Anastasia
I can’t help the dreamy smile that’s plastered on my face. Luigi is amazing, and I know it’s a bad idea to get involved with him, but when he touches me, I feel like a thousand sparks of electricity shoot from my body.
We shared a kiss when we reached the house. I think about it as I become more aware of where I am, which is my father’s domain, and I move silently through the back from the beach to the house.
As I walk in, the kitchen light flicks on, and I jump. My father is sitting there, drinking a whiskey.
“What were you doing out on the beach this late?” he asks, raising an eyebrow at me.
I keep my face as straight as possible. “I couldn’t sleep. I wanted some fresh air.”
“I told you not to leave without a guard. Make sure it doesn’t happen again.” He stands up, and I step forward, my head held high.
“You’d be surprised to learn I can take of myself,” I say defiantly.
“Ana,” he sighs as he walks to the doorway, “if you really want a chance to lead this family, the first thing you need to do is grow up and learn to play by the rules.”
“I thought the whole point of being this powerful was that we make the rules,” I scoff.
“Do you even see how childish you are? Go to bed. No more nighttime wanderings.” He leaves, and I shiver slightly. The joy and ecstasy I felt in Luigi’s arms are gone, replaced by the longing for a father who understands me.
I go back to my room and shower, getting into bed and curling up, thinking about the little smirk of the man-child.
I wake up and sigh. My body isn’t aching as much as it did the first time.
I wake up to the sound of knocking on my door. “Up Ana, you must go shopping with Tori for tonight.”
I groan. “I’ll be out now.”
I hear his footsteps recede, and I slump off to the shower.
Shopping with Tori is fun, as usual, and very casual, but today we spend the whole day out instead of just a few hours. My little brother is running Tori off her feet while I have to message Luigi and tell him we can’t meet like normal. I also mention that I can’t wait for tonight for our plan to come together.
We take Roman for ice cream, and on the way home, he falls asleep. I’m surprised but appreciate the quiet.
“You okay?” Tori asks, glancing at me.
“I’m fine. Why?” I ask, looking back at her.
She shrugs her shoulders, shifting Roman in her arms as she does so. “You haven’t spoken much today.”
“I’m just exhausted,” I say with a small smile.
“Well, we’re running late, and you know your father is going to moan, so best we get ready quick,” she grins as we pull into the property.
The staff meet us by the car and help us carry our things inside. I take my bags to my room and immediately start getting ready.
I wear a gown, but it won’t be for long, I had packed appropriate clothes for the street party and had slipped it into Luigi’s vehicle. After fixing my hair and makeup, I grab my purse and walk out of my room.
My father and Tori are standing in the front room with Roman, waiting for me. My father looks at me, and there’s something in his eyes. He looks like he’s mad at me.
I get distracted when I hear a car pull up outside. It’s most likely Luigi. He comes to the front door and knocks.
“Enter,” my father says coldly.
Luigi comes in with a polite smile, looking a little humble, and gives my father a polite nod. “Mr. Volkov. Thank you for inviting me tonight. It is an honor to escort Ana to the theater.”
Tori and I look at my father, surprised, as he says, “Your company won’t be needed. I’ve arranged for one of my men to escort my daughter. I think it’s best you go home.”
I clench my fists. “What the…”
“Don’t even,” my father’s glare silences me quickly. “The boy is to go home, or I’ll be phoning Alessandro to add insubordination to the list.” “To the list?” Tori asks, looking between Luigi and her husband.
I can’t take it and snap, “Then I’m not going to the stupid theater show with you. You can rot in hell.”
My father is so fast I don’t even see where he gets the gun from. He cocks it and points it at Luigi’s head, and the room falls silent. “I know what you did last night when you thought you were being so sneaky. You need to stop acting like a Prima Donna,” my father hisses at me.
“Ivan!” Tori shouts. “That’s my brother!”
“Enough!” My father yells and looks directly at me. “I have spent a lifetime protecting you from people like him. You’re lucky I don’t shoot him now. Alessandro will deal with him, so off he fucks. I’ll deal with you.”
Luigi looks at us with wide eyes. His hands raised slightly in surrender.
The tears start rolling down my cheek, and I hang my head.
“You can’t be head of this family,” my father says in a dark, quiet tone, “if you’re going to cry over a boy.”
He turns to Luigi, lowering his gun. “Leave before I change my mind. You are never to see my daughter ever again.”
Luigi glances at me and turns, walking out of the house. There is no question that my father will kill him on the spot. I glare at my father with a hatred I’ve only ever known for my mother’s killer.
“I forgave you when your position as the Phakan got my mother killed in front of me, but I will not forgive you for treating me like some puppet.”
