8. Chapter 8
Chapter 8
T oula
After the wedding announcement, every day felt like a countdown to his return, and the uncertainty gnawed at me. I wondered if he would seek me out, or if I was just another member of his wife’s family. My stomach tightened at the thought, and I told myself it wasn’t a big deal. He would collect on our deal, and Irini would be safe.
After that night I had danced around my room with the rose, I tried to tamp down any emotional response I had. I didn’t want to admit that I had feelings for my future brother-in-law. In the following days, I searched everywhere for him. At school, I checked the study carrels in the library, as if he’d be waiting for me. I didn’t really expect him to show, but I would walk around with my backpack, pretending it was the perfect rendezvous. It was silly, but I didn’t stop.
I was walking down the hallway, daydreaming between classes. While lost in my own thoughts, I suddenly caught sight of a large blonde man approaching me. I wouldn’t have thought twice about him, but he was enormous. Most of the boys I went to school with still had baby faces, and this was a man with a three-day-old scruff. Students were moving out of his way, not the other way around. Something didn’t feel right. He was staring directly at me with a smirk playing on his lips, and I wasn’t sure what to do as I continued to walk.
Should I alert Angelo? We had emergency hand signals, and he was there to protect me. Would that draw more attention to us? If I was wrong, he’d never let me live it down. When school had first started, I’d been told that Angelo would walk behind me. My father didn’t want any of the students to know I had a bodyguard. He claimed it was for my safety, but that had felt like an excuse. If Angelo thought there was danger, he was supposed to speed up and walk beside me until the threat passed. He’d never done so, but my intuition screamed something was off.
I continued to walk down the hallway, panic surging through me. My heart pounded inside my chest as the man’s eyes locked onto mine. Each step brought him closer, and I could feel my throat tighten. My hand itched to signal Angelo, but I froze in place, not sure if I should fight or flee. By the time I thought about alerting Angelo, we were almost shoulder-to-shoulder. He shifted so that his shoulder brushed mine, forcing me closer to the wall.
“I’m not excited to see you, Toula,” he said as he walked past me.
I halted in my tracks, stunned. How did this man know me? I didn’t realize I’d stopped right in front of the women’s restroom. A hand shot out, covering my mouth. It happened so quickly, I couldn’t even process what was going on. There was no time to even think about screaming or fighting back. The door closed with a final click, locking us in.
“Malenkaya lisichka,” a voice whispered into my ear. “Shh, you’re alright. ”
My heart pounded twice as hard, and I thought it was going to burst through my chest as the adrenaline surged through my veins. My brain knew that this was the Russian, but my body hadn’t caught up to that realization. He held me against his chest with his hand over my mouth in case I screamed. The pads of his fingers were rough against my cheek.
“I had to see you, and this was the only way I could get you alone,” he whispered in my ear again, as he slowly turned me around to face him.
“Where’s Angelo?” I asked. “Did you dispose of him, or did you have help this time?” I had never asked Angelo what had happened the night of Irini’s first wedding. It was easier to pretend my escape on the outdoor patio had never occurred.
He chuckled. “I had help.”
I should have known that my intuition had been right. The blonde frat guy must have been a part of the Russian’s crew. “The blonde sticks out like a sore thumb.”
“I’ll let him know. He wasn’t too happy with today’s adventure, anyway.”
There were no words as we stared at each other. The blood still rushed between my ears, and I swayed on my heels, disoriented. If I wasn’t looking at him, standing in front of me, I wouldn’t have believed this was real.
I don’t know who moved first, but his hands were already in my hair. My lips molded to his as I tried to taste him. I was moving on instinct, with no experience to rely on. This kiss wasn’t like before, and he took over, holding my head exactly the way he wanted. It was animalistic as he devoured me, and I would have done anything to make sure it never stopped. I was a sinner, going to hell, and I didn’t care. It went against everything that I’d worked for, but I wanted him to be mine.
My hands reached around his waist to pull him closer. I didn’t want there to be any distance between us. It would need to be enough to satisfy the cravings late at night when I unlocked thoughts of him I kept buried. My hands grabbed at his hips, and that was when I felt his jeans.
The feel of the denim underneath my fingertips made me take a step back as I tried to make sense of what was happening. The men in my family would prefer to die than wear jeans. Angelo only wore them when he had to escort me to school. When we returned to the compound, I stayed in the library so that he could change before anyone saw. It was a part of his duty as my personal guard, but that didn’t mean the other soldiers let him forget it.
I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out. The Russian had dressed like a student. If he hadn’t been a Bratva boss, with power pouring out of every crevice of his body, the look might have worked for him. He had paired the jeans with a superhero T-shirt and white sneakers. A backpack lay near the sink that I was sure he’d sling over his shoulder.
“I had to blend in. You wouldn’t have wanted anyone to know I’m here.”
That was a sobering thought, and my laughter stopped immediately. He was right. He wasn’t supposed to be here, and if anyone had seen him, they could have told my father, ruining all of my plans. It wouldn’t have been hard to figure out the basics, and my father might have tortured me for the rest of the story. There were plenty of ways this could go sideways if we weren’t careful. I was also going to be late for my next class if I didn’t wrap this up. “What do you want?” I asked.
