Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 94024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
I was running out of time.
This year I would need to choose.
This year would be the year my adopted dad would find out and force me to make a choice.
I downed the wine in one gulp.
“Gulping wine, how savage of you,” came Andrei Petrov’s rough voice from behind me.
I steeled my expression, chased away the easy-going smile and wink for the cameras as I shed every last emotion and turned to give the boss of both the Russian Petrov Family and the Italian Sinacore Family a cold look.
“Vodka does go down better,” I commented.
“That’s the spirit.” He put his hand on my shoulder and gripped until his fingers dug into my muscle so miserably hard that I winced.
Sick bastard liked to torture people by dangling them in a fucking tiger cage; the last thing I wanted was to get on his bad side.
“Did you need something?” I asked in a bored tone, jerking out of his reach.
Those passing by gave us a wide berth, their ill-concealed whispers drifting to my ears.
“Monster…”
“Murderer…”
And then, of course, “Gorgeous,” from a few women who watched with rapt fascination even though he was married.
“A favor.” He licked his lips and grinned over my head.
Slowly, I turned.
There she was in all her stunning glory, dancing with her father and smiling. Violet Abandonato, my mission, my curse, the one woman I wasn’t allowed to touch, like the pretty crystal you save for special occasions, the silver you only polish during Christmas.
I might as well be dirt beneath her fingernails.
Chase shot me a wink that just dripped with fake enthusiasm.
I nearly flipped him off in return.
“What’s this favor have to do with?”
“Some… associates.”
“So, some assholes? Awesome, where do I sign up?”
“Rich assholes.” He grabbed a glass of wine from a passing waiter. “It won’t take long. My sources say a group of women were trafficked from Europe late last night. They’ll bring them to the club as per usual. I’ll try to get as many away as possible and as for the remaining ones…”
Bile rose in my throat. “Can’t save them all.”
“I’ll let them choose, I always do.”
They either chose service or death.
The only choices given, so it didn’t look suspicious, so Andrei could control the trafficking underworld without as much of a hint of goodness. They had to believe he was the demon he claimed to be when people closest to him knew best—he was their dark knight—their savior.
The ones that stayed weren’t allowed to be beaten, but being sold in prostitution, no matter how high profile, wasn’t usually what little girls grew up wanting to pursue.
“Wish I could help, but I’m on babysitting duty.”
Violet did another twirl with her dad. The lights overhead caught the shine in her hair, which was pulled into a bun so tight that I wondered if she had a throbbing headache. Diamonds dripped from her ears, sparkling with each turn, and her white form-fitting strapless dress did nothing to hide the curves I was itching to palm.
Andrei snorted. “Perfect little Violet looks ready to run away screaming. One day she’ll snap. I hope it’s you who gets to see it happen.”
I cursed. “Are you insinuating that I should bring her to your club, where several high-profile people will be bidding on women? Are you insane? Besides, they know who she is.”
Andrei rolled his eyes. “Nothing happens in my club without my permission. We’ll let her sit at the bar and drink away her sorrows.”
“Yes, because that won’t make Chase want to murder me, getting his daughter drunk on guard duty,” I spat.
“Grow a pair,” Andrei growled and then crooked his finger at Violet.
She seemed relieved that the devil wanted to chat with her.
Never thought I’d see the day when Violet was happy to see Andrei. He was like the horror story you tell small children, the monster who lived under your bed, the demon that hovered over your lifeless body at night.
She gave her dad a kiss on the cheek and then made her way over to us. Her perma-smile made my face hurt.
“Gentleman.” She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed Andrei once on each cheek and then gave me a cold stare.
Deserved.
She hated that the one guy who got under her skin, the one person who knew her better than she knew herself, was forced to watch her while she pretended to be what Chase needed her to be. I swear every single time I stole a heated glance in her direction, I prayed she’d remember our first kiss or dry humping like idiots with raging hormones in her dad’s pool house.
I blew her a kiss and winked.
She clenched her teeth like she wanted to bite me and then turned her attention to Andrei, flashing him a shiny bright smile. “Did you need something?”
“I think…” Andrei grinned. “…it’s you who needs something. We’re going to let you escape, though you’ll need to make a small detour at the club.”