My father puts his gun away and calmly explains, “If you’re not coming with us, a guard will remain here with you.”
“Don’t bother with a guard,” Tori snarls, “because Roman and I aren’t going either.” She walks to me and takes my hand, holding my brother on her hip. She pauses, then looks back at Ivan. “Don’t ever threaten my brother again, or I will get involved.”
She leads me back to my room, hands my brother to his nanny, and then shuts my door.
“Ana! You should know better than to do something so open. Discretion is the key to surviving families like us.” She’s lecturing me, and bitterness bubbles inside of me.
“You’re not my mother, don’t lecture me,” I mumble, sitting on the bed.
Tori sits next to me. She nods. “I know, but I have come to love you, if not like a daughter, at least like a friend. You have to accept you’re a princess in our world that needs to know Luigi Sorvino is just a playboy. He’s immature about everything except work.”
“We’re just friends,” I mutter, not meeting her eyes.
“Are you sure about that?” she asks me gently.
“I’m not open to dating.” Now I look into her eyes. “I want power, not love.”
I hate the sad smile that fixes itself on her face. “I was the same way before I met your father.” She stands, and halfway across the room, she pauses. “You’re welcome to hang out with us ’cause I’m not going out either.”
“I’d rather not,” I murmur.
She smiles at me sadly again and then leaves, shutting my door behind her. I wait for her footsteps to recede. I glance out my window-my father’s car is gone, and I know he wouldn’t miss an event because of a family feud.
I take out my phone and furiously type a message to Luigi.
I’m sorry my father tried to kill you.
We are still on for tonight! Right?
His little typing dots come up instantly, and I read his reply with trepidation.
Alessandro wants to see me.
Once I’m done with him, where shall I meet you?
L x
I breathe a sigh of relief.
Outside my family church. Drive round the back.
X
He sends a thumbs up, and I get changed. Instead of a gown, I wear more conservative Sunday dress clothes. I take a deep breath and walk to the living room where Tori is reading. Roman is playing on the floor.
She looks up at me and raises an eyebrow. “Yes?’
“I want to go to night mass,” I say. “Since the only places my father approves of is this house and church.”
Tori turns back to her book. “That’s kind of weird, but sure. Do me one favor and don’t stay out late with my brother. Get home before your father, or he will suspect you’re together, and that won’t help anyone.” I don’t acknowledge her words. I leave.
The guards don’t stop me. I think Tori may have told them to stand down.
I will remember that.
Luigi
After arriving at my cousin’s house-my Don’s house-I sit in my car for a moment. I can see Dominic is here because his car is parked not far from mine.
Great.
He’s always the hardest on me.
I enter the house and take a deep breath. I stand tall as I walk into Alessandro’s office. Dominic is sitting near the door and instantly comes to me. He moves next to me, raises his hand and slaps my head so hard that I jerk forward.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he growls. “Playing around with the daughter of Ivan Volkov?”
I don’t reach for the back of my head because Dominic will get angrier at a sign of weakness. I glare at him. “It wasn’t anything serious.
Everyone is blowing this out of proportion. It’s not like we’re in love.”
“That’s even…” Dominic roars, but Alessandro silences him by lifting his hand.
“Enough,” he says. “Have a drink, Dom.’
My cousin goes to the mini-bar while Alessandro scrutinizes me. I feel a pang of guilt. I feel like I’ve betrayed him, a man who has always protected me and helped me in life. He’s like the big brother I never had.
Alessandro sighs and rubs a hand over the stubble on his face. “You’re placing the unity of our two families in jeopardy.” He stands up. “If you’re not happy anymore, if New York is boring you, I can move you to the West Coast with Shirley and Pierce. They will have their uses for you.”
I frown. “May I speak freely?”
“I wouldn’t,” Dominic says to me, raising an eyebrow.
Alessandro shoots him another dark look but nods toward me. “You can speak freely.”
I take a deep breath. “All my life, I’ve been loyal to this family. To Nonno, to Zio Romero, and then to you. From the moment I could form a fist, I became a soldier for this family in one way or another.”
“Is there a point to this?” he asks, staring into my eyes.
“I have done everything you have all asked of me. What have I done now? That you or Dominic or Frankie haven’t already done? What danger have I put our family in that all of you haven’t already?”
“What we did was for love,” Alessandro says. “And you said you two don’t love each other.” “We don’t…”
He cuts me off, “It’s one thing to love someone from another family. It’s an entirely different issue to mess around with someone who is the daughter and heir to the most powerful Russian family.”
I want to speak back, but his sigh stops me. It’s like a knife cutting into me. He sits back at his table. “No more seeing each other until further notice.”
