Natalia’s POV

‘Hi, Welcome to Klara’s, what would you like?’ I politely greeted the girl across the counter.

The girl couldn’t have been much older than me, her dark down hair in curls down to her shoulders, and sweet smile on her lips.

‘The biggest Cappuccino you’ve got’ she smiled, pulling her purse out of her handbag.

‘Been that kind of day?’ I asked her as I rung it up in the cash register.

‘Yep, I am in great need for a coffee fix,’ she admitted happily.

‘That’s $3.95,’ I told her and she handed me the change.

'Is that a russian accent?' she asked and i nodded.

'Yes, my family is russian.'

'What a beautiful country, I would love to go there one day,' she smiled before walking over to a small table.

I got started on the drink and watched as Dominika served drinks to other tables. She still hadn’t realised that she had missed my birthday and neither had anyone else. I didn’t want to bring it up, it would only make her feel bad. When she returned to the counter she seemed to be staring at the girl I had been serving before.

‘You know her?’ I asked my friend and she shook her head, dark strands swaying around her head as she did.

‘Not personally, but she’s a cop.’

‘A cop?’

‘Yeah, I’ve seen her before.’

Having a cop in the Café was bad news, considering some of the not-so-legal activities and exchanges that frequently happen within these walls. I looked around, silently being thank-full that the current customers were just normal people, not any of my father’s men or friends.

‘Recon she’s looking into the place?’ I asked quietly and she shook her head.

‘Oleg would have alerted us if the police had caught onto this place.’

‘Yeah true’ I agreed, but the uneasy feeling didn’t waver in my stomach. I had built up this café and the thought of the police getting into it was a dark prospect.

My voice must not have conveyed as much faked confidence as I thought it had held because Dominika hadn’t turned from me, ‘Just act natural Kitten, I’m sure she just wants a coffee, nothing more.’

Her words were of little comfort but I put my recently developed acting skills to good use as I picked up the hot coffee and sauntered confidently towards the table. She had a book in her hands and she seemed to be currently absorbed by the pages until I placed the coffee next to her and her bright green eyes rose to meet mine.

‘Thank-you so much, you’re a life saver,’ she smiled brightly at me and I thought how strange it was for a cop to be so chipper.

‘I hope you enjoy it,’ I smiled, not as brightly as her, but bright enough as she turned her wide eyes down to appreciate the steamy mug of caffeine next to her.

I went back to serving and it wasn’t long before the phone next to me rang and I knew that my father would be on the other end. The truth is important, I have to prove to him I was doing this well, and information like this would be a good boost for me in my father’s eyes and probably Erik’s as well.

‘Hi Papa,’ I greeted, hoping my voice would stay steady.

‘Kitten, how are you?’ He asked as I walked into the back room.

‘I’m well,’ I told him but he didn’t wait for me to finish before speaking himself.

‘Did you find what I asked of you?’

The reply I was going to go with was, ‘Yes. Dexter does believe that it’s Erik who killed the man at the club. He is working with other cops to try and bring you down without alerting the cops who are on your payroll’ which seemed like the smart and reasonable thing to say. Yet what came tumbling out of my mouth was of something else entirely.

‘They don’t think Erik’s connected.’

‘Good work Kitten. Remember to keep me updated if you find out anything more, especially concerning your brothers,’ he praised me before hanging up.

I just lied.

I just lied to my own father.

I had planned out what to say, I was going to tell him everything, yet in that last moment I just couldn’t do it. I felt something, I felt like I had to protect Dexter. Protect him? I was supposed to be protecting my family, yet I was keeping secrets? I was-

‘Natalia, can you help me serve’ Dominika’s works silenced my thoughts instantly and I pushed what I had just done to the back of my mind, taking a breath and walking back out. I saw that there was a line-up of customers and got to work on serving.

It had been about ten minutes later before I noticed Oleg and Alexander walk in, heading towards their usual seats. There was no customers to serve so I went straight over to them.

