Page 4 of Sacred Vow

“We are twenty-two and single. Staying home on a Friday night is basically a crime.” She winks and looks around the club.

“I thought you liked being single.”

“Oh, I love it.” She nods. “I have no intention of changing it, but a few dates with a nice guy wouldn’t hurt.” She goes back to her search.

She turns around toward another part of the dance floor and nudges me.

“Shit. I didn’t think he’d be here.” Concern laces Marlena’s voice.

I follow her line of sight to a figure stepping out of one of the rooms upstairs. It’s too dark to see his features, but the build is right. His hand swipes over his suit jacket, finding the button and buttoning it with one hand.

My stomach clenches. I have to be wrong. Please let me be wrong.

“Who is that?” I ask, my throat drying.

“That is Andrei Petrov,” Marlena says. “He owns the club.”

Electric fear shoots up my spine. Andrei is here. This is his club.

He hated night clubs. Why the hell does he own one?

I should be running, but I can’t seem to get my eyes off of him. Now that he isn’t right on top of me with his arrogant anger, I can appreciate him better. His hair is a little longer than years ago. I hadn’t noticed it the other day.

Andrei gets to the elevator, hits the button, then turns around to look down at the crowd. At his kingdom.

“Andrei Petrov owns this club.” I say the words, forcing them to register in my brain. Maybe that will get my feet to move and get me the hell out of here. I’d been able to get away from him the other day. I’m not confident he’s going to let me just walk away a second time.

“Yeah.” Marlena looks to me. “Izzy, what’s wrong?”

I bring my glass to my lips but find it empty.

“I think we should go,” I say, still keeping my gaze glued to his form.

The elevator doors open behind him, but he doesn’t move. He’s still surveying the crowd.

A lightning bolt of energy strikes through me as his eyes find me. He’s still a good distance away, but I can feel his stare. The little hairs on the back of my neck stand up and dance along with the music. His hands tighten on the railing until his knuckles go white.

Even from here, in the dim lighting, I can see the tic in his jaw.

“Why? What’s wrong?” Marlena wraps her arm around my waist, pulling me toward her.

Andrei turns around, hitting the elevator call button again and the doors open for him. Does the whole world just do what the man commands the moment he commands it?

“Do you know him?” More alarm sounds in her voice.

“No.” I swallow. “Not anymore.”

Once he disappears into the elevator, I lose track of him. The crowd blocks the elevator doors on this floor; for all I know, he could be walking out the front door.

My stomach flutters. A single glass of Prosecco isn’t going to cut it. I should have gotten something stronger, something that would ignite some bravado in me.

“I think we should go,” I repeat the best idea I’ve had tonight.

“All right. Yeah, let’s leave,” she says, putting her empty glass on the high-top table.

I spin around, ready to battle the crowd to get out of the club as quickly as we can and come eyes to chest with three security guards. Marlena maneuvers away from them to stand beside me. Other patrons have backed away but are hanging close by to watch what happens.

“Isolde Madson?” The one in the middle, with a Marine haircut, stares down at me. He didn’t even raise his voice and I can hear him over the thump of the music.

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