But the guilt of postponing the rescue of all the others was a weight I had chosen to carry. I refused to abandon her. And there was also the matter of the Stars who were sent into “retirement.” We still had to find out what really happened to them. If the Ivanovs discovered Vassili’s parallel business, all those women would be lost. The Master would leave no trace of them. Ganesh sighed but didn’t insist.
“We finally received your order,” he informed me suddenly, and I looked at him eagerly. “Really? How many?” “Between five hundred and eight hundred boxes. I think that will be enough for all the girls for at least six months,” he said with a smile, as I bounced in place. I had been waiting for this news for so long. The girls would finally be able to protect themselves. “And the Master agreed to distribute contraceptive pills. He had no choice, given the way I twisted the minds of almost all his major clients. None of them wants bastards,” he added with a grimace. “And we don’t want to carry the spawn of demons either,” I muttered, crossing my arms.
That was the main reason I had made this request to Ganesh, but there was another reason. A much darker one that no one knew about, not even Ganesh. A reason that had to remain locked within the walls of the club and its rooms, a painful secret I wanted to spare the new recruits from.
Present
Sasha
My eyes settled once again on the dot indicating Sienna’s position on my map as I reached the exit of the Golden Gate Bridge, the sun slowly sinking toward the horizon. What the hell was she doing in Sausalito? And on top of that, she had told her sister she would be gone all weekend,my ass. That was exactly why I had put that fucking GPS into her CGM. She vanished like magic only to reappear a few days later, and it was driving me insane. Fifteen minutes later, after crossing the city and entering a forest, I frowned when a gate appeared at the end of the road, a gate leading to a long driveway lit by lampposts, guarded by security. A lot of security, and dogs too. I glanced at my GPS again. Yes. She was definitely inside.
The guards signaled for me to stop, and several of them approached with scanners while others inspected my car with flashlights. I didn’t know who owned this place, but it had to be someone powerful. I rolled down my window as one of the men approached, a tablet in his hand. “Good evening and welcome, sir. Your name, please,” he said. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.Shit.
“Sasha Ivanov,” I replied without blinking, throwing an annoyed glance at my watch, the guard froze, lifting his wide-eyed stare to me “Iv… Ivanov?” he repeated, before glancing toward a group of men standing near the gate, deep in conversation. “I was not informed of your arrival, Mr. Ivanov. Your… your name is not on the VIP list,” he continued, gesturing toward the group as one of them began to approach. His superior, no doubt.
I narrowed my eyes as my headlights slowly illuminated his face. I knew him. I had seen him somewhere before and judging by the way his eyebrows lifted, he recognized me too.
“Sasha Ivanov,” he said, stopping beside my door. “You are certainly not on the guest list tonight” he placed a hand on the roof of my car and leaned down, his gaze darkening. “What are you doing here?”
“Let him through. He’s with me,” another voice suddenly cut in, Kenji appeared beside him, a cigarette between his lips. His face was barely visible in the darkness, but I could clearly see the mocking glint in his eyes as they landed on me. I clenched my jaw but said nothing as he walked around my car and opened the passenger door. “Kenji, we can’t…” the man who had recognized me began, but Kenji cut him off again. “Relax. Trust me, Ashwin,” he replied simply, before climbing into my car after flicking away his cigarette. Ashwin sighed but gestured anyway, and the gate opened, allowing us to pass. “Straight ahead,” Kenji said and I pulled forward as he took his phone out of his pocket.
“Don’t warn her,” I muttered and he snorted. “Warn her? Never. The more surprised she is, the funnier it’ll be watching her tear you apart.” He tapped on his phone. “On the contrary, I’m warning everyone not to warn her.”
“Everyone?” I asked as an enormous villa began to appear at the end of the driveway. Dozens of cars were parked along both sides. “Who exactly is everyone? And where the hell are we?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” he replied, slipping his phone away as I slowed down to find a parking spot. “But tell me, how did you manage to follow her? No one followed us. I would’ve noticed. You can’t have men infiltrated where we’re going, so that leaves one option: a tracker,” he continued, rubbing his chin. “But where did you hide it without her noticing? She’s too sharp not to spot it in her clothes, so I’d say her handbag… which is in the trunk of my car” he was still guessing when I finally parked, and at that exact moment my phone’s screen lit up, informing me I was five minutes from the destination.
Kenji’s gaze dropped to my phone, the confusion on his face might have amused me, if it hadn’t been so quickly replaced by understanding. He looked up at me, eyes wide. “You are one of the most twisted, sick bastards I’ve ever met in my life and believe me, I’ve met my share of trash,” he said in utter disbelief.
