Page 14 of Bred To Be Owned

“Where’s Angelo?” I asked. “Did you dispose of him, or did you have help this time?” I had never asked Angelo what had happened the night of Irini’s first wedding. It was easier to pretend my escape on the outdoor patio had never occurred.

He chuckled. “I had help.”

I should have known that my intuition had been right. The blonde frat guy must have been a part of the Russian’s crew. “The blonde sticks out like a sore thumb.”

“I’ll let him know. He wasn’t too happy with today’s adventure, anyway.”

There were no words as we stared at each other. The blood still rushed between my ears, and I swayed on my heels, disoriented. If I wasn’t looking at him, standing in front of me, I wouldn’t have believed this was real.

I don’t know who moved first, but his hands were already in my hair. My lips molded to his as I tried to taste him. I was moving on instinct, with no experience to rely on. This kiss wasn’t like before, and he took over, holding my head exactly the way he wanted. It was animalistic as he devoured me, and I would have done anything to make sure it never stopped. I was a sinner, going to hell, and I didn’tcare. It went against everything that I’d worked for, but I wanted him to be mine.

My hands reached around his waist to pull him closer. I didn’t want there to be any distance between us. It would need to be enough to satisfy the cravings late at night when I unlocked thoughts of him I kept buried. My hands grabbed at his hips, and that was when I felt his jeans.

The feel of the denim underneath my fingertips made me take a step back as I tried to make sense of what was happening. The men in my family would prefer to die than wear jeans. Angelo only wore them when he had to escort me to school. When we returned to the compound, I stayed in the library so that he could change before anyone saw. It was a part of his duty as my personal guard, but that didn’t mean the other soldiers let him forget it.

I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out. The Russian had dressed like a student. If he hadn’t been a Bratva boss, with power pouring out of every crevice of his body, the look might have worked for him. He had paired the jeans with a superhero T-shirt and white sneakers. A backpack lay near the sink that I was sure he’d sling over his shoulder.

“I had to blend in. You wouldn’t have wanted anyone to know I’m here.”

That was a sobering thought, and my laughter stopped immediately. He was right. He wasn’t supposed to be here, and if anyone had seen him, they could have told my father, ruining all of my plans. It wouldn’t have been hard to figure out the basics, and my father might have tortured me for the rest of the story. There were plenty of ways this could go sideways if we weren’t careful. I was also going to be late for my next class if I didn’t wrap this up. “What do you want?” I asked.

“You.”

“I don’t have time to do this again. Class starts in ten minutes. Why are you here?” I didn’t mean to be disrespectful, but my mind was reeling, and I just wanted to be done with all of this.

“I came to warn you that your family is having a dowry dinner on Friday. You’re expected to be there, and I didn’t want you to be surprised.” He didn’t chastise me for my tone like my father would have done.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “That was...” I couldn’t come up with a word, so I went with, “…nice.”

“I am not nice, Toula. I’m a dangerous man, and I’ve done things that have stained my soul black. You should be afraid of the power I hold over you, and yet, I would tear this city apart just to see you smile.”

It was as romantic as you could get in the women’s restroom. My heart took an extra beat, and my stomach fluttered. I closed the distance separating us and lightly kissed him on the lips. “See you Friday,” I said, unlocking the door and walking out. I didn’t turn around to look at him. The vision of the dressed-down Russian would live in my brain forever.

***

Each day dragged on, giving me a false sense of security that I had plenty of time to prepare for Friday. Monday was the attempted restroom abduction. Tuesday, I went to class, only to return to the compound to complete my reading assignments. Wednesday was the same as Tuesday, and by the time Thursday night had rolled around, I hadn’t even thought of Friday.

Friday bullied me from the moment I woke until it was time to enter the receiving parlor. I didn’t remember turning my alarm off. Rolling over in bed, I slept for five minutes more, but it was enough to throw my entire schedule off balance. I rushed out the door with a muffin in my hand, making it to my first class with ten minutes to spare. The universe seemed determined to make me feel like I was losing my mind. I wasn’t late, but I felt like I was running around all day.

Things didn’t get better when I walked into the compound. I thought I would have a few hours to myself, but my mother was standing in the foyer, waiting for me, her arms crossed in front of her, not a hair out of place.

“You need to prepare Irini for this evening.”

I stood there, stunned, still holding my backpack over my shoulder.

“Did you not hear me?” my mother snarled. “You’ll need to make sure that Irini is ready for this evening.”

Tradition dictated that the mother prepare her daughter for anything related to wedding festivities. I didn’t know why the honor was being given to me when all I wanted to do was hide in my bedroom and relax.

“Toula!” she snapped.

“Yes, Mitéra,” I answered, like the dutiful daughter I was, but inside, I was seething. This was supposed to be her responsibility, and it wasn’t like she had to prepare the staff for the dinner service. She’d been riding the head chef’s ass all week. “Is there anything specific you would like?”

“Yes. Make sure she’s presentable and talk with her about what’s expected this evening. You’ll need to get started if you’re going to be on time. Your father expects you to attend.”

I waited until my mother sailed out of the foyer before letting out a groan. This wasn’t what I had had in mind when the Russian had said my family was hosting a dowry dinner. The presentation would be at 6:30, with dinner being served promptly at 7:00. I had three hours to make this happen.

I dragged myself up the stairs to the third floor, where Irini’s sanctuary was. Walking into the room, I dreaded what I would find and braced for the impact. This room used to be full of life, and now it was a mausoleum for the living. My mother ignored Irini, which was probably why she’d sent me in her place.

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