Chapter Eleven

South Beach, FL

Destiny had never been to South Beach, but she had seen countless shows on its upscale neighborhoods. Half an hour after trying to revive a dead gangster on a Cuban restaurant floor, she was being escorted through the private mansions of a South Beach community and silently asking herself why she had volunteered for this job.

She was sure that Agosto would be insane with anger when she returned, but she only hoped that he would also see that she was capable of going further than anyone had before her.

Hands clasped together, she looked out of the window as she debated how far she was willing to go. Harrison, her boyfriend, had been furious when she took the assignment, but in a way, this was his fault. He had gone undercover several times, and each time, he had been rewarded with promotion after promotion for a job well done. But because she was a woman, her department hardly ever put too much faith in what she could accomplish. She wanted more than anything to prove them wrong.

Anatoly looked over at her and smiled. “I’m taking you to party,” he said smiling. “Something to cheer you up.”

She looked over at him and tried to smile. “It’s that apparent, huh?”

“Oh, yeah,” he laughed. “But trust me. Where we’re going, you’re going to have fun—just you and me.” He slipped his hand in hers.

When they arrived at the gated mansion on Michigan Avenue, luxury cars lined the street. Their car was parked in the garage, and they were escorted through the back of the house.

Beautiful women and attractive men danced, laughed and talked all around them. Each of them knew Anatoly. They hugged and kissed him, shook Destiny’s hand and raised their drinks to salute them.

Anatoly kept his hand tightly around Destiny’s in the crowd, shielding her from too much attention and letting everyone know that they were together. She actually felt safe with him, allowing herself to get closer, to move into his hard, muscular body.

“I feel underdressed,” she whispered into his ear as they stood by the piano talking to a blonde couple from Australia.

“You look great,” Anatoly said, touching her face. “Do you want something to drink?”

“Sure, what do they have?”

“What do I have?” he asked, correcting her.

“Is this your party?” she asked, looking around in shock.

“Da, this is my house,” he said with a grin. “Come on. I’ll take you upstairs on my private deck, and you and I can have drink.”

He led her without Vasily up the long, white stairwell to his master bedroom.

Opening the door for her, he allowed her to walk in front of him. Then he flicked on the lights, illuminating the swank space as he closed the door behind him.

“Wow, impressive,” she said, smiling. Trning towards him, she clasped her hands in front of her. “Is this where you try to take advantage of me?”

Anatoly walked over to his dresser drawer and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Pulling the plastic from its rim top, he hit the bottom and wielded out a single cigarette. After he slipped one in his mouth, he extended his arm. “Want one?”

“No,” she said, putting down her purse. I’ll pass this time. Too much can kill you, you know.”

“A lot of things in this world can kill you.”

“Like...” she said, urging him to elaborate.

Anatoly shrugged his shoulders. “Hot Cuban food for one.”

She laughed.

Going to the balcony, he slid the glass door open and stepped out into the night air. The gusts of strong wind blew through his locks. He turned to her and motioned for her to join him. Turning back to the view, he looked over the waterway and smelled the hint of rain lacing the air.

“It’s so beautiful out here,” she said, leaning against the rail.

“Da,” Anatoly answered absently. It was hard for him to focus with his every thought returning to Renee.

Destiny turned to him. She could see the frown lines in his prefect face. He was somewhat of an enigma to her. Even though he was a cold-hearted killer and a guns dealer, he was also very kind and thoughtful. It was his duality that vexed her, than warmed and warned her at the same time.

“Is there something you want to talk about?” she asked softly.

“No,” Anatoly said, putting his wall up. He put his hand in her hair and felt the soft, cotton tendrils in his hand. “I just want to have a good time. What about you? You up for it?”

“Umm,” she said, closing her eyes as he massaged her head. “I could use a good time.”

Reaching into his pocket with his other hand, he pulled out his phone and called someone.

“Vasily, bring up some absinthe for us,” Anatoly said, winking at Destiny. He closed the phone and shoved it back into his dark jeans.

“Absinthe?” Destiny asked.

“You don’t like the green fairy? My father owns a bottling plant of the shit right outside of Prague.”

“It’s illegal here,” she said apprehensive.

There was a hard knock on the door – Vasily. Anatoly turned to her and gave a clever smirk. “What are you, a cop? Name one piss test at your job that would tst for the stuff? It’s legal in half the UK. American’s are slow, though you claim to be progressive. This is just one example of how you continue to fall behind the eight ball.”

“Well, if we’re so far behind, why are you here?” she asked offended.

“A patriot.” Anatoly smirked.

Vasily brought in a beautiful, crystal reservoir filled half way with green liquid and a silver, absinthe spoon. Setting it on the table, he nodded towards his boss and left.

“Is he your bodyguard or your personal butler?” Destiny asked, following Anatoly back inside the room.

“He’s Vasily,” Anatoly said, offering her a seat across from his bed.

“So this liquor is supposed to do what?” she asked.

“Technically, it’s not liquor. It’s a spirit,” he said, putting the absinthe spoon on the rim of a very elaborate glass. She watched as he put a cube of sugar on the spoon, then grabbed a pitcher of ice-cold water and slowly poured in on the cube and down into the glass.

Bending down, she watched the green liquid slowly louche. She looked up at him and smiled in wonderment. She’d never seen it up close.

When he finished, he tasted it first then passed the glass to her before he made himself a glass.

Common sense told Destiny to put the glass down, but the excited curiosity building in her stomach would not allow her. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she put her lips to the glass and slowly tilted it. The liquid numbed her lips, tingling the bottom one especially. Finally, she opened her mouth and allowed it to flood in.

Anatoly sat beside her. He fixed a much bigger glass and sipped it at first then tilted it up and swallowed it all in one big gulp.

She looked over at him and laughed, shrugging her shoulders at him.

“I feel funny,” she said, moving her hair from her face.

“Let’s have another, eh?” he said, going back to the table.

“I don’t know if I should,” Destiny protested.

“You only live once.” He winked at her. “You really feel the effects after three. So, we’ll drink three together, and then we’ll go downstairs with the others.”

Destiny pursed her lips together. A warm wave washed over her. Nodding, she took a deep breath. “Okay, but for everyone that I drink, you have to drink.”

“Sound good to me.”