I cast a suspicious glance at him. Had he really figured out my men? And so fast ...

- You saw them, right?

I shrugged my shoulders:

- It was dark there ...

“Well, if my guards managed to look at them, I think you should have been so bad ... Besides, if I understood correctly, these guys are from your brigade, right?

I guess I turned pale. Right, they surrendered me ...

“I’ll take you to the basement now,” his heart pounded so hard that it seemed that his strikes could be heard for many kilometers. - I decided to hold them while there. If you identify them, they will be transferred to a safer place.

I nodded slowly.

“And don't drift, they won't see you,” he clapped me on the shoulder.

We went down the stairs, he pushed the little door, and my legs buckled. But I still made an effort on myself and, without giving in appearance, followed him. We approached a large window, behind which in a brightly lit room on the chairs sat three of them with bags on their heads and in bloodied clothes. Their hands were tied behind the backs of the chairs, and their legs were firmly attached to the legs.

When we entered, he gave a signal, and from all three of them simultaneously tore the bags. These were definitely Kostyan, Stepanych and Zheka, although it was difficult to recognize them - their faces more resembled single-faced tomatoes.

- Well, you recognize them? Did they attack Milan?

I nodded.

And suddenly he realized that he had just signed a death sentence for them. But I could not risk it. If they had spoken, if they had told the truth, I would have been in their place ...

“That's fine,” Milana's father exhaled with relief.

- What ... will be with them? I asked in a broken voice.

“They will be taken to another place and left there until they come to their senses and say who hired them,” he shrugged.

- And if ... - I ran my tongue over my lips, - I will say ...

He raised his eyebrows and seriously looked into my eyes:

- How do you know?

“I ... heard their conversation ...” I licked my lips again. - I drank with them that evening ... they came to the club ... It was Kostyan ... the foreman ... the idea was to wait for the stealthier возле richer near the club ... and ...

- What is "and"?

- In short, rob or kidnap and demand a ransom ... That only a drunken head does not come up, right? - I smiled through power.

- So, they themselves, - he put his finger to his chin and thoughtfully looked at the men. - It makes sense - if someone hired them to annoy me, they would hardly have acted so brazenly ... Thank you, Senya, you reassured me, - he patted my shoulder. - Run quickly upstairs to Milan, and ride this damned plein air, and I still have things to do here.

I automatically ran my hand over my forehead and wiped the cold sweat that had come out on it when I ran up the stairs and walked down the corridor.

On the one hand, it became easy for me in my soul - now nobody will tell her dad the truth. And on the other, somewhere in the heart appeared a little such nasty little worm. He didn’t say anything, didn’t gnaw, just sat in a corner and looked at me reproachfully. I covered it from above with a newspaper and at the same time turned off the light in order not to see this look ...

When I went out into the hallway, Milan was already standing at the door. Next to her was a folded easel, in her hands she held a light folding chair and an artistic bag of bright fabric on a long strap. I took the chair out of her hands, took an easel - while she clung to my elbow - and we went out into the yard.

Plein air is not at all drawing in a secluded place, as we were once told at school. This is a kind of secular party for golden youth in painting. There are such pompous boys, slightly priblyadovannye girls and talk about art as if Da Vinci had a dear grandfather, and Delacroix and Dali were unloved guys.“How are you Winnie?” - “Good, only you couldn’t cut your ear!” - “Ha-ha-ha, did you see Chagall? You know, my five-year-old nephew can draw a starry night no worse. "...

Milana is located on the edge of the clearing where all this colorful, cheerful and stupid society wandered aimlessly from snack tables to drink tables, took an album and paint with brushes out of the bag, put two strokes, then said that today she has no inspiration and went to the main crowd. For some reason I knew that this was the end of it. She immediately joined a group of fairytale-like ladies with cold empty eyes, and in a minute her silver laughter was already heard all over the meadow.

I did not go after her and listen to the gossip of the woman, but simply sat on her chair and lowered my head. Badly somehow started this day. As if something happened ...

- Hey, are you her boyfriend? - I was shoved into the shoulder by a subtle-looking guy in an overly baggy pants and T-shirt and in a cap a couple sizes larger than his head with an incredibly long visor.

- Well, let's say I - I nodded and stood up. - What do you mean?

The boy was a couple heads taller than me, but at the same time he seemed thinner and less stable.

“Nothing,” he pursed his lips, “just wanted to understand what she found in you.” As for me, you're just a beggars.

I scoffed:

- But I have prospects, but what about you? So you will be all my life for Mummy's skirt to hold on.

“You have no prospects,” his arrogant grin twisted his lips. “Soon you will bother her and she will leave you.” And it's good if you just go back to the shit where you lived before, and not fall even lower. My advice to you is to run from her before it’s too late.

- I'll figure it out myself, - I grunted.

He twitched his shoulders and spat angrily at his feet.

- Her dad has great connections, mine has no less. So beware.

- Yeah, - I sat back on the chair and turned back to where Milan was standing.

Honestly, in this crowd she stood out as a rose stands out in a bouquet of field daisies - it was just different. Seeing my eyes, she smiled at me. And just at that moment the lanky looked in the same direction. He frowned. Milan too. He lowered his eyes and walked quickly to the table with the drinks. And then Milan approached me:

- What did he want from you?

- Nothing special - threatened, said that you will leave me as soon as I need you ...

- How dare he! - her cheeks suddenly flared, and indignation sounded in her voice.

“He seems to be secretly in love with you,” I took her hand.

“Stupid,” she ran a hand through my hair, “here everyone quietly hates each other.” And he is no exception. Everyone just waiting for the opportunity to grab someone in the throat.

- Why do you go here?

“If I do not do this, they will decide that I am afraid of them,” she smiled with such a smile that for a moment I even felt ashamed. I just do not have the right to spoil the life of this cute albeit near girl ...

- Are you tired? - she crouched down in front of me and ran a finger over her cheek.

I shook my head.

- Let's go from here, still nothing interesting will be. And you need to buy some clothes, and then you look like a white crow, - she winked at me cheerfully.

I smiled back at her, got up, folded her chair and easel, threw paint and a brush into the bag, and we headed to the car.

Milana ordered a trip to the mall, which, as I learned later, belonged to some friend of her father.

We walked through the floors, gliding slightly on the smooth tiles of the floor, squinting at the light reflected from them and chatting about everything. Milana held me tightly by the hand, and the head of her guard, a sullen bully with Kostyan’s interrupted blow, followed us and looked suspiciously at the faces of people passing by.

We went to the first boutique. The security chief remained at the door, frowning at the corridor and watching us. Milan, ... Read more →