Icing on the Cake Chapter 10

“For refugees like these, a man named Igor Volkov gave them the means to survive but shackled them with enormous debts in return. Saratov was a city of people who had foolishly fallen into traps. Born in a mafia den where people made money by committing every kind of crime, Yuri naturally grew up to become a mafioso himself. There was no choice. With his parents’ debts—debts that could never be repaid—held over him as leverage, he was bound to the organization, and Yuri did many things to survive. Things that should never be forgiven.”

“Yuri, are you ready?”

Just as the cigarette burned down to the filter and was about to touch his index finger, Alexei walked up behind him and spoke. Yuri exhaled a cloud of smoke and gently flicked the ember off with his finger. The crimson dot scattered and vanished into the air.

“What is there to prepare?”

“I meant mentally preparing to stick with Gutnight.”

Alexei expressed his apology through a joking remark. Though his friend wasn’t one to care much about others’ opinions, he did have moments of consideration toward the few people he cherished. Since his standards were entirely arbitrary, it didn’t happen often, but today it seemed to weigh on his mind.

“Not really. I’ll just keep him holed up in a hotel and bring him whatever he needs. It should be over within ten days.”

Cheriot Gutnight’s personality was certainly quite grating, but the commission fee was excellent, and since Cheriot wouldn’t be in a position to move around anyway, Yuri’s job would be mostly guarding him from outside while he rested. The time they’d have to spend together wouldn’t be long.

“Ideally, yes… but plans always have a way of going wrong.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were hoping for that, Alyosha.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Alexei frowned as if to say absolutely not, but when his eyes met Yuri’s, he broke into a grin.

“Honestly, today was the first time I’ve ever seen you get rattled like that. You usually don’t even take things like that to heart.”

It seemed Yuri’s visible distaste for Cheriot’s nonsense had been quite amusing to him. Watching his friend laugh, Yuri chuckled softly and put his hands in his pockets. Pulling out the portable ashtray he carried, he dropped the butt in and replied calmly.

“Because no one’s ever spoken to me that way before.”

Thinking back on it now, it was absurd. He had always been a frightening presence that no one dared approach, and even omegas in heat who threw themselves at him never recklessly complimented him. Everyone was afraid even to meet his eyes.

Maybe that was why those green eyes stuck in his memory. Because almost no one had ever looked him straight in the face before.

Since coming to Vancouver, there had been omegas who occasionally asked him out, like the one earlier today, but even they were too shy to meet Yuri’s gaze.

“But it’s true you’re good-looking, isn’t it?”

While Yuri was mulling over Cheriot’s antics, Alexei complimented him. Yuri frowned and stared at Alexei. They had been together since they could run around, but this was the first time Alexei had ever mentioned his appearance. The same went for Yuri. Whether it was because of their harsh environment or the typical Russian stoicism, offering compliments was simply not their way.

He’s changed quite a bit since coming here.

Yuri suddenly realized that someone he had thought he knew well had, without him noticing, changed. It was unfamiliar, but not a bad change. Alexei had become more open after becoming lovers with the person he’d loved for so long. His friend, who had always prioritized action over words and never placed much importance on expressing himself, seemed to have learned quite a bit about being affectionate.

At this newly realized fact, Yuri’s lips twitched slightly. After deliberating whether to say thank you or to say the same to him, he ultimately chose a different answer.

“I don’t want to hear that from an alpha.”

“Fair enough. It’d be different if it were a cute omega.”

As if it hadn’t been a particularly significant remark, Alexei shrugged in agreement. Watching Alexei’s expression, Yuri pulled out another cigarette. His chest area had suddenly begun to ache dully, and his mood felt strange. Was it because he’d suddenly realized that his lifelong friend had changed so much? He felt a sense of being left alone.

Lowering his head slightly to stare at the ground, Yuri silently inhaled the cigarette smoke. Feeling the harsh smoke filling his lungs stain his veins, he quietly asked himself whether he was even someone who deserved to stand by his friend’s side.

Cheriot Gutnight had said he wanted to entrust the commission to Alexei because he was a “good” person. Heather’s view of him and Alexei as good likely stemmed from the fact that they had helped her without asking for anything in return when she was in trouble. But that couldn’t be the standard of goodness. What mattered was what kind of sins one had committed. Unlike Alexei, who had never crossed the line even while living in a den of criminals, he himself…

“Since I’m bored, when are we leaving?”

Perhaps he had been too deeply lost in thought. While confronting the remnants of the past, Yuri failed to sense Cheriot approaching from behind. Having Alexei beside him had probably made him careless. And as the price for letting his guard down, he couldn’t stop Cheriot from suddenly wrapping his arms around his shoulders from behind and hugging him.

Unlike his beautiful appearance, the strength that instantly gripped his shoulders was heavy enough to take his breath away. Startled by the sudden contact and pressure, Yuri’s expression hardened as he raised his arm, but realizing Cheriot’s pheromones were wafting, he barely managed to stop his fist from flying.

“Говно!” [Shit!]

But he couldn’t stop the swear from coming out.

“Wow, what did you just say? Say it again.”

Cheriot’s breath touched his ear. Unlike the tone of an excited boy, Cheriot’s voice resonating near his earlobe was eerily low. Watching the scene from the side, Alexei let out a dry laugh.

“Living long enough to see someone beg to hear a curse again. That was a swear word, Client.”

“Even Yuri’s swearing sounds good.”

“Careful, you might actually get hit. How about letting go?”

“Considering that, Yuri’s not moving, is he?”

Cheriot spouted nonsense while looking at a man who was holding back only to avoid throwing a punch at his own face. Yuri was beyond disbelief—he was irritated—and turned his head to curse at him again, only to realize Cheriot’s lips were close enough to brush his cheek, and he grimaced. They had almost touched.

“Let go right now. If you touch me like that one more time, I really will hit you.”

Yuri’s rule was to never lay a hand on ordinary people, but at this moment, he was so heated that he nearly forgot that. At Yuri’s harsh tone, Cheriot seemed about to release him, easing his grip, then clung on again and asked.

“So if I give you a warning first, is it okay to touch you?”

“Are you insane?”

Yuri kindly repeated the curse in English so Cheriot could understand.

“I might be a little insane because Yuri’s looks are totally my type.”

“If you only like the looks, you’d attach yourself to anyone. Even beasts have more restraint than you.”

“That’s not necessarily true. It’s only fun to have sex if the other person likes me too.”

For a moment, Yuri’s lips parted, unable to find a retort. He was so dumbfounded his chest felt tight, but he had a feeling that if he kept trading barbs like this, he’d get caught up in Cheriot’s bizarre logic. Swallowing a sigh, Yuri placed his hand on Cheriot’s arm to forcibly remove it. Cheriot, who had been passively letting Yuri do as he pleased, spoke near Yuri’s ear.

“You don’t like it when I touch you, but it seems okay for Yuri to touch me? So it’s not that you hate contact between alphas, is it?”

“Shut your mouth.”

“Then I’ll have to change my strategy and make Yuri touch me instead.”

Instead of replying that such a thing would never happen even in death, Yuri pried Cheriot off. Pushing him away with his back, Yuri decided it would be best to leave before Cheriot pulled any more crazy stunts.

“Alyosha, stop laughing and go do what you need to do. I’ll take him to the hotel, so you go home and bring some of his things from here first. Figure out what he needs between the two of you.”