“You. ”
“I don’t have time to do this again. Class starts in ten minutes. Why are you here?” I didn’t mean to be disrespectful, but my mind was reeling, and I just wanted to be done with all of this.
“I came to warn you that your family is having a dowry dinner on Friday. You’re expected to be there, and I didn’t want you to be surprised.” He didn’t chastise me for my tone like my father would have done.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “That was...” I couldn’t come up with a word, so I went with, “…nice.”
“I am not nice, Toula. I’m a dangerous man, and I’ve done things that have stained my soul black. You should be afraid of the power I hold over you, and yet, I would tear this city apart just to see you smile.”
It was as romantic as you could get in the women’s restroom. My heart took an extra beat, and my stomach fluttered. I closed the distance separating us and lightly kissed him on the lips. “See you Friday,” I said, unlocking the door and walking out. I didn’t turn around to look at him. The vision of the dressed-down Russian would live in my brain forever.
***
E ach day dragged on, giving me a false sense of security that I had plenty of time to prepare for Friday. Monday was the attempted restroom abduction. Tuesday, I went to class, only to return to the compound to complete my reading assignments. Wednesday was the same as Tuesday, and by the time Thursday night had rolled around, I hadn’t even thought of Friday .
Friday bullied me from the moment I woke until it was time to enter the receiving parlor. I didn’t remember turning my alarm off. Rolling over in bed, I slept for five minutes more, but it was enough to throw my entire schedule off balance. I rushed out the door with a muffin in my hand, making it to my first class with ten minutes to spare. The universe seemed determined to make me feel like I was losing my mind. I wasn’t late, but I felt like I was running around all day.
Things didn’t get better when I walked into the compound. I thought I would have a few hours to myself, but my mother was standing in the foyer, waiting for me, her arms crossed in front of her, not a hair out of place.
“You need to prepare Irini for this evening.”
I stood there, stunned, still holding my backpack over my shoulder.
“Did you not hear me?” my mother snarled. “You’ll need to make sure that Irini is ready for this evening.”
Tradition dictated that the mother prepare her daughter for anything related to wedding festivities. I didn’t know why the honor was being given to me when all I wanted to do was hide in my bedroom and relax.
“Toula!” she snapped.
“Yes, Mitéra,” I answered, like the dutiful daughter I was, but inside, I was seething. This was supposed to be her responsibility, and it wasn’t like she had to prepare the staff for the dinner service. She’d been riding the head chef’s ass all week. “Is there anything specific you would like?”
“Yes. Make sure she’s presentable and talk with her about what’s expected this evening. You’ll need to get started if you’re going to be on time. Your father expects you to attend. ”
I waited until my mother sailed out of the foyer before letting out a groan. This wasn’t what I had had in mind when the Russian had said my family was hosting a dowry dinner. The presentation would be at 6:30, with dinner being served promptly at 7:00. I had three hours to make this happen.
I dragged myself up the stairs to the third floor, where Irini’s sanctuary was. Walking into the room, I dreaded what I would find and braced for the impact. This room used to be full of life, and now it was a mausoleum for the living. My mother ignored Irini, which was probably why she’d sent me in her place.
I set my bookbag near the door and searched the room for Irini. It didn’t take long to find her sitting on the windowsill. She had pulled her knees up to her chin and had wrapped her arms around them. Her head tilted so that her forehead rested against the cold windowpane. I made sure that my sneakers made a noise against her floor. I didn’t want to startle her, even though I wasn’t sure she even heard me.
Sitting across from her, I mirrored her position.
“Hey, sister,” I whispered. She didn’t move. “We have to get you ready. The Russians are coming for a dowry dinner tonight.”
A soft sigh escaped her lips. It was so light that I wasn’t sure it was even real.
“You’re getting married again, Irini,” I tried again, hoping she would respond. It was wishful thinking, but I quickly glossed over the thought for fear it wouldn’t happen.
She slid her forehead against the windowpane until she could watch me.
I didn’t know what to do. Her brown eyes, so similar to mine, were black. Her pupils didn’t even dilate. They seemed to vanish into the abyss. I couldn’t let her suffer for this dinner. Before I knew it, I was telling her about the Russian. “I can’t tell you everything. Some of it I don’t know, and you would be safer if I didn’t tell you the other parts.”
She lifted her head and leaned against the wall of the window seat, listening.
“I met him at your first wedding,” I told her with a smile. “I escaped the ballroom for a minute, and he found me on the patio. The Russian could have burned me. Instead, he gave me a way to protect you.”
Her brow furrowed, and I wondered how much she truly understood.
“He’s a good man, Irini. You don’t have any reason to be afraid. The Russian promised me he’d take care of you like a sister.” I took a deep breath. “You and I both know men lie in this world, but I don’t think he did when he promised me your protection. Give him a chance, Irini. He has your best interests at heart.”
I laid my head against the other wall of the window seat. I believed everything I’d said to her, but I wished it was me in her position. This was the first time I allowed myself to acknowledge I had feelings for the Russian.