Page 46 of Stricken

"I've been in danger ever since the day I was born. Might as well enjoy it a little."

My phone vibrates and I glance at it. A response from Nico illuminates the screen.

I'll be there.

CHAPTER14

NICO

I approach Vlad's apartment door, my pulse quickening with anticipation and impatience. The key in my palm feels hot and there's this flicker of doubt that it's all a big joke and it won't fit. I hesitate and glance at my phone, but he hasn't texted anything yet in response to my agreeing to meet him here tonight.

I slip the key into a hole and turn it. The lock gives in. The door yields under my touch as I push it softly and stride inside.

It seems vital like breathing itself, this step into his world.

My eyes drink in the surroundings—the tasteful decor, all sleek lines and dark tones. Wealth and simplicity. Each carefully curated piece feels like a mystery laid bare, an intimate glimpse into the man who owns this space.

Deep down I know he doesn't actually live here. He probably doesn't even spend time in this apartment. He's seen it maybe once. Or twice. It's designer's work that welcomes me. Because it doesn't quite feel like Vlad. Still I'd like to entertain the thought he had a say in how he wanted this place to look.

As I move through the apartment, excitement thrums through my veins, potent and addictive, a heady cocktail of desire and the thrill of the forbidden.

I take off my jacket and hang it over a chair, then settle on the couch and turn on the TV. I find a sports channel and occupy myself by watching two football teams destroying each other.

My phone remains stoically silent, no comforting vibration against my palm to signal Vlad's arrival. Minutes become aching eternities and soon the apartment begins to feel too lifeless. A held breath waiting for release.

I rise to my feet and make my way to the bedroom. The king-sized bed before me is an altar upon which we will worship each other's bodies.

I perch on the edge, testing the give of the mattress beneath me, an echo of the way I yearn to yield to Vlad's touch. At the thought of him, I check my phone again, hoping for an update. A wave of relief washes over me as I see his text apologizing for the delay.

Held up at the club. Be there soon.

I type back a quick reply:

I'll be here...waiting for you, il mio gattino. ;)

After a moment of hesitation, I add a cat emoji and send the messages.

Exhaustion finally catches up with me, tugging at my eyelids. The adrenaline of anticipation gives way to a bone-deep weariness.

Just for a moment, I tell myself as I stretch out across cool sheets, tossing the phone aside. Just until he arrives. The apartment falls quiet around me, the distant hum of the city the only sound breaking the stillness. I feel myself starting to drift, lulled by the temporary peace and the undercurrent of lust simmering in my veins.

A sound shatters the silence, jolting me awake with a racing heart. My eyes snap open, darting around the shadowy bedroom as I try to make sense of my surroundings. The sun is completely gone and it feels late, the kind of late that means something is wrong if Vlad isn't here yet.

But I'm certain I heard a noise. That's what woke me up. Maybe it's him and I just can't see him or most of the apartment from my vantage point on the bed through the open door when I lift up my head. The only source of light is the city's glow beyond the windows.

"Vlad?" I call, my voice sleepy, my mind still clouded from the nap.

Nothing.

An icy unease prickles the back of my neck, a primal warning that something isn't quite right. Before I can fully process the situation, a figure in all black lunges at me from the shadows of the corner. I catch the shimmer of a knife clutched in his hand.

Pure instinct takes over, and I roll off the bed. The blade slices through the air and sheets where I laid just a heartbeat before. I hit the floor hard, the impact reverberating through my bones. "Che cazzo!" I curse, scrambling to my feet as the intruder advances, their face obscured by the mask.

Is this why Vlad wanted us to meet at his apartment?

To kill me?

Or is this the revenge of the Armenians?

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