Page 14 of Bound to a Monster

I wait. He doesn’t elaborate. “First name?”

“Lev.”

I roll it around my tongue.Lev Federov. Which means soon I’ll beCarmie Federov. That feels too strange and foreign, and I quickly banish the thought. I hurry to my phone, dress forgotten, as I quickly start trying to find my future husband’s social media profiles.

“There’s nothing,” Luca says, looking pleased with himself. “He’s a pro. I’m sure he’s got profiles, but nothing under his real name. You know, can’t risk drawing too much attention to himself.”

I curse in Italian, some of the only bits of that language I know. He’s right—the nameLev Federovonly brings up a few creepy-looking boomers, and unless my father’s marrying me to a sixty-year-old man who lives in Florida, I’m pretty sure that’s not him.

But at least I have a name. I quickly dive into my favorite group chat in the world and reach out to my friends with family in Philly’s underworld. They’re all girls like me who went to the same private schools and were kept cloistered away from the same bad-news guys, and who completely understand what I’m going through even if they haven’t been arranged to marry themselves. Not yet, anyway.

I don’t remember who, but someone a few years back once named the groupmob girliesand it’s been that way ever since.

Carmie: Anyone know someone called Lev Federov??

Gia: Don’t tell me it’s him………

Sofie: IT’S HIM?

Gia: You got the name for real??

Carmie: I got the name!!

Gia: This is HUGE. IT’S HUGE.

Sofie: I’m sleuthing right now, pls hold.

Frannie: SIRI TEXT MOB GIRLIES ALL CAPS GIRL I AM IN THE CAR BUT I AM FREAKING OUT BUT I DON’T KNOW WHO THIS MAN IS BUT OH MY GOD I’M LOSING MY MIND WE GOT THE NAME.

Gia: Please don’t text and drive, Frannie-panties. You’re gonna get yourself and Siri killed.

Gia: RIP Siri.

Carmie: Frannie can’t be trusted behind the wheel with a phone nearby.

Frannie: SIRI TEXT MOB GIRLIES THAT’S NOT FUNNY BITCHES.

Sofie: Can we get some quiet plzzzz I’m SLEUTHING.

Gia: Let the girl work!!!!! COOK SOFIE.

I’m grinning to myself and typing rapidly on my phone. Luca slinks away, shaking his head and muttering under his breath, and I collapse onto my bed.

He’s right. Lev really doesn’t have much by way of an online footprint. I’m usually pretty decent at stalking people, but I’m coming up with mostly nothing.

Except a few small clues. First, his family owns a jewelry store in the diamond district, and it’s supposed to be very successful. Huge, even. And second, he grew up in the city and went to a private school near here. His name shows up in an article from years back about their high school wrestling team. Apparently, he was pretty good, but based on the year this thing came out,I’m thinking he’s at least in his late twenties, around fiveish years older than me.

Sofie: Carmie baby, bad news. Your future husband is a ghost.

Gia: GASP!

Carmie: What’s that even mean?

Sofie: I’m digging around and there’s NOTHING. Just the stuff I bet you found already. Fed Jeweler, went to Holy Ghost, whatever. But past that? Total blank.

Gia: DOUBLE GASP!

Gia: Should I ask around? Check with the bros??

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