LiMei gets out of the shower and wraps a towel around herself then sits on the bed staring at her black tracksuit. She picks it up smelling the jacket, well, not too bad.
She takes the towel off picking up her underwear as the door to the bedroom opens, startled LiMei grabs the towel off the bed, what the hell! Nikolai stands leaning in the doorway with a devilish grin, “Little Assassin, you don’t have much to hide..” He throws LiMei a man’s pajama top then leaves.
After the door shuts LiMei frowns“What a #@&*%.” She puffs up her cheeks and purses her lips as she puts on her tracksuit tossing the gray and black striped silk pajama top onto the bed. Shameless! She pats her growling stomach, I need to get something to eat. I wonder if I can sneak down to the kitchen and grab something.
Nikolai is downstairs speaking to Dimitri in Russian,”I need to go to the city. Make sure the girl doesn’t try to leave. I warned her about the Mastiffs.”
“Yeah Boss.”
Narrowing his eyes as he looks towards the kitchen where he can hear loud banging noises.” I expect it to be done before the cook comes in the morning.”
“It will be.”
Nikolai puts his hand in the pocket of his black leather jacket taking out his cell, “Meet me in a half hour.”
When he walks out the door of the villa Dimitri rushes into the kitchen with a worried expression on his face, “How is it going Leon?” Damn if the Boss saw the trash from earlier..we would all end up like that punk Oskar.
Leon has the sink ripped out and the bottom of the cabinet is open still filled with the empty liquor bottle and trash from earlier.”Get rid of the trash first. Is Michail coming with the new sink? You know it needs to be the highest quality stainless steel or the Boss will get angry. You told him right?”
Leon spits tobacco juice on top of a styrofoam container of chicken bones, “Don’t piss yourself. Michail knows a plumber in Bergamo who can get the supplier to give him one in an hour. He can install it and the new fixture. Stop acting like a crying little bitch, help me pick up this nasty shit.”
LiMei was at the top of the spiral staircase when she saw Nikolai leave. As she tiptoes down the stairs she breathes a sigh of relief that he left. I’m so hungry I could eat anything! That fat man must be in charge when the handsome nutcase is gone. I wonder who he is, the fat man called him Boss. I could tell by his expensive clothes and watch he isn’t a thug but I didn’t expect him to be a Russian Boss. I wonder what Syndicate he is associated with, I wish I understood Russian. I will worry about that all later right now I need to find the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Leon puts the old sink on his shoulder to take to the garbage outside and Dimitri, too fat to bend over, is kneeling on the floor picking up the trash. LiMei hears the clinking glass bottles as she enters the kitchen, Dimitri startled looks up at LiMei, What the hell is she doing down here, shouldn’t she be up in the guestroom shivering in fear.
He clears his throat shoving the last of the takeout containers in the trash. LiMei sees the various empty containers and says in English, “Do you have anymore?” It has been awhile since she has associated with the dangerous criminals but she can tell she isn’t in any immediate danger from Dimitri. He almost looks frightened by my presence.
“…” He ties the top of the black trash bag in a husky voice he answers, “Nyet.”
LiMei walks past him to the refrigerator noticing a gaping hole where a sink should be. She looks at Dimitri; he keeps his head down ignoring her as he picks up the trash bag. He has a thick Russian accent, “I need take out trash. Don’t try to leave.” He hesitates,maybe I should wait until Leon or Mikhail comes back
LiMei opens the door of the refrigerator, “I know, the dogs.”
Dimitri lugs the bag with vodka dripping from the bottom, who is this girl, I don’t sense any fear from her at all.
She sees some vegetables. I wonder if there are any noodles in the cupboard. She opens several cupboards and sees flour and what she needs to make dumplings but not noodles. I guess I could make some vegetable dumplings. But there is no water faucet or sink to wash the vegetables. She looks around the spacious kitchen and notices a small sink in the back. I wonder why there are two sinks? She shakes her head, well that’s a good thing. She gathers the vegetables in a bowl and takes them back to wash.
Leon comes through the back door panting and sweating with his pant leg torn. He bends over trying to catch his breath, “Dimitri, those fucking dogs smelled Oskar’s blood and almost crashed through the fence. I caught my goddamn pants on something trying to run back to the kitchen!”
LiMei sees him holding his pants but doesn’t understand what he is saying, only the name Oskar and the word blood. She ignores him and continues to wash the scallions and potatoes.
His mouth drops open looking at LiMei. Is she the woman the Boss brought back? She is so tiny she looks more like a little girl. Who the fuck is she? Why is she in the kitchen ? His thoughts are interrupted when Dimitri comes into the kitchen, “Asshole ! Why would you stir up those beasts! I told you to take the sink to the trash on the other side of the fucking garage!
