FORBIDDEN. "where civil blood makes civil hands unclean" - two families bordering on the edge of war, alike in size and both fierce with loyalty. what happens when two of their proteges fall in love?
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He let out a raucous laugh and hugged Talya. She was shocked that he was being so nice to her, considering her brother nearly killed him. "Come on, get in the car."
With a hand on the small of her back, he walked her to the passenger's side and helped her in before jogging over to his side and starting the car up. "Look at you, Miss Ivanov! Still a stunner."
Talya almost spluttered. "Thanks! I just can't get over how different you look. I would have never recognised you."
"I'll take that as a compliment. You need to be anywhere or can I take you out?"
-
Within the next ten minutes, Percy had driven a slightly bewildered Talya into Moseley and found them a nice bar. As soon as he walked in, he was given a seat in the priority area and equipped with a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. Talya seldom saw men with this sort of authority unless they had been in her gang or in Michael's. "They seem to know your face."
"I spend a lot of money in here, I should hope they do." He grinned as he poured them both a glass and lifted his. "Cheers."
Talya tapped her glass against him and took a tiny sip from the liquid. "Well, you have shocked me here Percy. The last I heard you were in a coma."
His nostrils flared momentarily before he looked at her nonchalantly. "Well, things change. It seems they have with you too. I can't imagine you'd be serving people for a living unless you had no other choice."
"Yeah, you're right."
"You not in touch with your family or something?"
Talya felt uncomfortable over his personal questions, considering they had only reunited less than half an hour ago, but she felt his personal history with her family warranted some answers. "No, not really. As you said, things change."
"I won't pry, then. Are you enjoying your job?"
"No," she said with a scoff. "I'm hardly the hospitable kind."
For the next few hours, the childhood sweethearts caught up on their lives. Percy told her he ran a business, though he didn't specify exactly what it was. Something along the lines of loans and debts. And she filled him in on how she'd struggled immensely with making people drinks and having them snap their fingers at her. He laughed when she told him about the time she argued with a customer and almost lost her job until she threatened to get her father in to speak to her boss. Percy wanted them to stay out and make a night of it, but she told him she needed to get home because she had work in the morning.
As they pulled up outside her flat, Percy turned off the engine and turned to her. "You know, Tal, if you really hate your job that much you can come and work for me. There's always something to be done."
