Page 138 of For a Price

For now, it’s important we’re as quiet as possible so as not to alert the rest.

The Winchester is known for its extravagance for a reason—the entrance hall is massive, comprised of marble and gold everything.

No wonder the mudaks that are part of this club attend these events; it’s pure luxury, from the ornate fountain statues spitting arcs of water to the waitstaff walking around with endless champagne. Several of them scream and run off once they notice us.

We’re crashing the party, clearly here for trouble in our combat gear and weapons.

My men converge. The ones who have come in through the sides and the back appear in time to join us as we approach the main ballroom, where the members are gathered. The event has begun with everyone’s undivided attention on the front of the room.

The pakhan sits behind a long table with an assortment of other club members. They each wear masks except for him, hiding their identities. A woman in a sweeping black gown speaks to the room, going on about how the pakhan has been the club’s savior.

Without him, the Midnight Society was on the brink of collapse.

I’ve heard enough. We stride through the double doors of the ballroom. I’m in the front, clearing my throat and making our presence known.

The woman speaking on the microphone cuts herself off. Everyone else in the room glances around in confusion until they turn and see us at the back of the room.

I grin at the pakhan once our gazes meet. “Privet, pakhan?*. My prishli prisoyedinit’sya k vecherinke?*.”

He remains in his seat as if without a care in the world. “Khorosho. Ya tebya zhdal?*.”

The pounding of dozens of feet sound from behind us. We turn around to find the atrium that we’ve just moved through suddenly crowded with crews of the pakhan’s men.

The one hundred to twenty that Kazan had predicted.

The outnumbering I had anticipated and hoped I’d planned against.

But I refuse to back down. The bloodthirsty grin clenched on my face only spreads.

It looks like only one group will survive the night.

* Ya shuchu -I’m kidding

* Gde tualet -where’s the toilet?

* Mozhno mne vody -can I have some water?

* Eto poslednyaya bitva -this is the last battle

* Privet, pakhan -Hello, boss

* My prishli prisoyedinit’sya k vecherinke -We came to join the party.

* Khorosho. Ya tebya zhdal -Okay, I was waiting for you

CHAPTER 40

Katerina

The moment Romanleaves the room, I’m popping up out of bed. I rush into the bathroom for a quick hot shower and then the closet, still dripping beads of water. Moments later, I emerge dressed in an all-black ensemble of a basic tee, denim, and boots. It’s a look almost inspired by Roman’s state of dress when he heads out for his missions.

That’s because tonight I’m on a mission of my own.

I check under the bed where I’ve hidden a backpack with items collected over time. Things like a pocketknife, cash, a cell phone, bullets, and even a gun.

The latter I nicked one afternoon when the security on patrol weren’t paying attention and I’d been wandering the factory.

I might be Roman’s girlfriend today, but before I met him, I was a thief.

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