Captivated by the deadly mafia boss

Nicole

Jakub’s silence fills the space between us as we pass through the entrance to the business offices. The heavy beats of the DJ die as soon as the door shuts behind us and we head down the corridor. I keep up with his pace but let him take the lead. As we get closer to my office, I slow my step.

“Don’t even think about it,” he says without breaking stride. “My office. Now.”

I pause, staring at the back of him as he marches to his office, momentarily considering defying him. But we aren’t us anymore and this isn’t five years ago. He’s my boss now. And I still need this job, so I get moving again and catch up with him just as he pushes his office door open for me.

As soon as I’m inside, he enters, shutting the door softly. Jakub isn’t the slamming door sort of guy. I wish he was. The dark quiet doesn’t give me a lot to go on here. How pissed is he, and exactly why is he pissed? There are several different things that could get his temper going, but I need to know which one so I can defuse the right bomb.

Jakub brushes past me to his desk. Leaning his hip against the edge, he crosses his arms over his chest and sets his glare on me. Okay, the level of pissed is higher than I originally thought.

“Jakub,” I start and then stop. There is no good place to start this conversation. It’s probably safer if I just keep my mouth shut and let him ask the questions.

Only answer what you’ve been asked, never offer information that wasn’t requested. One of the more helpful bits of advice my dad left me with.

“How do those assholes know you?” His tone is level. Reasonable even.

“I don’t know them.” Which is true. I don’t. I barely recognized them from the one brief encounter I had with them over a year ago when Henry brought me to Chicago for a quick trip. I never even spoke to them.

“I didn’t say you did. I said how do they know you?” he asks again, his tone deepening.

“They work for the Kaczmarek family.”

His eyes darken. “Nicole. I know it’s been a few years, and we didn’t get too serious when you were with me, but I’m pretty sure I made it clear about I felt about deception of any sort.”

My stomach twists a little at the memory. He’d been very clear. And it had been a very interesting night. And my ass was sore for two days afterward.

“Like you said, it’s been a few years. We aren’t together now,” I remind him. I can’t let him think his threats have any impact on me. Even if they do make my insides shiver with need. It’s been a long time since a man touched me the way Jakub had.

Henry wasn’t anything like Jakub. And he wasn’t my choice.

“You’re right,” he agrees but doesn’t uncross his arms. “I’m your boss now. And if you lie to me, I can’t spank your ass for it, but I can fire it.”

And now he has my full attention.

“You’d fire me over this?”

“If I can’t trust you, you can’t work here,” he says flatly. “Nora will understand.” And there goes my only ally.

After a long pause in which I spend analyzing my choices, he drops his hands to his sides and moves toward me.

“Something happened,” he says quietly. “When you went to New York, something went wrong and that’s why you didn’t come home. And now the Kaczmarek family is asking about you. It doesn’t take too much intelligence to figure this out, Nicole. Just tell me what you did so I can help.”

“I can handle it on my own,” I say, matching his tone. I have just enough cash to get a train ticket out of Chicago. I’ll have to start over again, and I’m not sure what I’ll do to get more money scraped up for another apartment, but I’ll make do.

He tilts his head to the side. “I know you can. But if you’re going to keep working here, I have to know what’s going on. If there’s a quick way for me to stop it, I’ll do it.” He puts his hand up to block me when I open my mouth to argue. “Not just for you, but for the club. Nora really would be pissed if I had to fire you. And I don’t want to have to get started with someone new on the graphic stuff.”

Of course. If he doesn’t get them to back off, his business could suffer.

“When I was in New York I was seeing a guy, Henry. It wasn’t serious. At least I didn’t think it was, but he had other ideas. Anyway, after I told him I didn’t want to see him anymore, a week later he got picked up by the cops for petty shit. I’m not sure exactly why.”

He stares at me intently. When Jakub Staszek gives you his full attention it’s like the heat of the sun shines on your face.

“He thinks I turned him in.” I shrug. “Which of course I didn’t.” I add this quick because even though I don’t know much of Jakub’s family business, I know the connections they have suggest he’s fully aware of what happens to people who turn to the cops.

“So, they’re looking for you because they think you ratted?”

“I don’t know. Henry was still delusional about us being together; maybe he’s just looking for me because of that. He was released on bail.”

Jakub stares at me, his brain flying a million miles a minute with ideas on how to fix this for me.

“Jakub, I know you think you can just step in here and do something, but you know as well as I do you can’t. If you get involved, it will seem like the Staszek family is interfering in Kaczmarek business, which could mean bad things for your family.”

His brow lifts.

“What exactly do you know about the Kaczmarek family? Or mine?” There’s that dominating tone again.

“Enough to know you and me were never going to work out.”

His eyes narrow. “Five years ago? Why?”

“Because my father worked for the Kaczmareks. My being involved with a Staszek could have gotten him in some serious trouble.”

“Is that why you left?” His voice raises with surprise. “You thought your daddy would get in trouble with his boss?”

“He wasn’t tied to them with blood, Jakub. He was hired muscle. It wouldn’t have looked good.”

He throws his head back and laughs like I’ve just told him the funniest joke he’s ever heard. “If he was a low-level muscle, they probably wouldn’t have given a shit. Why didn’t you just tell me this five years ago?”

I shrug. “I was leaving anyway, Jakub. Dad got called back to New York and I wasn’t going to let him go on his own.”

“Why not?”

I shake my head. I’ve answered enough questions. “It doesn’t matter. Look, I’m sorry they were here looking for me, but I don’t think they’ll come back.”

He stares at me in silence. “Maybe it’s not such a good idea you living by yourself right now,” he says.

“How do you know I live alone?” I demand.

“Because I do.” He’s not going to expand his statement.

“Well, I’m perfectly safe at my apartment. I don’t need you or anyone else to help me, Jakub. I’m serious. Leave it be.”

“I don’t think it’s safe,” he argues.

“It’s not up to you,” I remind him, raising my chin. I’m not giving in here and he has to know that. I’m not the sort to back down just because he gets all fierce glare-y at me.

After a long pause he wipes his hand across his mouth.

“Fine. But at least let me have someone drive you home.”

My feet are throbbing, and I’ve been dreading the walk home, so I’m not going to pass this up.

“If it makes you happy, fine.”

He raises an eyebrow like he can see right through me, and he probably can. “Go get your stuff, I’ll have the car out front in a minute.”

I smile. “Thank you, that would be nice.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

He shakes his head. “Don’t for one second think we’re done talking about all of this.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Jakub. I remember how stubborn you can be.”

“Me? Stubborn?” He has his phone in his hands tapping away on the screen, but I can see the up-curve of his lips. His initial irritation has waned, and he’s being playful.

“I’ll go get my purse.” I leave him while he’s in a generous mood and before he starts asking any other questions.

Tomorrow is my day off and now, thanks to fucking Henry, I’m going to have to spend it looking for a new job or a new place to live. I wonder how much time I have before I’m forced into leaving. Hopefully I can scratch up enough cash to get gone before Henry or his goons get their hands on me.