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Chapter 9
Aurora
I quickly climb to my feet, and keeping my head held high, I watch with a thundering heart as Misha heads up the stairs.
It’s now clear Misha is loyal to the bratva and mafia and sees me as his enemy.
My heart cracks in half. The stupid thing still had hope until Misha practically choked the air from me. My fingers lift to the tender skin where I can still feel his strangling grip.
I can’t believe he hurt me.
“Are you okay?” Abbie asks, her features torn with anger.
I dust my dress off and notice how my hands are trembling. “I’ve been better.”
She inspects my neck, then she hisses, “The fucker, he left red marks on you.”
Locking eyes with my friend, I admit, “I’m so freaking confused. I can’t tell if he’s still attracted to me or whether he’ll enjoy nothing more than to end my life.”
Abbie wraps an arm around me and nudges me into the foyer. As we walk to the stairs, she says, “Yeah, I’m not so sure about this guy. I think it would be best if you ignored him.”
“Ten minutes ago, you were cheering me on,” I scold her.
When we reach my suite, I swipe the card and shove the door open.
“But the dude stares at you every chance he gets.” She throws her hands in the air, shaking her head. “Maybe he’s crazy? Who the hell knows.”
“One second, I’m heartbroken about losing my dream, and the next, there’s a flicker of hope. This will drive me crazy.” I kick off my heels and slump down on one of the sofas. “I’m going to keep my distance. It’s the best thing to do.”
“Yeah,” Abbie sighs as she sits down.
I watch as she picks up the earpiece of the phone and dials a number. “Who are you calling?”
“We need comfort food, aka all things sweet,” she mumbles, then her voice perks up as she orders half the damn menu.
When she ends the call, I remind her, “We just had dinner.” “I was too busy flirting with Nikolai to eat.”
“About that.” I raise an eyebrow at her. “You want to see his weapon? I almost died when you said that.”
Abbie starts to laugh. “The look on his face was priceless.”
“Yeah, and I have a feeling he’s going to torture us in combat class.”
She just shrugs as she takes off her heels. “Are we sleeping here tonight or in my suite?”
I let out a sigh. “You don’t have to spend the night with me.”
Abbie gives me a serious look. “I want to. You’ve taken one hell of a blow today, and I’m not leaving your side.”
Standing up, I walk to the sofa Abbie is on. I sit down and lean my head on her shoulder. “Thank you for being my best friend.”
“Hey, you’re the only person on this planet willing to put up with my craziness.”
The corner of my mouth lifts. “I love your craziness. It keeps things interesting.”
Silence falls between us, and Abbie takes hold of my hand, lacing our fingers. More seconds pass, then she asks, “How are you really doing?”
I shake my head, and instantly the emotion pushes up my throat. Turning my face to Abbie, I wrap my arms around her, hating that I’m crying over a man.
“I’ve got you, Ra-Ra,” she whispers.
“I just hate that my dream ended like this,” I sob. “After that night and how wonderful he was…” I wipe a stray tear from my cheek and take a deep breath. My voice quivers as I continue, “And giving him my first and only kiss, I was so hopeful we’d meet again and pick up where we left off.”
“First and only kiss?” she gasps.
I chuckle through the tears as I sit up. Wiping at my cheeks, I mutter, “Yeah, I kinda lied to you. Eduardo never kissed me.”
During a game of spin the bottle, I ended up in a closet with Abbie’s cousin. We made a deal to say we kissed because he was interested in another girl, and I wasn’t ready.
Abbie’s eyes widen at me, and she blinks a couple of times.
Just then, there’s a knock at the door. She holds her pointer finger up at me. “This conversation will continue.”
While Abbie opens the door to receive all the food she ordered, I go to my room and undress. I put on a comfy pair of shorts and a t-shirt and place a set on the bed for Abbie.
After I’ve removed my jewelry, I head into the bathroom. I’m busy wiping the makeup from my face when I hear Abbie in the bedroom. “Are these shorts for me?”
“Yeah. After you’ve changed, come wash your face. You can’t sleep with makeup on.”
“Yes, Mom,” she calls back.
I let out a chuckle, then my eyes lock on my neck, and I see the red marks Misha left on my skin.
The blow hits hard and unexpectedly. It’s difficult to believe the man I’ve had a crush on for so long hurt me.
The realization is a bitter pill to swallow.
I think back to when he cut off my air supply and threatened me. There was no warmth in his blue eyes but only icy danger.
Tonight I saw the bratva enforcer and not the man who ripped his shirt apart to stop my wound from bleeding.
Lifting my shirt, I look at the scar stretching from my hip to my ribs. The scar never bothered me because it was a reminder that night was real and not a fantasy my overactive imagination had conjured up.
“You okay?” Abbie asks as she walks into the bathroom and comes to stand next to me.
“Yeah.” I reach for the toner and dab some on my face while Abbie removes her makeup.
“So,” she says, “your first and only kiss? Why didn’t you tell me?”
I shrug, pouring a couple of drops of serum into my palm. Working the nourishing liquid into my skin, I answer, “I don’t know. You’re way more experienced than me. I felt it would be silly talking about a kiss.”
Abbie scowls at me. “That’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever said.”
“Ugh, I know.” I give her a remorseful look. “Honestly, the night felt so surreal. Half the time, it was hard for me to believe it actually happened.”
“Was the kiss at least good?” she asks.
I nod, a tiny smile tugging at my lips. “It was perfect.” I let out a huff as I reach for my moisturizing cream. “That’s what makes this all so confusing. It’s like the Misha from that night and the Misha we saw today are two totally different men.”
“You have to remember,” Abbie says while wiping her hands on a towel, “he’s loyal to Viktor Vetrov and Luca Cotroni. You don’t just turn
your back on the bratva and mafia, and you certainly don’t do it for a woman.”
“You’re right.”
Heading to the living room, I watch as Abbie loads a plate with chocolate-coated strawberries, all flavors of macaroons, and a massive red velvet cupcake.
“Anyway, I’m over him,” I mention as I steal a pistachio-flavored macaroon off her plate.
I might not believe the words coming out of my mouth, but I’m determined to make it a reality. The man left red marks on my neck, and if that’s not a red flag, then I don’t know what is.
Anger bubbles in my chest just at the thought of how he treated me.
Abbie bites into the cupcake, her gaze searching my face. After she’s swallowed, she says, “It’s for the best. You’re from two completely different worlds.”
“Are we?” I ask. “We’re both from mafia families.”
Abbie scrunches her nose. “Besides the criminal world, I mean. You’re on opposing sides.” The corner of her mouth lifts, but the smile looks sad. “Romeo and Juliet.”
I let out a sigh. “Yeah, and we both know how that story turned out.” Changing the subject, I ask, “Are you really going to pursue Nikolai?”
She shakes her head while picking up a strawberry. “Nah, I just like ruffling his feathers.”
Relieved, I help myself to another macaroon. “We should focus on our training. If we’re going head-to-head with the bratva, we need to know how to fight them.”
“Among other things,” she mumbles around a mouthful. “My father expects me to take over the business.” She lets out a worried chuckle. “Can
you imagine me running the empire? I can’t even kill an ant, never mind a human being.”
“That makes two of us,” I sigh.
Silence falls between us, and our worry tightens the air. It’s one thing training and a completely different thing controlling hundreds of soldiers and running a criminal empire.
I have no idea what the future holds, but it doesn’t look as rosy anymore.