Page 8 of Guarded Rebellion

“No, ma’am.”

I rolled my eyes, biting into the apple I’d come down for as I climbed the stairs. Even though that specific guard was a new one, young and handsome, he must have been lectured by the senior soldiers in the organization. Giving in to Maria’s seductive act never boded well. The last three men she’d preyed on for a quick fuck had been punished despite her coming on tothem.

I can’t wait to get out of here.All the testosterone. The big egos. The toxic masculinity. It was suffocating most days, and I looked forward to being able to breathe, to lower my guard without many soldiers surrounding me and watching my every move.

Whoever my uncle ordered to be my bodyguard would need to be dealt with. I wouldn’t settle for some jerk of a soldier looming over my shoulder.

“But first,” I whispered to myself as I reached my room, “packing.” A wide smile crossed my face as I anticipated being out of here within a few days. I’d deal with ditching my bodyguard when the time came for it.

I wouldn’t be stupid about it either. Born into the Mafia, I had to grow up with and respect the inherent danger I would always have to consider. I hadn’t chosen this family, and I would never be able to shed the stigma and association of being the princess in the Baranov organization. It was what it was. The healthy dose of fear I had been trained with would serve me well, anyway. Self-defense had been taught from an early age. Practice at the shooting range had been a consistent requirement throughout my youth. My father never gave a damn, but it was Uncle Oleg who insisted on making sure I was at least competent in defending myself should the layers of security ever fail. I was an asset, a virginal bride to offer as business one day. My purpose was a cold and loveless one, but it was the reason I had such protection.

I’ll be fine.A college campus would be reasonably safe. It wasn’t as though I were heading into a damn warzone.

Still, as I was finalizing packing the things I wanted to bring to my dorm, I wondered if Iwasbeing too careless to leave this place. I hated the claustrophobia of always being watched here, with guards ever-present, but I couldn’t know what it was like outside these walls.

Sonya would.I frowned as I thought again of my sister. I’d never believed her to be dead. Nor my mother. My assumption that they were alive out in the “real” world planted a seed of resentment. I wanted that freedom, too, but what if they’d achieved it at a cost, if they’d been kidnapped instead of just fleeing one night?

No one had heard from Sonya or my mother. After the initial investigation—that occurred so many years ago when I was too young to really understand much of what was happening—my father and uncle ceased to speak about them. Gossip faded. Rumors waned and fell to silence. Years had passed by since their departures, but I never forgot about them. All that time, I’d wondered and speculated. I’d tried to guess and envision what such freedom could feel like. The ability to do what I wanted was the true root of my desire to go to college, and I couldn’t wait for it to start. It was a constant struggle not to hate my mother for not taking me with her, and it was a regular exercise not to begrudge my sister for escaping.

But now I have a chance.

I’d have a little taste of freedom. To get up and retire to bed as I pleased. To walk through campus just to stroll, find little cafés, and eat or drink what I so desired. I could look at my classmates and not have to worry about someone accusing me of making or threatening an alliance. I could befriend ordinary people unaffiliated with criminal leaders or politicians. For the first time ever, I could meet someone as Eva, not Miss Eva Baranov, the only niece of the Boss. Friendships could be formed on my terms. Acquaintances could be found and fostered without the pressure of my father or uncle bearing down on me. My name and background wouldn’t define me, and it was such an intoxicating dream that I spent the remaining days in the mansion with my hopes high and my head in the clouds.

I couldn’t wait.

Finally, the day to move out came, and it did with more drama than I could’ve cared for.

“This is a waste of time,” my father said as I grabbed my purse to head out with the driver. Another SUV was loaded with the things I wanted at my dorm.

“I realize your opinion will remain unchanged,” I told him.But all I care about is what your brother says.“Uncle Oleg gave me permission, though, and that’s what matters.”

He narrowed his eyes, stalking toward me. “If you think this is a chance to sleep around and be a slut, think again.” His pudgy finger jabbed at me as he snarled. “If you want to try to act like your mother and spread your legs for any ordinary man…”

What?He’d never commented about my mother being a slut or sleeping around. I was reeling from this new tidbit of information, but I couldn’t let him see how it affected me.

Is that why she left? Or was she kicked out? What does this mean?

“I am aware of what is expected of me,” I replied instead, bottling in the shock and confusion about his comment that would have to be saved for analysis at another time. Right now, I was out of here.

I turned, not bothering to give him a farewell. If my uncle wasn’t busy in a meeting, I would have graced him with another thank you and a goodbye.

As it was, I simply walked out of the mansion and approached the car. Every inhale felt sweeter, and as I carried myself over the smooth path, I smiled easier.

Sighing, I settled into the backseat and looked out the window. I was officially en route to freedom. This was it.

Finally!

On the drive, I fantasized about what my dorm would look like. Who Kelly Garnet, my assigned dorm roommate, would be. I envisioned unpacking and settling in, acclimating to the newsurroundings before finding my classes on campus. To while away the hours of the long drive, I alternated between checking my schedule of classes, studying the campus map, reading my latest thriller, and watching the scenery out the window. I wasn’t bored—far from it. I couldn’t possibly be bored when the first adventure of my life was about to start. Excitement and enthusiasm. That was what filled me.

But as we neared the city where the college campus was located, confusion kicked in.

“Aren’t you going straight to the dorms?” I asked the driver.

He seemed to be driving away from where the college campus was, nearer to the downtown area.

“You have been given alternative housing,” he replied gruffly.

I narrowed my eyes. “What?”

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