Drake Sisters 06 - Turbulent Sea

a bathroom so many times before Nikitin or Demidov gets suspicious that I'm trying to eavesdrop.'
    'So you were trying to find out what was going on.' Joley pounced on that.
    Brian shrugged. 'I find those parties boring. I'm not going home with a woman; I'm not into public blow jobs or orgies. I have to watch my drinks, so what the hell is there to do other than observe people? If Nikitin isn't available to talk to, there's not much going on for me.'

    'I thought you were seeing someone.'
    'Yeah, well, that didn't last.' He made a face atj her. 'I'm too nice.'
    Joley laughed and poked him, using the towel to keep from making skin-to-skin contact. 'That you are, my friend.
    Very nice. One of my favorite people in fact, next to my sisters and Jonas. You got dumped? Cuz I'll go hunt her down and kick her ass for you if you want me to.'
    'Naw, but thanks for the offer,' Brian said, laughing with her. 'But I bet you could do it. You still taking lessons from your karate man?'
    'I have several trainers.' It was another way to get through the long days and even longer nights. She liked physical exercise; it was a great way to sublimate.
    'You're so crazy, Joley, why do you take that stuff? You have security and a personal bodyguard, who,' he looked around him, 'never seems to be on the job.'
    She grinned at him. 'The poor man has to sleep sometime.'
    'His job is to guard your butt, not sleep. And he wasn't sleeping. His lazy ass was sitting behind the wheel of the car.'
    'I like being alone when I'm working out. He's off the clock and he's actually a good guy, Brian. I wouldn't have him, but Jonas convinced my family I need a personal protector, so Steve pulled the short straw and ended up guarding me as well as driving.'
    'I'll bet Jonas doesn't know you don't use Steve half the time.'
    'I do too.'
    'He wasn't guarding you at Nikitin's party.'
    'He was too; he drove me there, but I didn't want him following me around at the party and told him I might need a fast getaway so to stay with the car.'
    Brian rolled his eyes. 'Good plan, Joley. Good use of a bodyguard. And what did happen between you and Prakenskii?'
    She shrugged. 'He pulled me out of a situation with RJ and his little gang of thugs, so I think he felt entitled to lecture me.' Her palm burned. She rubbed it up and down her thigh and hoped her face didn't flame with her blatant lies.
    'Nikitin is sure strange about that man.' Brian shook his head. 'He seems to rely heavily on him yet he keeps him out of the loop part of the time. I find it fascinating.'
    'Why?'
    Brian held open the door for her and Joley followed him out. 'Human nature fascinates me. I like people. I like to know what makes them tick.'
    'Sex,' Joley blurted.
    Brian laughed. 'Don't be so nasty about poor Denny. He's going to be slinking around avoiding you as it is. If you give him one of your superior, you're-a-bug-under-my-shoe looks, he'll be squashed.'
    'It doesn't stop him from being such a hound dog. Seriously, Brian, what about the others? Was everyone there getting wasted and screwing around?'
    'Do you really want to know?'
    She considered. T don't want Nikitin to have any surprises for me. Have any of them done anything illegal he could get them on? Or done anything he could blackmail them with?'
    Brian whistled. 'You really don't trust the man. Seriously, hon, do you think a man like Nikitin cares what any of our band members do?'
    'I think I wouldn't want to find out. He isn't all he seems, Brian. I have a lot of information because I have so much family and friends in law enforcement. He's not a nice guy.'
    'He told me he grew up in the Russian mob. He said a lot of his men were caught up in that life, but he's broken away, gotten legit and tried to give men like him a chance to have a decent life.'
    'And you believed him? Looking at the men who work for him, the guns they carry, you believed him?'
    'If he did manage to break away from the mob, Joley, especially the Russian mob, with their history of retaliation and violence, I can see why he would feel he would need guns and men who knew what they were doing.'
    'And how many mobsters actually get out of that world, Brian?' She gave a harsh laugh. 'Do you also believe in Santa Claus?'
    'You really ought to take some time to get to know him before you judge him,' Brian said. 'I think you'd like him.'

    'You've forgotten one teeny tiny, but very important fact, my friend.' Joley keyed her room and stood in the open doorway, turning back