Looking for me.
Keep looking, solnyshko. You'll find me soon enough.
I lean back in my chair. Study the way she crosses her legs. The way the hem of her dress rides up her thigh.
I've killed men for less than what I'm thinking right now.
The Bratva heir shouldn't be obsessing over a woman like a lovesick boy. I have territories to protect, enemies to eliminate, an empire to inherit. My father is dying. The alliance with the Sartoris requires careful diplomacy.
But watching her smile at something her friend says, watching her finally relax into the booth like she's allowing herself this one small pleasure...
Ya yeyo ne otpushchu.I'm not letting her go.
Not tonight. Not ever.
I stand. Adjust my cufflinks.
She came to my club looking for fun.
I'm about to show her she walked straight into a trap.
Vittoria
The champagne bubbles pop against my tongue. Forty minutes in and I'm already feeling that familiar warmth spreading through my chest, loosening something that's been wound tight for a long time.
When did I become such a lightweight?
Amanda throws her head back, laughing at something on her phone. Platinum waves catch the purple VIP lights, and she looks like she belongs here—in this world of bass drops and beautiful people and zero consequences.
"Okay, but look at his profile pic." She shoves her screen in my face. Some guy with abs and a boat. "He literally has aboat emojiin his bio. A boat emoji, V. That's a red flag."
"The boat or the emoji?"
"Both. Men with boats have main character syndrome." She takes another sip. "Also, he's probably compensating for something."
I snort into my glass. God, I missed this. The stupid jokes. The easy laughter.
My gaze drifts to Elio standing at the edge of our booth. Poor bastard. He's supposed to be watching me, but his eyes keep sliding toward Amanda like she's magnetic north. The wayhis jaw tightens when she laughs. The subtle lean in his posture whenever she moves.
He's so fucked.
The guilt twists in my stomach, mixing uncomfortably with the champagne buzz.
Elio is the only reason I have any semblance of a life outside that compound. Anyone else Pietro assigned would have me on a shorter leash than a show dog. But Elio... Elio is in love with my best friend, which means he does whatever we ask.
Including looking the other way.
Two years without sex. Two whole years of the crushing weight of grief that made the idea of being touched feel impossible. Before that, there were a couple of one-night stands. Quick, anonymous, forgettable.
Elio stood guard outside hotel rooms while I pretended to be someone else for a few hours. If Pietro ever found out, Elio would lose more than his job.
Stop thinking about it.
I drain my glass too fast. The bubbles burn going down.
"You okay?" Amanda leans in.
"Perfect." The lie comes easy. "Just thinking."
