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“Nenorocitul dracului! You fucking bastard! Where is she?” Bogdan always reverted to Romanian when he was angry.
“She’s safe, and she’ll stay that way unless any of the Guzuns get in my way.” His gaze seared Vanya. “Especially her.”
Stepping around Bogdan, he walked toward the exit of the torture chamber.
“Make sure they all know Zafira Guzun’s life is in their own hands.” He turned away, the words chasing after him as he strode off. “One more thing. Tell Arian to be careful who he trusts. In this fucked up game, no one is who they claim to be.”
“Including you, you fucking bastard.” Vanya’s furious sneer checked his stride.
He stopped and turned. His gaze bore into her with an enigmatic intensity. The stare felt like it stretched into eternity, imprisoning her in a moment of profound tension. His eyes, at first shrouded in mysterious darkness, yielded to a fleeting smile that softened their stark allure. In a silent acknowledgment, he gracefully inclined his head before pivoting on his heels. The words trailed behind him, their faint echoes making them difficult to discern even amid the silence of the room.
“Yes, Vanya,especiallyme.”
Chapter Five
Chateau VanZun Winery on the banks of the Dniester River, Dubasari, Moldova…
“Who the fuck does he think he is?!” Like a hammer to a nail, Vanya’s rage slammed into the singularity of each word as she stomped through the double doors of her villa. She wheeled around to jab an accusing finger into Bogdan’s chest.
“How could you let him just waltz away like that? The fucker skipped off as you cowered. Do you suddenly tremble in the presence of the mighty Red Bratva Pakhan?”
Unfazed by the scathing insult, the imposing man gently pulled the door shut behind him.
“Your anger is misplaced, young lady.” His rebuke stole the lingering silence in the room. “Need I remind you that if you had returned home directly, we wouldn’t be having this conversation?”
“Gmphf!” Unrepentant, Vanya marched toward the bar. Seizing an open bottle of pure grain vodka, she quickly flooded a shot glass when it was slap-sticked down the polished mahogany by a big hand.
“Hey!Blyad’, Bogdan,” she protested. “Don’t you ever fucking do that again. That is pure grain vodka! No! Give it back to—”
Bogdan checked her right cross while dumping out the liter of Beluga vodka into the sink. His eyes flashed.
“I’m here to assist you in drying yourself out, and as I’ve been assured by your own words, you willingly committed to this process,” he said evenly. “I don’t see the point in dragging it out any longer, do you?”
“Just one final shot, Bogdan. After that bastard whipped me…” A forlorn sob escaped her lips. “I need it for strength. Then we start, I promise.”
“We’ve already begun,” Bogdan countered, his gaze sweeping over the well-stocked bar shelves. “Do I need to remove all of these, Vanya, or are you going to behave and keep the promise you made to Arian?”
With her shoulders slumping, she lowered herself onto a barstool, then winced as her sore buttocks met the unforgiving wood seat.
The abuse she sustained from the recent whippings would linger for days and serve as a painful reminder of Andrei Smirnoff’s complete indifference to the power of the Guzun Bratva. He had brazenly invaded their territory and dared to whip her. For that, he was going to pay.
And I’ll make damn sure he suffers greatly. Oh, yes. He’ll be sorry he ever stepped foot in Club Extaz!
“Vanya?” Bogdan prodded her for a response.
“Leave the booze where it is, and I’ll clean up the mess. Besides, it’ll test my willpower by making me hang around a fully stocked bar. If I can’t withstand the temptation, then I’ll know I’m not ready to make the effort.”
“This time, you went overboard, Princess. It’s not going to be as easy as before.”
Cringing, Vanya nodded. Bogdan was right. The past few weeks had been a nightly descent into alcohol and cocaine-fueled debauchery in an attempt to numb the pain and guilt she felt over the assassination attempt that had nearly put her mother at death’s door. That, compounded by Arian’s anger over her reckless behavior, had pushed her right to the edge. Checking out was the easy part. It was living that scared the shit out of her.
“All the more reason to challenge myself.” Raising her bloodshot eyes and in a broken voice, she whispered, “I failed my mother, Bogdan. I have to make it right. I have to do this. Iwillsucceed… and quickly.”
His rugged face bore the marks of a life filled with challenges, but his eyes were soft with concern as he looked down at Vanya.
“I’m happy that you came to your senses and are ready to face what you’ve been running from. You can’t drown your guilt in alcohol and drugs forever. Your family needs you, and most importantly, your mother needs you.”
Vanya turned her head away, unable to meet Bogdan’s gaze. The memory of Andrei Smirnoff’s betrayal and his attempt on her mother’s life haunted her every day. No matter that she didn’t believe him to be her supposed half-brother. She had given him her love. She had trusted him. In the end, he shattered her heart.
