Page 8 of Bound By Longing

But I’m not safe anywhere.

I lie in bed, thinking about Vladimir. I can’t get his strange face out of my mind. What would he do if he got his hands on me? I shudder at the thought.

I toss and turn for hours, unable to fall asleep. With a sigh, I get out of bed and stare at the garden from my window. Maybe fresh air would do me good.

Sneaking out of my room and down the stairs so Vik and Aleksander can’t hear me, I head outside. I suck in a deep breath, taking in that amazing cool night air. Winter is getting close. Only about a month until it arrives. I always loved the snow back in New York. It made the city look so pristine. I wonder if it will do the same to Moscow.

A thud comes from around the side of the house. Frowning, I follow the noise.

And what I see makes me freeze. The guard, Gregor, is lying on the ground, unmoving, as blood seeps from his head. I open my mouth to scream when a hand clamps down over my lips.

I gasp as I’m pulled against a warm body.

“I was told to get you.” It’s Vladimir. “I have come for you now, Mila.” I feel something hard press against my back. “I will shoot you if you scream.”

It’s a gun. I have a gun to my back. I whimper and squeeze my eyes shut. Not again. I knew I wasn’t safe. I should never have left the house. Despite having a guard keep an eye on the house, it was pointless. I knew danger was coming for me.

The dangerous men of the Bratva would never stop until one of them got me.

And now, one of them has.

“Come along,” Vladimir says, pushing me forward. I can't hold back my tears as I stumble. I could try screaming, but that wasn’t a guarantee Vik would hear me. I don’t know Vladimir. I don’t know what he’s capable of.

He may want me because Gleb said he could have me, but that doesn’t mean he’s opposed to killing me.

Vladimir leads me down the street and to a car, which he forces me into. I try to scramble out the door, but it’s locked. He turns the car on and guns it, driving fast away from Vik’s home. It gets smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. Vik won’t know who took me. I’ll never be found again.

VIKTORIYA

I wake up in the night, my heart pounding from the nightmare. In the nightmare, I was kidnapped and murdered.

I glance over at Alek, who’s sleeping soundlessly beside me. How can he be so at peace? Then I remember—he’s a man. The world of the Bratva doesn’t affect him as it does my sisters and me.

Thinking of Mila makes me get out of bed and check on her. She told me to trust my gut, and I am. When I open the door to her bedroom, all my worst fears come to a reality.

She’s not there.

I hurry downstairs and check the entire house just to make sure.

She’s not there.

Rushing back to Alek, I wake him up.

“What is it?” he groans.

“Mila’s gone.”

DAMIEN

Her blonde hair falls beautifully down her back as she arches, showing off her tits. I lean back in my seat, spreading my legs wide and taking a sip of my martini.

Giselle, a dancer at my club, is my favorite. A blend of innocence and utter naughtiness. We both know her innocence is just an act. We’ve fucked enough times for me to know she’s an expert.

My club is quiet. We’re the only ones here. Most nights, I struggle to fall asleep, so I come to my club and get one of my dancers to perform for me. Tonight, it’s Giselle. Tomorrow, it could be Lucia or even Francesca. I appreciate all my dancers. They help draw large crowds to my club, which in turn makes me richer.

I was born to money, but I lost it all when my father, Ivan, died. I was in hiding—hiding from Mikhail. I knew my father had killed his son, and I knew Mikhail would come for me to get revenge on my father.

I’ve had to work myself from the ground up again. I made this club what it is today.

---