Sinful Promise (Koslov Bratva #6)

5. Danil

5

DANIL

Neither Zara nor I speak until the elevator doors have closed behind Dimitri. Zara wasn’t even comfortable speaking, though he is up in the study and if he overheard something I’d freak out.

And I don’t get freaked out easily.

“Zara, what the hell is going on?”

I bounce my leg up and down, trying to help calm my nerves, but it only seems to exacerbate them.

“I need you to promise me you won’t tell Emily, you know.”

“Zara—”

“I’m serious, Danil.” Zara shifts her position so that she’s sitting crossed legged.

“Okay, sure, I promise.” I don’t bother hiding my annoyance at this whole thing.

I thought Emily and I were close enough friends that she would feel comfortable telling me she was in trouble. I can’t stand the fact that I’m not even allowed to comfort her about this when she is clearly freaking out about this entire ordeal.

Zara chews on her lower lip as she looks at me.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look so worried before.

“Do you know Emily’s friend, Jana?”

“Sure, what about her?”

“Well, Jana got her a gig as a hostess at some party a while back. Apparently, most of the guests in attendance weren’t…morally sound.”

“Fuck.” I run a hand over my face.

I know exactly the kind of parties she’s talking about because I’ve been to a few of them myself. I’m all too aware of what goes down. “Emily worked at one of these parties?”

“Yes.”

The hostesses at these parties are forced to wear incredibly revealing outfits in order to add to the whole experience.

It’s disgusting, and I’ve been forced to step in a few times when it looked like boundaries were being crossed. Most of these guys are absolute pigs who think just because they’re rich means that they’re entitled to a woman’s body.

I made sure they knew how very wrong they were.

“Apparently, there was a guy there who was being a bit inappropriate. Emily thinks he’s the one who’s been leaving her these…gifts.”

There is no doubt in my mind that Emily would have garnered some unwanted attention by wearing one of those skimpy hostess outfits.

I mean, she was an absolute knockout last night in that red dress, and that would be considered modest in comparison to what she would have to have worn at that party.

And now I’m thinking about Emily wearing one of those skintight backless dresses, which sends all the blood rushing to my cock.

Now is not the time.

I shift in my seat and lean forward so as not to draw attention to the fact that I’m becoming aroused by the thought of a half-naked Emily in front of her sister.

Zara would definitely have my balls if she knew I was thinking about her sister that way, especially considering we’re discussing her stalker.

“Did she say why she didn’t tell me specifically?”

Zara offers me a sympathetic look. “No, but I think it’s because she’s embarrassed by the whole thing.”

Embarrassed? Is that why she didn’t tell me?

I frown. “She should know that her working at one of those parties wouldn’t ever change my opinion of her, if that’s what she’s worried about.”

She’s the kindest, funniest, sexiest girl I’ve ever met.

If anything, the fact that she refused to take a handout and took a job at working some sleazy party to support herself only makes me think more highly of her.

Zara sighs. “I know that, but Emily… She hates disappointing people. I’ve always said that if she’s struggling with money, I’m more than happy to help. So has Dimitri. But she won’t take it.”

“Well, maybe this experience will change that.”

Zara smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

She’s usually so upbeat and cheerful. So, to see her so down is unsettling.

I reach across to take her hand and give it a squeeze. “This should be plenty for me to go on. I’ll ask around and see if I can find out who hosted the party and get a copy of the guest list. It shouldn’t take me long to find this guy.”

These types of events are invitation only, so it shouldn’t take much to find out who’s been paying Emily a little too much attention.

“I appreciate this, Danil. And I know Emily will too.”

“Will you keep me updated on if she receives any other gifts?” I try to ignore the heavy weight that settles in my stomach at the thought of this guy getting anywhere near Emily.

“Of course.”

After assuring Zara once again that I’ll keep my mouth shut, I leave to head back to Espionage .

As I step out of the elevator into the parking garage, my phone buzzes in my pocket, and I brace myself for a message from Anton asking me where the hell I am.

But then I see Emily’s name flash on the screen, and my chest tightens.

I’m so desperate to drive straight over to her apartment so I can see for myself that she’s all right. I hate the idea of her being scared and alone.

If only I had walked her up to her door…

I won’t be making that mistake again.

Emily

Lunch on Tuesday? Usual place?

Emily and I started a little tradition of grabbing lunch together every Tuesday at one of the cafés on campus when I was a postgrad student. We used to go there on the premise of studying during lunch, but the hours would tick by and neither one of us would have even opened a textbook because we were too busy talking.

I thought perhaps the ritual would end once I graduated, but it seems Emily enjoyed our lunches just as much as I did, and so the tradition has continued.

