“It’s nice to meet you.” He smiled politely, held out a hand and was careful to shake her smaller hand gently.
“It’s nice to meet you too.” There was a wariness in her gaze as she eyed him before she dropped his hand and turned to her date. “Will you give me a few minutes?” she murmured to Maxwell.
Viktor’s business acquaintance gave her a soft smile. “Of course.”
Once she’d disappeared into the crowd as well, he turned back to Maxwell. “She doesn’t seem like your type.” Much too innocent and soft. And if the rumors were true, Maxwell had a darker side to him, liked rougher sex.
“She’s just a friend,” Maxwell said through gritted teeth.
Ah, so she was definitely not sleeping with him.
“She’s Keith Caldwell’s niece,” Maxwell added.
Well that was interesting. He made a note to find out more about her. Anyone related to the Caldwells would be important enough to keep on his radar. Especially since Harrison Caldwell owed Viktor a favor. One he’d been sitting on for many years. Frowning, he wondered if she was the woman Porter Caldwell had contacted him about—the one who’d been drugged at one of Viktor’s clubs. He dismissed the thought for now. He’d see when he reviewed the video footage.
“Who is the blonde she was talking to?” There was no point in pretending he didn’t want to know. Not when he was certain Maxwell had figured out the only reason he’d approached the Brit was for an introduction. Even if they had mutual acquaintances, they weren’t friends and didn’t move in the same social circles.
“Name’s Dominique. Works for Red Stone, but I’m not sure what she does.” He lifted a shoulder, clearly not interested in the woman.
Which soothed something jagged and unexpected inside Viktor. His half-brother was right—she wasn’t for him. He slept with paid escorts for a reason. It kept things simple, uncomplicated. The women he used went through an agency run only by women, and all the escorts worked there willingly and were paid well. It was illegal, sure, but he’d done a lot of illegal things in his life. As the son of a dead mobster, he’d learned young that the world operated in shades of gray. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d used the escort agency, though. Over a year ago, at least.
A loud shout drew his attention to one of the restaurant displays. There were twelve celebrity chefs on site and anyone who was anyone in Miami was here. For the most part. The event was mostly outdoors in a park-type area. Twinkly lights and a huge gauzy canopy were high above everyone, strung between two buildings: an art center and a convention center.
He turned to see Grant Caldwell race toward the convention center, shoving a waiter out of his way as he ran. His two brothers, father and one of his brothers’ wives were all behind him, moving at a rapid speed.
Maxwell murmured something next to him before hurrying in that direction. Viktor was mildly curious about what was going on, but the majority of his focus was on finding the woman again.
“We need to go,” Abram said quietly, appearing at Viktor’s side out of nowhere. Like a ghost.
Because that was what Abram did. He moved with an impressive stealth. Which was good for getting into places he didn’t belong. “Why?” he asked, scanning the area, still looking for the blonde. Dominique. He wanted to say her name out loud, to feel it on his tongue.
He wanted to feel her against his tongue.
Annoyed with himself, he rolled his shoulders once.
“You have a meeting and I don’t like whatever that just was.” His brother frowned in the direction the Caldwell brothers had gone.
“Let’s go. The display tonight…” He trailed off, feeling a little guilt that he hadn’t paid much attention to their newest investment. The restaurant he’d just taken over had an exhibit here tonight—the whole reason he’d even come. And he’d been by only once to speak to the chef.
Abram nodded. “Good. Everything is good. Lucy has everything under control.”
Viktor held back a snort. Lucia—who insisted they call her Lucy—was the new assistant they’d recently hired and he knew his brother had it bad for her. He looked at his watch. “Stay until the end of the event. One of us needs to be here and I want to make sure Lucy has an escort to her vehicle.” The last part was true.
He could tell his brother wanted to argue, probably because he didn’t want to be around Lucy even though he was attracted to her, but Abram would watch out for her because he cared for her and because they looked out for their employees. In the past more so than now, Viktor and Abram had engaged in…more than one illegal activity. They’d made enemies, so all of their employees could be potential targets. Especially one who worked so closely with them. They never forgot that.
Abram straightened stiffly. “I’ll make sure she gets home safely.”