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Prologue
FIVE YEARS AGO
Thursdays have always been my favorite night of the week. These nights are reserved for dance class. It’s a time to get away from everything and be with Katia. There’s no Bratva here or jobs to complete. I just dance and get to be free, even if it’s only for a couple of hours. This class is how I work through my feelings. How I escape the reality that is my life and just let it all go. Dance class is only slotted for an hour in the studio, but our instructor Meryl knows a bit about my home life and gives Katia and me extra studio time. I exit my car and rush towards the dance studio since I’m already a few minutes late.I can’t fucking wait to get everything out. This week has been a total clusterfuck.
When I’m just a few feet away from the entrance, I feel his presence. Before he even says a word and without turning around, I ask, “What do you want, Umbra?”
“Oh, how I love it when you call me cute little nicknames.”
I turn to face him, and sure enough, there’s that stupid smirk. “Poor Ivan. Out here really thinking that name holds anything other than pure disgust.” The smirk on his face quickly fades, morphing into a tight line of his mouth. The tensing of his jaw reminds me that pissing him off is never in my best interest.I definitely fucked up.
He’s on me in the next second, shoving my back against the wall of the studio. His left hand presses against the wall beside my head while the other grips my waist tightly. “You, of all people, should know better,” he growls. I feel a shiver move through my body, reminding me of the torture this man is capable of. I’ve seen it. I’ve felt it.
The smirk returns to his face as he says, “Why do you look so frightened,Malyshka?” My eyes widen at the pet name that only Alexie calls me. “See, I know your nicknames too.” The hand that was on my waist releases me as he slowly brushes his fingers up my arm.
I try to move away from his touch, but his body is angled, so I’m trapped against him. “Please, let me go.”
He continues to brush his fingers up and down my arm. “Please? If only you were always this well-mannered, we could have been having so much morefun.” His emphasis on the word ’fun’ creates a pit in my stomach.
Using my entire body, I push at him trying to create more space between us. He stumbles back a few steps before regaining his balance. I’m only able to get a few feet away before his hand tangles in my hair, and I’m slammed back against the side of the building. “Fuck!” I shout as my head hits the brick wall.
“You know I love when they fight back. Do you really think it’s that easy to get away from me?” he snarls at me. My head’s throbbing, and the back of my shoulders are definitely bleeding from being scraped against the rough stone. His whole body is pressed against me, and I feel his hot breath on my cheek.
“Natalia, you must know the effect you have on me. I could do things to you that your arrogant little Prince could only dream of,” he says, dragging his lips down the side of my neck.
“Ivan, get off of me! Andrei will kill you!” He doesn’t let up.Why is this happening?
“Andrei? Kill me?” He laughs. The only time I’ve heard Ivan laugh is when he’s torturing someone or blowing something up.Sick fuck.“That old fuck wouldn’t dare stand against me. He may be in charge by title, but let’s not forget who does therealwork around here.”
He’s right, I truly don’t believe Andrei would go after Ivan even if he did kill me. Ivan has always been given a long leash. Andrei often turns the other cheek when Ivan does something he isn’t supposed to, such as torturing an innocent person just for fun. Ivan does a lot of the dirty work for Andrei, but it’s the work Ivan loves.
The creek of the studio door opening breaks through my rapidly growing panic. “Natalia, are you alright? You’re late to class,” my dance instructor’s soft voice comes from the doorway a few feet away.
Ivan releases my hair, taking a few steps back. He looks directly at my instructor before saying, “Why don’t you mind your fucking business and go back inside. Natalia’s just fine, aren’t you?” His eyes shift back over to me.
This could be my only opportunity to get out of this situation. “Actually, I need to get to class. I’m sure we can resume this conversation later.” I hurriedly move to the door still being held open by Meryl. Ivan’s eyes track me the entire way until I’m standing in the doorway.
Ivan continues to stand there, unmoving. “I’ll see you later,” comes from him in a sinister voice as he turns and starts walking away.
Meryl and I quickly go inside, and she asks if I’m okay. I tell her everything is fine and it was just a misunderstanding. She doesn’t need to get dragged into this more than she already has.
Dance class goes by too quickly. Katia and I are drenched in sweat by the time we leave the studio. As we walk out, I can see Alexie leaning against his car, waiting for us. I messaged him before starting class to make sure he knew about the confrontation with Ivan. Glancing around the parking lot, I realize my car’s gone, and I know instantly that Alexie had someone come get it so he could drive me home.
I give Katia a hug goodbye since she has to work a shift tonight. Pulling away from her, I spot Alexie leaning against his Jeep Gladiator. He smiles at me when notices me approaching. Opening my door for me, I slide in and buckle my seatbelt. Alexie gets in the already running car and pulls out of the parking lot. “Don’t worry about Ivan. I made sure he’ll stay away from you,” Alexie says, and I don’t bother asking how he pulled that off.
Fifteen minutes later, Alexie stops outside my favorite Italian bistro to pick up a to-go order for our dinner. Once we’re back on the road, there’s adingthat comes from my bag. Pulling out my phone, I see a message.
Ivan: He only told me to stay away from you
“Turn around!” I yell, my voice panicked.
“What are you talking about?” Alexie asks.
“We need to go back to the studio now!” I hold up my phone to show Alexie the message.
He pulls a u-turn in the middle of the highway, not worrying about the oncoming traffic. We are only a few minutes away from the studio, but I can already see the black smoke curling up into the air. “Oh, my god! What did he do?”But I already know.
As we get closer to the studio, traffic is being blocked off and redirected, so we get out of the car and continue on foot. A couple of blocks away, I can see part of the studio is on fire. But only a part of the studio, because the other half is blown apart. I take off running towards the studio, fear rushing through me and making my heart pump faster.
