Chapter 69: Chapter Fourteen

Andrei

She had two minutes before we were supposed to be leaving.

When she had one minute left, the bathroom door swung open. She had her hair in a high ponytail, and the black cocktail dress did wonders for her already curvy body.

It was a simple little black dress that had a high neck in front and a scooped back. It was form fitting and it looked perfect with the nude spiked Valentino heels.

I grabbed a long fake fur coat from the rack and held it out to her. “Time to go.”

Her eyes widened as she slipped into it and then held it close like the fur was comforting to her skin.

Hmm.

I held out my hand to her.

She stared at the gloves.

New gloves.

Ones that didn’t have blood on them, not that it mattered since blood followed me wherever I went.

After a brief hesitation, she placed her hand in mine. I held it tight, mainly because I wanted to show ownership when we walked down the halls and through the bar.

People needed to know they couldn’t touch her.

Not without my consent.

“Don’t make eye contact with anyone. They’ll think it’s an invitation, and I’ve already hit my quota on murders today.”

“Okay.” Her voice was weak; her skin was pale.

Shit.

She looked like she was walking to her death.

They needed her to look… alive.

Content.

Not scared for her life.

Those men, they smelled fear. They lived for it. They wanted the ones that were scared because they fucking got off on it.

Shit.

“You need to look more excited than that,” I said once I pulled the door open. “More confident. I need you to play a part, do you understand me?”

“Yes. I think… so.” Her eyes darted to the hallway than back to me. “You said I was safe, right? I’m safe?”

I didn’t want to soften. No good would come from me getting attached or being the person in her life that lied and said everything was going to be okay when it wasn’t.

Her father was dead.

Half her family was dead.

And her brother I would let her kill.

This wasn’t a safe life or a happy one.

This was war.

This was the mafia.

“You’re safe,” I locked eyes with her. “With me, you’ll be safe.”

I didn’t add that I was more dangerous to her than any of the men out there. I didn’t tell her that I was a monster that couldn’t feel anything.

I just let her believe I would use my gun for her.

And that’s all that mattered.

I inwardly cursed my dad for making me that way.

For making women objects.

For trapping me in my own prison.

We walked down a separate hall that led to the clubs.

We walked down a long corridor that led to a black door. I slid my card over it, and it buzzed open.

The sound of music filled the place. We’d been open an hour and already we were at capacity.

One of the Italians, now my man, eyed me with curiosity as I brought her through and then his eyes flickered with amusement before he turned away and spoke into his wrist.

I would hear from Ax later, that much I knew. Bastard rarely kept to himself when he wanted information and he was only too happy to report everything to Nixon Abandonato like a good puppy.

I wondered what she thought, then, as men parted for us, as women stared at her with open-eyed jealousy.

I pulled her toward the bar near the front entrance and held up two fingers. Manny nodded at me and filled two shot glasses with Stoli’s.

I picked up one and handed her the other. “Ypa.”

With trembling fingers, she took the shot from me and repeated. “Ypa.”

I almost smiled when she took the shot and then made a face. “I didn’t just ask you to kill me in Russian, did I?”

I admired her ability to joke in the circumstances she was in more than I should. “No, that would have been ubei menya,” I shrugged. “Just in case you ever feel the need to beg for it.”

“It wouldn’t matter.”

“Pardon?”

“I said it wouldn’t matter. I’ve begged for it before, I begged for it every night since I was fourteen, so even if I screamed it at the top of my lungs—”

“Don’t.” I put my hand over her mouth, silencing her, putting an end to the conversation. I didn’t want to hear about her pain, her struggles.

No, I didn’t want to compare pain.

I was too afraid our scars would match.

And it would be all I saw.

I held up two fingers again and handed her a new shot. “Here’s my promise to you, dorogaya. Say those words to me, and it will be over with before you take your next breath.”

Her lips parted, and then she reached for my hand and squeezed it, never taking her eyes off of me as she whispered, “Thank you.”

It was the first genuine thank you I’d ever heard from someone.

And all because I promised I would kill her if she asked.

She didn’t know then how seriously I took my vows. She had no way of knowing the power behind those words and the brutality behind my gun.

Something shifted in the air, with Post Malone blaring through the speakers, with Stoli’s vodka on her parted lips.

I realized it wasn’t my surroundings.

It wasn’t even her.

It was me.

I’d felt her thank you down to my damned soul.

Funny how you forget, how painful it is to feel, until your dead heart thuds loudly to remind you, you’re still human.

“Let’s go.” It came out rough, as I grabbed her arm and led her to the front entrance where my Escalade was waiting for us.

She scooted across the leather seat. I followed.

And when we were blanketed in silence, I exhaled out our destination.

“Nixon Abandonato’s house.”

Six thirty-two stiffened next to me.

She knew the name.

Then she would know that it was important that she did exactly as I said.

If I hid her in plain sight, they wouldn’t ask questions.

If they showed up at the club and saw I had her with me and never introduced her, they’d suspect her.

I hoped that none of the girls knew who she was.

I hoped that none of the men would recognize her as the girl who was taken from the De Lange’s a few days ago.

And I hoped that she’d forgive me, if for some reason they did.

Because if they did.

She wouldn’t make it back to the car.

If they did, she was riding to her own funeral.

I turned to see if she was wringing her hands together, or if she was biting her lip, tapping her heels, and I almost smiled when I noticed she was doing all three.

“Deep breaths,” I said in an amused voice. “You’re with me.”

“But you’re Russian.”

“How astute of you to point out the obvious.”

“No.” She gulped and turned her body toward me. I enjoyed the way the fur hugged her body, protecting her, keeping her safe from the elements, keeping her safe from watchful eyes.

“I mean, you do realize who he is? Boss to one of the most powerful crime families in the world, his second in command went on a killing spree with you today. Don’t think I didn’t recognize him.

“The four families are powerful, and they hate De Langes. You aren’t Italian.”

I smirked at that. “Oh, you’d be surprised what I am.”

“You aren’t listening.” Her voice shook. “Again, you’re Russian. You don’t understand… they’ll kill me.”

“They’ll have to get through me first.”

Her body tensed beneath my touch.

It had been getting worse over the years.

The gloves hadn’t been necessary a few months ago.

And I hated that it was one more thing that I did, following in my father’s footsteps, leather gloves, always leather gloves.

I jerked my hand back as we pulled up to the gate.

“My name is Andrei Petrov. I am the last living heir to the Petrov crime family.

“I am worth more money than you will ever see in your lifetime, I was taught to kill when you were watching cartoons with a fucking sippy cup.

“I kill without a second thought, I feel nothing, and when I tell you that I’ll keep you safe, know that I’ll keep you safe. Those men in there won’t know your last name because I won’t give it.

“If any of them find out who you are, my suggestion is to say one last prayer because even my gun won’t be fast enough against six of the most dangerous men on this planet, seven if you count the old man, eight if you count my mentor.

“R-right. Yes. Okay.” She nodded her head what felt like a dozen times and then whispered. “If I’m not a…” She shook her head. “Who do they think I am?”

The SUV pulled around the front and stopped.

The door opened and I called over my shoulder. “My new girlfriend.”