Natalia POV

I ran into the café, throwing my bag behind the counter and smiling to the customers I passed.  The café wasn’t too busy but some of the tables hosted people who I recognised as associates of my fathers. I payed special attention to smile at them when I passed.

My father’s associates, especially those who we had been friends with for years, always adored me. I was the youngest and the only girl, so as my father saw me as special, so did those around him. When my father told his associates of the café they would instantly become regulars, knowing that to be on my good side meant being on my fathers as well, and believe me, no one wanted to be on my father’s bad side.

My café was on the corner of a bustling Chicago street. The neighbourhood was upcoming but the majority of my frequent customers were locals who had grown up in the area. The café was dark on the outside with large glass doors and windows, with a bright white and green sign on the top saying ‘Klara’s’. Papa and I decided to name the café in the memory of my Mama.

Inside the café was white and black themed, holding an elegant feel, while still maintaining the spirit of the old fashioned neighbourhood. I had spent the last two years building up the Café and now it was a thriving business.

Dominika was serving a short brunette man when I arrived and as I passed her she whispered, ‘You’re late,’ and nudged me.

‘Hey, it’s my café, I can work when I want,’ I countered.

‘The slogan for all successful people, I am sure,’ she laughed sarcastically and continued serving.

Dominika Milodanovich had been my best friend since I was five. She was three years older than me and her parents had moved in next door when we were kids. Her hair was almost black but she insisted that her wavy mop of hair was a chocolate colour.

She had a slender frame but she was hiding some serious muscle. Like me her voice held a Russian accent, not as prominent as our parents, but still noticeable.

Her father worked closely with my father before her father was arrested and killed in prison three years ago. After that Dominika took over her father’s responsibilities and she worked closely with my brothers. She used to help organise the prostitution rings we were running  until a last year. Now she works with me and lends a hand to my brothers when needed. I tried to ask her numerous times why she quit, but she wouldn’t tell me.

She was an only child and had become a part of my family over the years.

‘Give these to table five,’ she instructed, passing me three coffees.

I may be the boss but she was the glue that kept this place going.

I walked over to table five only to see two of my favourite people and one of my not so favourite people at the moment.

‘Natalia!’ Oleg greeted me as I put down the coffees.

I sat at the spare chair and looked at the other occupants of the table.

To my left sat Oleg. Oleg was a computer genius and was loved greatly by my father. He had dirty blonde curls and deep brown eyes. He was wearing jeans and a button up, but the colourful bruise on his face told me that he had seen better days.

Next to him sat Alexander. Alexander had only just turned twenty but my father had taken a liking to him. I knew that by his fast promotion and harsh treatment of the boy. Although it would seem that he disliked the boy, he used his threats to hone him and to create a better employee, which Alexander was slowly becoming. Even with the harsh job he has, Alexander always saw the positive and he always bounced back quickly, a trait coveted in this business, where being arrested or held hostage was not as uncommon as it was believed. His usual bright eyes were dull though today.

On my other side sat Leo. My brother. Leonardo was five years older than me, two years older than Erik, and he was quite close to Oleg and Alexander. Leo had long straight hair similar to mine, stopping in the middle of his jaw line. Leo looked at me, a mixture of amusement and pride showing on his pale face, and I wondered why?

‘Hey guys!’ I exclaimed, throwing the three boys a smile.

‘Someone looks lovely,’ Leo smiled at me.

‘Big meeting with dad this morning’ I replied.

‘How did the meeting go?’ Oleg asked.

‘Oh, I’m not talking to you,’ I laughed, purposefully looking in the other direction.

‘Why?’ he asked me, but I ignored him.

‘What happened to his face?’ I asked Alexander, referring to Oleg’s prominent bruise, ‘aren’t you like his bodyguard? You couldn’t have prevented the punch?’

Alexander looked scared, and it made me want to laugh, I wasn’t that scary compared to the guys he has worked with before. He does have great fear and respect for my father, so that probably contributed to his apparent fear of me.

‘Oh leave the boy alone Kitten,’ My brother stepped in.

‘Why aren’t you talking to me?’ Oleg asked, I wasn’t sure if he was actually hurt or not, he was a good actor.