He shook his head before bursting out laughing, covering his face with his hand. “What can I say? Like attracts like. You two are perfect for each other.” He climbed out of the car, still laughing, and I cursed under my breath as I followed him, grabbing my phone.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I growled as we walked up the dirt road toward the lights spilling from the villa’s courtyard. Music echoed in the distance, the cool evening air brushed against my skin, and the scent of incense and jasmine drifted toward us. Where the hell were we?
“Putting a tracker inside her CGM, even I wouldn’t have thought of that,” he said, shaking his head. “And you used her sister to make sure she wore it”Fuck. He was sharp, the bastard.
“I was wondering who could’ve given you that nice bruise on your jaw, you’re usually pretty quick,” he continued his psychopathic analysis. “Who else but someone you trust, like your brother. Not surprising. I wouldn’t have appreciated someone using my wife either.”
He greeted two young men who waved back before climbing into a car. Laughter and shouts began to rise as we finally reached the massive garden, and my eyes widened. I had never seen so many colors in one place. From the decorations to the food to the guests’ clothing, everything shimmered in vibrant hues. Dozens of people were seated around tables, talking and laughing, while an elderly woman and a young man on the stage played drums and sang, children dancing freely on the dance floor.
It was a wedding. “It’s thesangeet,” Kenji explained when he noticed my confusion. “In Indian culture, it’s a celebration held the night before the wedding.”
“Indian culture,” I repeated, my gaze landing on a man seated near the stage. Our eyes met, and suddenly I remembered where I had seen Ashwin before. He was one of Ganesh Rajawat’s close guards, the head of the Indian mafia. “What the fuck is this?” I snapped, turning to Kenji. “What the hell is Sienna doing in the same place as the head of the Indian mafia?” I barked. He merely shrugged. “Ask her yourself. I stay out of your messes,” he replied, shoving his hands into his pockets, “I’m already gonna get my ass kicked for letting you in. Figure out the rest on your own.”
I had a strong urge to land a solid punch on his face. It remained just an urge when a man approached us, smiling. “They’re about to start the first dance,” he said to Kenji, then froze when his gaze landed on me. “Sasha Ivanov,” he said, frowning. I no longer knew whether being recognized like this was actually a good thing. “Shut up, Kamal,” Kenji cut him off just as a heavy beat suddenly echoed through the garden.
Several young women emerged from the glass doors leading out of the villa, while men carrying large drums positioned themselves around the dance floor. A young woman slipped behind the DJ table on the stage. My entire body froze when my eyes landed on a light blond chestnut mane stepping onto the dance floor, a mane I would recognize among a thousand.
Her long, wavy hair cascaded down her bare back, her bare waist revealed by her outfit. She was wearing a sari, I knew what it was, because years ago I had accompanied Elif to the wedding of a friend’s daughter who had married a wealthy Indian businessman. We had given us a crash course to avoid any cultural disrespect.
Sienna and the other women entering the dance floor were all dressed in golden saris, but my eyes couldn’t leave her. Her forearms were adorned with bangles, and she even wore them around her ankles, ankles revealed by her skirt, just like her bare feet.
Holy hell, she was beautiful.
Her fair, soft skin contrasted with the gold fabric, her green eyes shining brilliantly. She laughed and talked with the other women, and every time she smiled, my heart skipped a beat. I opened my mouth to call her name, but suddenly the drummers began to strike their instruments, and a woman started singing from the stage.
The women spread across the dance floor, forming a large circle and my world narrowed to her as she began to dance.Her bare feet barely touched the ground as she hopped and spun, clapping her hands, her bracelets chiming with every movement. I felt like I was discovering an entirely new Sienna. I had never seen her eyes shine like this, never seen her laugh so freely.The rhythm quickened, and she moved faster, her hair flying around her as she closed her eyes, surrendering completely, as if in a trance. The drummers stepped into the circle, dancing alongside the women as the guests cheered, clapping and singing along.
“Close your mouth, Ivanov, you’re drooling,” Kenji’s voice suddenly mocked, an existence I had completely forgotten. An existence I promptly forgot again when Sienna slipped her arm through one of the men’s and they began spinning, laughing loudly together. I liked that a lot less. Suddenly the crowd grew excited again, and the women and men on the dance floor split into two lines, forming an aisle. A woman dressed in a pink sari stepped onto the stage, the bride. The music slowed as she entered the dance floor with a wide smile. Sienna, still breathless, smiled back at her, and suddenly the upbeat rhythmresumed, launching them into another choreography with the bride.
