“That arrangement is over. She’s under my protection now.”
I don’t know who in the hell this guy is, but I’m so fucking glad he’s my new best friend.
“Your protection?” Ruby asks with a harsh laugh. “You can’t just come into my establishment and claim that some random woman is under your protection. This area is neutral, Vasily. The mafia doesn’t have a say here.”
His hand squeezes mine gently when he says, “I have a say here if this is my wife.”
Ruby and I both look up at him in shock. Her eyes dart to our hands before she looks up at Bruce.
“Think long and hard about that,” Vasily says in a low voice. “I won’t hesitate to kill him, and then you’ll be out of a guard dog.”
“He might win,” Ruby counters.
“Don’t fucking count on it,” Vasily says with a harsh laugh, eyeing Bruce whose face is red with rage, but I can see fear in his eyes, and I know the others can too.
Ruby thinks better of it and puts her focus back on me. “She’s not your wife.”
“Not yet, but she will be before the night is over. You have my word on that.”
I don’t worry about what he’s saying. We can sort all this out later when my ass is on the other side of these walls.
“She owes me money,” Ruby says. “A lot of money.”
“Not my fucking problem,” Vasily says, and then looks down at me. “Where’s your room? Let’s get your stuff.”
My finger shakes as I point to my door, but my other hand clutches his tightly as he leads me to my room. I’m so afraid that if I let go of him, Bruce will grab me and hide me away someplace where Vasily can’t get to me. He lets me keep a firm grip on him, not even complaining when it takes me longer to pack because I have to do it one-handed. I desperately want a shower, but there’s no way in hell I’m risking one now.
When I’ve got everything I want, I look up at him. “I’m done.”
He nods and grabs my bags, being careful to keep my hand in his before gently leading me out the door and down the hallway that I hope I never see again.
“You’re not going to get away with this,” Ruby yells. “I want my fucking money!”
Vasily stops to look back at her. “Be very careful, Ruby. It sounds like there’s a threat behind those words, and I don’t do so well with threats. We will be married tonight, and any attack on her will be seen as an attack on me. Think very carefully before you go down that route because I will have no problem killing you.”
Ruby looks like she’s about two seconds away from going into a rage, but she keeps her mouth shut. Bruce glares at us as we pass by, and the last thing I see before going down the stairs is Ruby’s infuriated face. Once they’re out of sight, I let out the breath I’d been holding.
“Can I bring someone?” I ask, my mind immediately going to Mindy.
Vasily looks down at me. His dark brows are furrowed as he studies me.
“Her name’s Mindy. She prepares the food, but she’s only seventeen, and Ruby’s going to make her start working upstairs when she turns eighteen,” I say in a rush.
“I’m sorry. I can’t help her,” he says, pulling me down the rest of the stairs. “I think I’ve done enough for one fucking night.”
We walk through the small lounge that’s more of a joke than anything else with its handful of empty tables and greasy-haired bartender, who would make anyone think twice before ordering a drink, and out into the night air. I gasp at the feel of the cool night breeze hitting my face and feel tears come to my eyes. I’ve been in that hellhole for ten days, and I’d convinced myself that I would never leave. Ten days without fresh air or the sun or the moon and stars.
Vasily looks down at me. “How long were you there?”
“Ten days, which I guess isn’t that long at all, but it felt like forever.” I keep my eyes on the stars above us, not even caring that I’m barefoot and my hair and dress are a mess. Cars drive by, but I don’t pay them any attention.
“We need to leave,” Vasily says, gently pulling me to a black Porsche that’s parked by the curb.
I nod and reluctantly let go of his hand so I can get in the passenger side while he loads my bags in the back. Once he’s inside, I tell him, “You can just drop me off anywhere. I’ll figure out what to do next. I can’t thank you enough, Vasily. I’ve begged so many people for help, but they all ignored me.”
“What’s your name?”
It seems weird that he doesn’t even know my name after saving me like he did. “I’m Nina,” I tell him. “Nina Carrington.”