LiMei opens a drawer for a knife, Dimitri sees her from the corner of his eye, she can’t have a knife! He rushes over grabbing her hand speaking in English with a thick Russian accent, “No knife.”
She looks up at him, “I just want to make dumplings, I’m hungry. If you want to chop the vegetables fine but wash your hands first.” She sets the knife down then points to the bathroom by the back of the kitchen
“…”
After an hour the smell of pork dumplings fill the air in the kitchen. LiMei takes out a plate from the cupboard noticing Dimitri and Leon drooling so she says, “Get some plates, there is plenty.” She takes a beer from the refrigerator, a cold beer sounds good. I need to relax. I know the atmosphere will get tense when the crazy guy comes back. “Do you two want a beer?”
Both say “Nyet.” at the same time. LiMei sits at the table with her plate of steaming dumplings and beer. “Could you get me a napkin?”
Dimitri brings her a napkin and LiMei says, “Aren’t you going to sit down?” Maybe if I am friendly I can find out some information.
He looks at her calm expression, Shouldn’t you be afraid of us little girl! Right then Michail comes into the kitchen with the new sink and the plumber. Who is she?
LiMei ignores them as she eats and they work on replacing the sink. After she finishes three beers and two plates of dumplings she burps and holds her stomach while exclaiming,“That was good!” The three men stare at her wondering how such a little girl could eat so much food.
LiMei clears off the table and throws away the three beer bottles. Her cheeks are flushed and her blue eyes hazy as she points her slender finger at Dimitiri and says, “Tell that handsome maniac Boss of yours when he gets back I want answers!” She staggers towards the door of the kitchen turning back around, “Answers!” From spinning around impulsively LiMei loses her balance and falls into a hard wall.LiMei rubs her nose as tears form in the corners of her eyes looking up into Nikolai’s brooding dark eyes, “Handsome guy you are back.” as she faints into his arms.
Nikolai glares at Dimitri then picks up LiMei carrying her in his arms towards the spiral staircase.
The three men left standing in the kitchen look at each other incredulously, The Boss was in the doorway, he clearly heard the little girl call him a maniac and didn’t crush her neck on the spot and carried her away. What the fuck is going on!
Nikolai looks down at the petite sleeping girl in his arms, Little Assassin you certainly have guts! He carries LiMei into the guest room and lays her down on the bed. He slides the tracksuit jacket down her arms, then removes her pants, how could you be so unruly putting this stinky tracksuit back on and drinking beer surrounded by my men.
His lips curl up in a smile as he puts the clean silk pajama top on LiMei, I might need to keep you as a little pet. No one has the nerve to insult me yet for some reason I wasn’t bothered. He gently smooths her hair as he lays her head on the pillow, I just received a report about you Qin Daiyu, it isn’t Leng Shuai who is your lover but that arrogant bastard Qiao Rui. He stares at her half open pink lips and runs his finger across them. I would have rather it been Leng Shuai. And that despicable father of yours Little Assassin..he is a bigger scumbag than Viktor. He tucks the quilt around LiMei, I don’t think I want you to fall into the hands of that vindictive pr**k Kuang Fu. He kisses her lightly on the forehead then picks up her black tracksuit tossing it across the room into the trash.
When he goes back into the kitchen the sink has been installed and the three men are cleaning up the debris. Dimitri is sweeping the floor when Nikolai lazily strides over to him taking the broom from his hand then puts it on his fat neck pushing him into the wall. “Have anything to say?”
Dimitri coughs as the broom chokes him. His eyes watering and filled with fear he sputters,, “Boss..Boss..it was the girl..she..”
Nikolai loosens the broom, “The girl what?”
Dimitri holds his neck, “Said she was hungry and made dumplings. I didn’t know what to do. I mean you didn’t give instructions. So she made the food..we..we..didn’t eat I swear..although it smelled delicious and she invited us to eat. Then while we were working she got herself beer. I honestly didn’t think she would get drunk. I mean it all seemed harmless.”
“She made dumplings?”
“Yeah..yeah..over there on the stove..”
Nikolai let’s him go then walks over to the stove taking a spoon off the counter, he looks at the perfectly formed dumplings, each one is identical to the next, perfectly formed. He spoons one into his mouth and it is still warm. He savors the flavor which is different from a Russian dumpling. “Very good.” He takes a beer out of the refrigerator, how many did the little girl drink? He smiles such a fearless little thing.
He turns to the three men and in an emotionless voice he says,”Finish, Dimitri, call the cook, she can have a day off tomorrow.” Smiling thinking about her cute expression when she called him a handsome maniac he pops open the beer as he walks back over to the stove. Haha.. she thinks I am handsome.