‘Hey Kitten,’ Oleg smiled at me, ruffling my hair with his hands before sitting down.

I glared at him for the action and combed my fingers through my straight hair.

‘How are you guys?’ I asked them and as Alexander told me they were good, I noticed that Oleg suddenly got uncomfortable.

‘Are you ok?’ I asked him, but his eyes were behind me, seemingly studying something across the room. Alexander followed his gaze and he seemed to get a bit anxious too. I turned and saw that they were looking at the brunette girl from earlier who was still reading her book, the empty coffee cup next to her.

I realised that they may have known too that she was a cop so I turned my gaze back to the boys who were sitting next to me, ‘I know, she’s a cop, but don’t worry, she’s just here for coffee’

‘Uh,’ Oleg started but didn’t say anything.

‘Oleg! Alexander!’ Suddenly came from behind me and I turned to see the brunette walking over to us.

‘Hey Molly,’ Oleg said, shifting nervously in his seat.

He was on a first name basis with a cop?

This Molly girl then proceeded to kiss Oleg. Not just a friendly kiss but a we-are-in-a-relationship type of kiss.

I could feel my eyes widen yet the chipper girl seemed to not notice, just pulling away from him and smiling at Alexander and I.

‘I have to run, but I’ll see you tonight Oleg, and I am sure I’ll see you soon Alexander,’ Alexander smiled politly at her and she turned to me. ‘Thank-you for the coffee! It was wonderful,’ she then proceeded to do a twirl and skip out of the café.

Ok, so she didn’t twirl or skip, but still. She was that perky and joyful that I doubt anyone would give it a second thought if she just broke out in song right then and there.

She walked, yes, I admit, she walked away then and once she was gone I turned my surprised eyes onto Oleg.

He looked at me like a kid caught eating candy in the middle of the night, his eyes wide and a nervous smile playing on his lips.

I gave him a head slap.

‘Awch, what the-’

I ignored his protest and gave him a death glare that thank-fully silenced him.

‘You are DATING a cop!?’ I accused. I was glad that there were no customers close around us at the time, otherwise we would have been making quite a scene.

‘Yeah, uh, It’s a long story,’ he tried to defend but was failing.

I then turned to Alexander who looked like he was about to pass out and gave him a head slap too.

‘I uh-’

‘You let this happen! And you lied to me!’ I looked back at Oleg, ‘When you guys got all awkward last month it was because you’re dating a cop!’

‘Yeah,’ he admitted.

‘This has been going on for a MONTH!’

‘Actually two months.’

‘TWO MONTHS! Do you even know how dangerous that is?’

‘Kitten, can we talk about this another time,’ Oleg asked, his voice low.

‘Don’t call me kitten,’ I told him and he looked at me, hurt flashing across his features. He had lied to me for two months and I was upset that he thought he couldn’t trust me. That he would go behind my back like this. That he would put us all in danger by dating a cop.

‘My place, tonight,’ I told him before storming back to the counter and picking up my bag.

‘I’m going to lunch,’ I told Dominika who just gave me a strange look before nodding hesitantly.

_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

As I walked through the Chicago streets I couldn’t help the feeling of betrayal I felt. Oleg and Alexander had kept this from me. Dating a cop was a huge risk, especially for Oleg. There were so many precautions I had to take just to pretend to date Dexter, but for Oleg to think it was ok to actually date a cop, that was ridiculous and dangerous.   

How could Alexander think that this was ok? He was supposed to protect Oleg, not let him go gallivanting off with some woman who could be a threat to us all.

Maybe there was something going on that I wasn’t seeing?

Or maybe it actually was love? Could he have real feelings for this girl, was that why she was such a secret? He could have been afraid to lose her?

I felt horrible at that moment. If anyone knew what it was like to like someone you weren’t supposed to, it was me, yet I had felt betrayed when I was doing the same thing with Dexter in essence. Oleg didn’t know that I had real feelings for this guy, but maybe I could tell him? He may be able to help me out, seeing as he has some forbidden feelings going on for this Molly girl.