

"The hell is going on" I ask. My father simply puts his hand up to stop me, "I told you we were having guests, is this some new habit you've picked up? Throwing knives?" I stare at him genuinely puzzled. Is he really acting like everything six years ago never happened? He's not one to let go so easily, I would know, so why is he acting all buddy-buddy with them.

"She's quite rambunctious" Andrei states smiling. Rambunctious? I fear I'm trapped in some hellish sitcom. Why are they speaking like this?

"They're all a handful Andrei, You're lucky your wife died after two". Andrei's face pales at the mention of his wife then quickly grows angry. I almost sigh in relief, that weird ass flirting between the two of them had me thinking I was having a psychotic episode. However, Andrew quickly schools his features and their weird chemistry continues right in front of me.

"You have a lovely house. Who did the woodwork" Andrei states and it's at that point I lose it. A man whose favorite pastime is watching the life drain from his victims is trying to get carpentry tips from my father who has only ever used a chainsaw for the limbs of a person rather than those of a tree.

"What the fuck is going on and why isn't there a bullet in either of their heads". I fear if I listen to anymore I will lose it.

"Gia be a dear and check on the dinner for me". The piercing look he gives me tells me I should probably suck it up and do as I'm told plus I'm grateful for the escape until Andrei opens his big ass mouth and chimes in

"Nikolai go ahead and join her".

Fuck me how many people does he think it takes to get a status update on our meal. Before I can knock this terrible idea to the ground my father has the nerve to also chime in.

"Wonderful that way after you can give him a tour". A tour of fucking what, he has a mansions actually dozens himself I'm sure he knows how wealth presents itself. Plus letting your enemy know the entire layout of your home and any security measures he happens to spy along the way seems to be a surefire way of getting killed. Or maybe the shame Matteo brought to the family today with the whole boat ordeal was enough to make my father decide we all needed to be put out of our misery.

Holding my tongue with a lot more pressure than I normally need, I give a slow nod and walk towards the kitchens. Nikolai follows a few steps behind and as soon as we turn a corner I pin him to the wall. "The hell is going on," I ask. But he only gives me that infuriating smirk. Never in my life have I wished to strangle someone more.