"Ivan, get your girl to pour me another drink!" I shout, waving for his attention.
"She's not my… " He doesn't finish his sentence. When he sees the mischievous grin on my face and the cheeky tilt of my head, his smile gets so wide I swear he's about to trip over his own happiness. "Tequila?" he asks, pulling Mila toward me.
I nod. "Tequila!" I shout.
I throw it back, and the alcohol burns down my throat. My thoughts are already fuzzy and warm. I should probably slow down, but the reality is that in no time at all, I'm going to be back at my brother's mansion, staring at the walls and going out of my mind.
Make the most of tonight, Kit. You have no idea when you'll get a chance to go out again.
"Is Jessica coming tonight?" I ask, wondering where our other close friend is. Seeing as Mila is looking distracted with a boy, I need a new partner in crime to dance with.
"She said she was going to try. Can you message her? My phone died," Mila says.
"Sure," I say, grabbing my purse. Mila and Ivan and back to dancing up against each other in inappropriate ways.
I pull out my phone and my heart skips a beat. There is a missed call from Diomid. Shit.
He hates it when I don't answer. Especially when I should be watching a series at home on the sofa.
He only called about five minutes ago.
There's no way in hell I can call him back from the club, but he'll obviously be expecting me to.
I hurriedly type out a message for him.
Me: Just getting out of the shower. Will call in a minute.
I chew on my lip. I'll have to slip out and find a quiet place to talk to him. My stomach knots with anxiety. Dammit. Why did he have to call again? He probably just wants to say good night, but seriously, a message would've been fine.
I glance at Mila, but she's too busy to notice if I disappear for five minutes.
Jumping off the table, I push my way through people. They're all having a good time. I step out of the hotel bar and into the cool night air. The fog is still pretty thick outside. It's much colder here, but it's nice to take a few deep breaths of fresh air. Iglance left and right, spotting an alley down the side of the club. Maybe the bass won't be so loud around there.
There is still a long line of people waiting to get inside.
I walk away from them, away from the noise, and slip down the alley.
Groaning, I unlock my phone to call Diomid, but just as I'm about to push the green button, my phone gets grabbed from my hand.
"Hey," I snap angrily, spinning around to face the idiot who clearly has no manners whatsoever.
"Hi," he says. His voice is cold and deep. My heart jumps as my eyes trace up and up and up. He's tall and broad and towering over me like a mountain. His arms are flexing against the tight black long-sleeved t-shirt he's wearing. There are several piercings in his ears that catch the light the same way the blade of a knife would.
Black jeans, black shirt, black shoes.
"Ninja?" I tease, tilting my head to the side and holding out my hand for him to give my phone back.
He looks from my hand to my face, his brows furrowing.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to go down dark alleys alone at night?" His voice is a low, husky purr that sends a delightful shiver down my spine. He's gorgeous.
Admittedly, he looks dangerous, but in a sexy bad-boy kind of way.
I press my hand onto my hip and grin.
"I don't usually do what I'm told," I sass.
His wicked smile immediately makes my heart stop. He looks down the alley, toward the club. When he turns his head, Icatch a glimpse of the dark tattoo stretching from behind his ear and disappearing into his collar. He looks back at me. His eyes glimmer with a dangerous warning.