It’s become a highlight of my week, getting to spend time with her, just the two of us.

Though, I don’t know how I’m going to sit through two hours without mentioning the fact that someone is stalking her.

Emily knows me better than anyone, so she would be able to read the guilt on my face at knowing her secret.

But I can’t not go. That would only arouse suspicion. So, I text her back.

Me

I wouldn’t miss it. x

The fact that she was able to keep this from me and I had absolutely no idea makes me wonder what else she was hiding.

I guess no matter how well you think you know a person, you can never truly know what they’re going through.

When I wake up the next morning, instead of pulling on a crisp black suit like usual, I reach for a pair of dark jeans and a navy T-shirt that has been gathering dust at the back of my closet.

It feels strange to dress so casually. The black shirt and matching slacks are somewhat of a uniform for my brothers and me, which Emily likes to make fun of, but it makes me feel confident.

I have no doubt that if I put on a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap alongside my casual attire, Emily won’t recognize me, which is exactly what I’m aiming for.

I decide to head to the campus on foot rather than in my car, so I bypass my private garage and walk over to the main college library in Washington Square.

I barely slept last night as I typed out and deleted over a dozen messages to Emily.

I hate the idea of her being alone in her apartment.

While I trust Dimitri installed the most high-tech security system there is, that knowledge does little to soothe my anxiety.

At one point, I almost got in my car to drive over there to bring her back to my place because I couldn’t stand it any longer.

But if I just showed up in the middle of the night, I would have had to come clean about what Zara told me, and I don’t want to come between them. I know it took a lot for Zara to break Emily’s trust, so I need to learn to deal with the anxiety of it all.

What I can’t seem to stop ruminating over is how I’m going to keep an eye on Emily when Anton expects me at Espionage at all hours of the day and night . A lot of the accounting work can be done from my phone, but I’m also expected to show my face, seeing as I’m the manager.

I doubt Zara will allow me to explain the situation to Anton, so I’m going to have to make sure I hunt this fucker down quickly. Otherwise, it won’t just be Emily’s life in danger, but my balls, too.

The walk over to the library is pleasant. It’s early June, so the weather is significantly warm.

Usually, I’m so busy at Espionage that I hardly ever see daylight these days, so I take the opportunity to soak up some vitamin D on my walk over to Washing Square.

I take a seat on one of the benches and pull my cap low over my eyes to shield my face. Thankfully, it’s sunny today, so my hat and glasses don’t look completely ridiculous.

Pulling out my phone, I pretend to be mindlessly scrolling, despite my eyes being fixated on the entrance to the library.

Emily usually has a lecture first thing on Monday morning, and she likes to follow it by heading to the library to type up her notes. She’s insanely committed to her studies, which is another thing that I admire about her.

She then usually has lunch outside when it’s sunny, so I’m expecting her to come out of the library any minute.

As the minutes tick by, I grow more and more fidgety.

Maybe it would have been better to follow her inside the library. While non-students aren’t allowed in, it wouldn’t have been hard to bribe a student to borrow their ID for a few hours.

But it’s too late to think about that now. She should be out any minute. Maybe she’s just got caught up in her work.

I’m not usually so irrational, but the idea of some random guy stalking Emily is stopping me from thinking clearly.

I quickly open up my emails to distract myself for a moment and to check through the dozen or more I’ve received in the last couple of hours, just to make sure there isn’t anything urgent from Anton.

I’m just finishing reading an email from our liquor supplier with a quote on a new brand of bourbon when I catch the sound of Emily’s laughter.

I’m like a moth to a flame with that sound.

My head snaps up, and I spot her standing outside the library with a couple of girls from her course who I’ve seen her hanging around with before.

She’s wearing a pale blue summer dress, with her blonde hair loose around her shoulders. It almost glows in the sunlight, and my breath catches at how stunning she looks.

For a minute, I forget I’m meant to be shielding myself from view as I become mesmerized by her.

Emily Mullens truly is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

When she waves goodbye to her friends, I hastily lower my head and go back to pretending to scroll on my phone as she strolls over to the grassy quad to take a seat in a shady spot beneath a tree.

My lips twitch when I catch her pulling out her book and a sandwich because I know she’ll get so lost in her book that she’ll forget to eat entirely.

I’m tempted to send her a text reminding her to eat because I know it will bring a smile to her face. And there’s nothing I love more than making Emily smile.

But I can’t risk drawing attention to myself.

If she realized I was here, it would all be over.

If I value my friendship with Emily, then I need to keep my head down and my mouth shut, while silently promising her to do everything in my power to make sure that no one will ever hurt her.