‘Well, someone told me that they were meeting me for dinner at your parents restaurant last night, and never showed up. I even asked your Mama and even she didn’t know where you were.’

‘I was in jail,’ he admitted.

‘What!’ I exploded. Jail!? Again?! What is that? The third time this month?

‘They caught me after I hacked some government website.’

‘Oleg!’

I stared at him open mouthed before realisation hit me and I turned to Alexander.

‘Isn’t your job to prevent this kind of stuff!?’ He flinched at my tone.

I was usually a calm person, but when it came to people I considered family, that was different.       

The poor boy was flustered, but how could he let Oleg be arrested!

‘Kitten,’ that drew my eyes around to my brother ‘don’t blame him, it was that awful new cop.’

‘Wyatt?’ I asked, trying to calm down.

‘Yeah,’ Oleg confirmed ‘How do you know about him?’

‘I got a task from my father; he’s going to let me be more involved in the family business.’

Alexander and Oleg looked shocked but Leo just gave me a proud look.

So that’s what the look from earlier was about.

‘How did you know?’ I asked my brother.

‘Erik told me,’ he admitted to me.

‘Nothing gets past the Cherkesov boys.’

‘Damn right,’ he agreed, taking a sip of his coffee.

‘I’m proud of you,’ Oleg wrapped me in a short hug.

‘I’m going to bring him down,’ I admitted, determined.

‘Is that what Papa told you to do?’ My brother asked, in his tone I sensed a warning.

‘No, just watch him and get close to him, but once I do a good job at that, he will let me bring him down. I hope.’

‘Ambitious I see,’ Oleg commented.

‘That’s my sister,’ Leo smiled.

I grinned at the boys but noticed that Alexander still seemed to be down.

‘Why so sad Alex?’ I asked the quiet boy.

‘Your father hates me,’ he sighed.

We all laughed, ‘My Papa hates everyone.’

He laughed, ‘Yeah that’s true. But today he threatened to put a bullet in my head.’

‘Don’t worry,’ Leo assured him, ‘I got that threat every day growing up.’

We laughed because it was true, Nicolai Cherkesov loved to threaten people, even his own family, but we knew that he would never truly hurt us.

‘It seems like not much work is being done here,’ Dominika appeared next to me, smiling at the group.

I felt bad that I had left her to deal with the customers alone, so I stood up.  

‘I’ve got to go guys, hey Oleg, can you help me with some stuff for my task tonight?’

‘Yeah sure, come by the restaurant at seven,’ He nodded at me.

‘Will you actually show this time?’ I teased.

‘I’ll keep him out of trouble,’ Alexander assured me and I thanked him by planting a small kiss on his cheek and whispering a quiet thank-you in his ear. He blushed and looked down, his crush on me was endearing.

I sauntered back to the counter. I didn’t miss Dominika’s flirting with my brother as I walked away, that girl would flirt with a tree. It seemed to be a hobby of hers.

Dominika joined me at the counter a few minutes later. ‘Gosh your brother is hot.’

‘Ew. That’s like incest,’ I exclaimed, making a cappuccino for a customer.

‘We aren’t related,’ she retorted, making herself busy with cleaning the bench.

‘You’ve known him since you were a kid, it’s the same thing.’

‘Really isn’t Natalia,’ she laughed.

‘Fine you can ask him out, but he won’t go out with you,’ I laughed.

‘Trying to imply something Kitten?’ she asked, mock angrily.

‘You’re a beautiful girl Dominika, but I’m pretty sure he sees you as a sister,’ I corrected.

She gave a mock upset look and said ‘I’m forever alone then. I’ll just buy a bunch of cats.’

‘You do that,’ I laughed at her pettiness and obvious denial.

Dominika was beautiful, she could get any guy she wanted, but she wanted to find a good guy and she would get that in Leo, but I had a feeling they wouldn’t work. Leo saw her more as a sister.

Maybe when this Wyatt business was over I could help her find someone.

As I worked I was looking forward to meeting with Oleg tonight. I wanted to get ready to start this task.

I was going to prove myself to my father. I was going to bring Dexter Wyatt down.

Hope you liked this chapter :) A little more of an insight into the life of Natalia and some of her friends.