Page 18 of Escaping the Bratva

I shrug. “Thanks, but it's fine. It was a long time ago. It’s hard when you don’t feel like you have control over your own life, but once Nana stepped in, everything got better.”

He nods. “I can understand that.”

“What about you?” I ask, searching in my purse for the makeup bag I brought over.

“What about me?”

“Your family in Russia? You get along with them?” I sit on the carpeted floor in front of the full-length mirror and start to apply my makeup.

“Yes, they sacrificed a lot so that I could come here. I’m the only one who has made it out of Russia, much less gone to college.”

“That’s amazing.”

The bed creaks as he gets up. He’s still completely naked, and I can’t help but stare at his reflection in the mirror. He’s the most handsome man I’ve ever seen. It should be a sin to be that good-looking. He walks past me and into the en suite bathroom. I hear the shower turn on, and I think about joining him, but then I remember what time it is. I hurry up and finish my makeup. I’m just shoving my feet into my shoes when the buzz of a phone catches my attention. I think it’s mine, but then I look on the bed to see V’s cell phone screen lighting up. I swipe the screen and see a text message from an unknown number.

Meet me in thirty minutes. Pakhan is testing you so don’t fuck up.

What the hell? I scroll through his text message, but it's the only one I see from this number. I google the word Pakhan. This can’t be right. The Pakhan is the boss of the Russian mafia. I’ve been so focused on his phone, I don’t hear him shut the shower water off and come to stand next to me.

“It's not what it looks like.” His deep voice comes from behind me and I jump.

“This is a joke, right?” Maybe someone’s just messing with V because he’s the Russian kid. Was the Russian mafia even still a thing?

“I’m just doing a favor for a friend.”

I feel like my eyes are going to pop out of my skull. “And your friend is in the Russian mafia?”

He lets out a sigh and turns toward the dresser to grab some clothes out. “It's just one job to make a little extra money.”

This can’t be real. “You have a job.”

“That job is not enough to pay for tuition.”

“So…let me get this straight. You need money for tuition so you talked to your friend that happens to work in the Russian Mafia and now you’re going to do something to make the money you need.”

He pulls on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. “I don’t have a choice, Sasha. If I don’t come up with the money to pay the rest of my tuition, I'm not graduating. My family sacrificed a lot to get me here. I can’t fuck this up.” His voice is filled with regret, and for a moment, I feel bad for him. I can’t imagine what it's like for your whole family to be relying on you to get an education and send money back home. It's a lot to have on his shoulders.

“What about loans?”

He shakes his head. “I took out all the government loans I qualify for. I’ve tried to get private loans, but I have no credit history and I’m an immigrant.”

He walks up to me and wraps his arms around my body. I want to push him back, but I feel so warm against him. He pulls back to look at me, searching my eyes for something.

“And what if something happens to you?” I force the words out.

“Nothing is going to happen.”

I take a deep breath. “Promise me that after you do this, you’ll never talk to these guys again.”

He furrows his brows. “Kitten—”

“Promise me. I’m serious, V. I’m not going to be in a relationship with a Russian mobster. Do you realize how crazy that sounds?”

I have my entire life planned out, and not one part of it involves a boyfriend in the mafia. I can’t even believe he’s involved in this sort of thing. V comes off as such a clean-cut guy to everyone else, but he really has connections with the mafia? I don’t want to walk away from him. It would rip my heart into pieces, but I can’t throw my future away for a boy. How would that make me any better than my mom who ruined our relationship over a man?

He hesitates, but after a moment, he says, “I promise. This is it. I'll never speak to them again.”

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