There was music pounding in my ears and colorful lights skimming over people's exposed and intoxicated bodies but my attention was anywhere but the masses. Day three in Russia might be shaping up to be a success very soon and I didn't want to miss a second of it.
Yesterday, I found Ashton and I a decent apartment near the gang's hub of activity, but still in a nicer area. I also managed to buy some clothes for myself and Ashton while he was scouting out the area. While we didn't have actionable intel to use yesterday, when Ashton came home this afternoon I knew today was a step in the right direction. With a little bit of flirting, the naturally charming and attractive assassin easily got one of the local shop owners to give up this club as one of the main fronts for the Bravata of Moscow. With our jobs starting in two days, it was imperative that we got in with the gangs now. We might not need their resources yet, but these types of relationships were fragile and took time to build.
"What do you want to drink?" Ashton's strong voice asked me in Russian, his breath fanning my bare neck. I was standing with my front pressed against the end of the bar, Ashton's arms caging me on either side with his chest against my back. All traces of his French accent were gone with a blink of an eye, his persona becoming fully immersive.
"Anything but spirits," I wouldn't be drinking tonight and I doubt Ashton would be either, but we had to look like we belonged. I felt Ashton's suspicion at my response but I brushed it off. He wasn't entitled to know anything about me. After turning down a shot three days ago and my careful response, I'm sure his critical brain was already analyzing every possibility of my past.
"Two beers," Ashton ordered while I kept my eyes at the other end of the bar near a door to the back. I was just waiting for the right moment, for the guard to slip away, to enact plan A. When the bartender returned with two brown bottles I took one and swallowed a small sip for show. Ashton did the same before spinning me around so my back was pressed against the wooden edge of the bar and his hands were on my broad hips, allowing him the opportunity to look behind me instead of down at me.
I stood on the toes of my heels and brushed my lips across the hot skin of his neck. "We get in front of that guard and you 'accidentally' flash your gun to him and he'll want to take us in the back to make sure we aren't causing problems for the Bravata," I suggested just loud enough for him to hear. We had to get the gangs attention without directly threatening them. First moves were always the hardest part.
"Then why don't we get over there, Baby," he murmured, looking back down at me like the loving husband he was supposed to be. The silver band on my left hand seemed to burn at the thought of it. Love was a waste of time and effort that only lead to heartbreak and suffering. I had no clue why anyone would get married. The thought made me sick to my stomach.
I'd slipped the shimmering engagement ring and wedding band off our landlord when I shook her hand two days ago, and Ashton had done the same thing to one of the clerks at the grocery store. Pickpocketing was easy if you knew the right way to distract your opponent. It was like a song and dance; every move had to be perfectly coordinated and performed on time or else everything would fall apart.
I slipped out of Ashton's firm grip, my right hand entwining with his as I playfully dragged him across the club with what looked like loving eyes. When I stopped a few feet from the guard at the edge of the dance floor, I pulled Ashton's body to my own, his large hands going back to my hips while my generously sized ass pressed against him. Ashton was an amazing dancer, moving a perfect rhythm and charisma. It wasn't hard to imagine why most women saw him as an enigma.
After a song or two, he easily spun me around on my black heels, pulling my body flush against his chest so my breasts were pushed up against his muscles. My hands settled on his neck, trailing up to his angular jaw as Ashton leaned down. The two of us had both been undercover before, so it was no surprise to me that Ashton made the first move and kissed me with all the passion he could. If that wasn't believable then I don't know what was.
