Page 38 of King’s Promise

The large rectangular pool is surrounded by chaise lounge chairs comfy enough for an afternoon nap. The teal-colored cushions match the rolled towels stacked on a wooden rack. This house has every modern convenience and things I never dreamed of; I wonder if that includes an in-house movie theater.

I’m living in an elaborate gilded cage, but a cage is still a cage, be it made of gold or silver. For now, I’m sacrificing my freedom in exchange for my safety. When it comes to life or possible death, I choose life.

Wearing a skimpy white bikini I found in one of the shopping bags, I wade into the tepid water. No doubt Nikolay bought it for the honeymoon. The pool must be deep because I swim laps without my feet scraping the bottom. I detect a gentle current and notice tiny jets under my feet keep the water circulating without a sound.

I decide thirty minutes is a good start and get out, wrapping a towel around me so I can strip my bikini off without Alex seeing. He’s a gentleman and turns his back so I have a minute of privacy. I hang my suit on a drying rack and slip naked into the jacuzzi leaving the towel behind. I had no idea how amazing being naked in a jacuzzi could be until today. The bubbling water makes the kinks in my body, left over from the events last night, disappear. I relax, take a deep breath and close my eyes, letting my body sink further into the hot water.

But it’s Nikolay who haunts my mind even in daylight. I decide to enjoy the jets pulsating my tight shoulders and kneading my back muscles. After ten minutes, I wrap a towel around myself and enter the sauna. I toss a ladle of water on the hot stones and sit on the wood bench, sipping the water Alex gave me. I’m refreshed and decide I can get used to this lifestyle.

The exercise combined with the heat makes me feel satiated and ready to tackle another day. God knows I need something to ease my worries and lusty thoughts. I’m sore down there and wonder if the way I walk and carry myself is any different. I’m finally a woman with carnal knowledge. I can’t help but smile knowing the women Nikolay has been with over the years have nothing on me. I’ve been with him, too.

Still wrapped in a fluffy, thick towel, I leave the sauna and proceed upstairs to shower. Alex follows close behind like a guard dog. He waits outside my room while I quickly shower, blow out my hair and dress in a smart dark blue business suit Nikolay threw in my haul during our shopping spree. The heels I choose are higher than ones I normally wear. I’m sure I’ll regret them after an entire day; however, they scream sexy. I might not approve of how our evening ended but I long to have him inside me again. There was a connection between us, and for a minute, he was vulnerable.

“Alex, we’re making a few stops today and I have a long day of classes. My study group meets at the library,” I inform him as I exit my bedroom and hand him my bag I carry to class. “We might go past dinner time.”

“Boss won’t like that,” he murmurs but he heads to ready the car ahead of me.

I stop by the kitchen to see Hazel and make a cup of coffee to go. She slides an omelet, wrapped in paper, into my hand.

“You skipped breakfast and need the energy,” she says.

“Thank you, Hazel.” I take a bite of the warm food. “It’s good,” I reply, complimenting her while covering my mouth full of food. I don’t want to be impolite.

She shakes her head but the approval in her eyes is evident. She likes me, and it brings a smile to my face.

Mum texts me the planning is all ready for this weekend event. She has a headcount of forty people and mentions Katherynia and Sergei have been helpful.

Alex returns, then rushes ahead to open the car door for me. Even though there are men guarding the perimeter and a high wrought iron fence, his head is on a swivel, looking for danger.

“Where to first?”

“A jewelry store, I want to get Nikolay cufflinks. Do you have any idea what would be appropriate for a man who has everything?”

“Family crest? Initials? A lion?”

“I’ve heard in the Bratva the crown is symbolic for the king.”

“Possible, but today, anything goes. Why don’t you use both your initials on them? That way he can think of you when he wears them.”

It would be disrespectful of me to tell Alex about my mentioned arrangement with Nikolay. I shouldn’t care after what he did, fucking me and tossing me out of his bed like some side piece. Initials are for couples who plan to stay together forever.

I’m hoping our arrangement has a time limit. In the meantime, it would be smart to mark my territory where he’s concerned. Anything I can do to make sure there are no other women is on the table. I can make my play with psychological warfare, too.

At a jewelry store Alex recommended, I pick out a pair of pure gold cufflinks and ask the jeweler to inscribe the letters A & N.

Seeing as how Darci still hasn’t been found, I no longer protest Alex going everywhere with me. I shudder at how easy it was for someone to trick me into letting my guard down enough to drug me. I never want to be helpless again. I’m learning to listen to my instincts. Darci dropped plenty of clues and I dismissed them all. It’s a mistake I’ll never make again. Our fight or flight instincts are ingrained in our DNA for a reason, it’s survival.

I blame myself for clinging to my notions of independence and realize my carelessness and inexperience in the Bratva world is a weakness which can prove fatal. I thought I was young and invincible. In hindsight, I could have been tortured or killed. My enemy is still out there and probably still wants me, dead or alive, I don’t know.

I overheard Pavel and Nikolay speaking to Konstantin about the Irish making some waves and pilfering money from a ‘boss’ named George. I gather there is a separation of power within the Bratva hierarchy for protection should someone get arrested. The important men might know Nikolay’s name, but few will repeat it. Those on the bottom won’t know Nikolay’s name, so it’s next to impossible for Interpol to find him involved in criminal activity. It’s an ingenious set up. It works, and it’s all I need to know. The Bratva is different from most organizations in the respect of secrecy, and it makes it difficult to infiltrate the ranks and convictions are next to impossible. Nikolay should never end up in prison, and it is a comforting thought.

Cell phones are burners, there are dead drops like in spy movies, and together, the syndicate is savvy when it comes to operating lucrative crime rings.

The campus library is too quiet. I find my study group, and it is full of strange faces. I’m the odd ‘man’ out and it’s as if my life continually repeats in a social setting. Someone asks if Dari dropped out, and I have nothing to add to their speculations.

We review cases and work on a research paper about a controversial court ruling. Alex intervenes, telling me it’s time to leave.

“No, I’m staying,” I reply.

---