“Alessandro…”
“I mean it, Luigi. No sitting together on Sundays, no messaging each other on social media and absolutely no sneaking off to secret locations to shack up.” He looks at me seriously until I nod.
“Yes, Don. May I leave?” The words are colder than I intend, and I see something, emotion, flash in his eyes. Not anger, more like a disappointment.
Alessandro waves his hand. “Go, and stay out of trouble. Dominic, you can stay. Back off Luigi.”
Dominic’s eyes meet mine, and I see the anger there. I leave without another word, trying to remain calm as I go to my car. I slam the door, just a little, in a childish attempt to express my anger. I rev my car and reverse one-eighty, so I’m facing the gate. It opens, and I am soon flying through traffic at top speed. I check my phone and see messages from Ana.
She’s explained where in the back I must park. I play a voice note she has sent. She is in a car, obviously on her way to the church.
“Hi, Luigi. I found this secret exit at the back of the church when I was a little girl so no one will see me leaving. The priest will cover for us, don’t worry.”
The sound of her voice drives my defiance. I have an inherent desire to prove to Alessandro and Ivan that Ana and I can do great things together. Mateo is a threat to both our families, especially since he is in league with that sleazy Irish politician hellbent on overthrowing my cousin.
Mateo and the politician both have to be dealt with.
I’m a little hyped up as I wait outside the church. It feels like forever is passing, and we’re going to be late, but every time I glance at my watch, barely any time has passed. I glance up when I see some movement, and sure enough, Ana comes out of the bushes nearby. She pulls off her church clothes right there, and I sit up, but she’s wearing her street party clothes underneath. She opens the door and climbs in.
“You look perfect,” I smile at her. The outfit is revealing and sexy. I would be lying if I said I didn’t love it.
“Obviously, I do. We’re going to a party,” she buckles in. “Let’s go, we have to be back before my father, or we’re both dead.”
I drive us to upper East Harlem. The streets are packed with cars, and it takes a while to find a parking spot. We join a throng of people making their way to the party. We’re already late. I’m praying we haven’t missed the speech yet, or we’ll have to improvise.
I take Ana’s hand, and we go from stall to stall, pretending to be interested along with everyone else. There’s a round of applause, and we glance at the stage. We start to walk toward it, along with the crowd. We reach the front of the stage and see a man in a suit walk up and across the stage.
“Welcome! Welcome! It’s delightful to see so many wonderful voting residents out here tonight. Now, this man has done so much for the East Harlem community I doubt he needs an introduction. He does, however, need to join me to receive his community award.” It’s the Irish politician I was supposed to take out for Alessandro.
He looks down and meets my surprised gaze, but what worries me is the smile that spreads across his face. I immediately take Ana’s hand and lead her through the crowd, apologizing as we go. I don’t want to draw attention, but I also know we need to get out of here as soon as possible.
We’re almost to the edge of the crowd, ready to break free, when a large Mexican man steps out, arms folded in front of his body. He smirks at me, and I know he works for Mateo.
I smirk back and raise my gun, firing it suddenly.
He is taken by surprise as everyone screams and starts running. I’m jostled back and forth, holding tightly onto Ana’s hand, when suddenly it’s ripped from me. I look around desperately for her. I fight my way through the crowd.
“Anastasia?” I shout. “Ana? Where are you?”
Over the panic, I hear my name being screamed, and I follow the sound.
Ana is being dragged to a car, the back door is open, and Mateo Catalan is sitting inside with an evil smile on his face.
I hand-delivered Ana to them.
I force my way through the crowd toward them.
“Ana!” I shout, and the guards turn and fire in my direction. I duck down as more panic ensues, and I realize they are shooting above my head not to hit any of the people. Mateo can’t look bad.
I get up and try to move against the sea of bodies that slowly disperses. Ana is dragged into the car, her panicked eyes locked on mine as a guard shuts the door, and the car pulls off.
“Fuck!” I swear. I turn and run with the crowd. I need to put distance between me and the guards. If I’m not free, no one will know where to start looking for her. I won’t be able to save her.
I run down the street, cop cars screeching by with sirens blaring. I hurry to my car and climb in.
I look at my phone for a moment and realize I don’t know who to call. I don’t dare call her father. He’ll kill me before he even looks for her. I can’t call Dominic; he’ll probably kill me too.
I swallow and sigh.
I select Alessandro’s name and hit dial.
“Luigi? What’s wrong?”
“Alessandro, you know how you told me to stay away from Ana?” I say, trying to keep calm.
“Luigi, tell me you didn’t do something stupid?”
“She’s been taken by Mateo Catalan, and I need help to get her back.”
Alessandro remains so quiet that for a moment, I think the line has gone dead, but he soon says, “Get your ass here, right now.”