Chapter 71 Chapter 71
Chapter 71
Nina’s POV
The kitchen still smelled like strong coffee and the faint char of bacon Nana had forgotten on the stove earlier. Sunlight slanted through the big windows now, turning dust motes gold, but the air felt thick. Heavy. Everyone watching me like I was a bomb they weren’t sure had been defused.
Enzo leaned forward, elbows planted on the island, that wicked grin spreading slow across his face. “If you’re gonna help, kitten, it’s gonna be real easy.”
I crossed my arms tighter. Hoodie sleeves bunched over my knuckles. “Easy how?”
“You become one of the girls.”
My stomach dropped like I’d missed a step on stairs. “One of the girls?”
“Strip club. The Velvet Room downtown. High-end. Private booths. Champagne. Rich men who talk too much when they’re drunk and horny. You’re blonde—close enough—and you got the curves they like. I’ll get you on the roster. Schedule. Stage name if you want. You dance, you listen, you fish. See who’s bragging about a shiny silver flash drive. See who’s suddenly got extra cash or extra nerves. Easy.”
Nikolai glanced up from his laptop. Screen glow catching the faint scar along his jaw. “Not a bad idea. The drive’s still floating. Someone’s holding it. Someone’s talking. Club’s full of the kind of people who hear things before we do.”
Dante turned to me. Slow. His eyes were tired—shadows under them deeper than yesterday—but sharp. Focused. No smirk. No threat. Just a real question.
“Will you be willing to do this for me?”
The words landed soft but heavy. Not an order. Not a demand. An ask. For the first time it felt like he was talking to me, not at me.
I held his gaze. Heart slamming against my ribs so hard I thought they’d hear it. This wasn’t just a job. This was air. Lights. Music. Faces that didn’t belong to these three men. A few hours outside these walls. A chance to breathe without someone counting every inhale.
“Yes,” I said. Voice steadier than I felt inside. “As long as I get paid. And a phone.”
Enzo let out a low whistle. Amused. Almost proud. “Look at her. Negotiating like she runs the place already.”
Dante didn’t smile. Didn’t blink. “No phone. Too much risk. But five hundred thousand. Wired straight against your debt. Every shift chips it down.”
Five hundred thousand. The number hit like cold water. Real money. The kind that could start something. A plan. A way out. Even if it was just a crack.
I pretended to think. Counted five slow breaths in my head. Didn’t want them seeing how desperate I was for this. Didn’t want them yanking it back.
“Okay,” I said finally. “I’ll do it.”
Enzo clapped once. Sharp. Satisfied. “That’s my girl.”
“But I don’t know how to strip,” I added quick. “And I don’t have the clothes. Nothing like… that.”
Enzo waved it off like it was nothing. “Leave everything to me. My black card will handle the wardrobe. Heels. Makeup. Lingerie. Costumes. The works.”
Lingerie. The word sat cold and heavy in my stomach. But I swallowed it. Pushed it down deep.
“So when do we start?” I asked.
Dante answered before anyone else could. “Today.”
He said it flat. Then murmured the next part almost to himself, voice low. “I’m going to see a doctor first. Make sure nothing’s in my system.”
Nikolai nodded. Fingers already moving on the keys again. “I’ll keep eyes on the other nuclear warehouse. Drone feeds. Tech sweeps. Supply routes. We’ll catch any movement.”
Nana turned from the sink. Dried her hands slow on her apron. Walked straight to me. Put both warm palms on my cheeks. Looked me right in the eyes.
“Be safe, child,” she whispered.
I nodded. Throat tight. Couldn’t speak past the lump.
She squeezed once. Gentle. Then let go and walked back toward the pantry without another word.
Enzo jerked his chin toward the stairs. “Go get your jacket. We’re taking a drive.”
I ran upstairs. Legs shaky with adrenaline. Grabbed the thick black coat from the closet. Zipped it fast. Looked in the mirror quick. Cheeks flushed pink. Eyes bright. Hair messy but wild. Alive. I grinned at my reflection—big, stupid, unstoppable. Couldn’t help it.
Downstairs I was still smiling. Ear to ear.
Enzo took one look and laughed. “You already failed. Russian girls don’t laugh or smile like goats. That’s your first assignment—learn to look bored. Dangerous. Untouchable.”
I giggled again. Couldn’t stop. “Sorry.”
He rolled his eyes. But the corner of his mouth twitched. “Come on, trouble.”
We walked out to his SUV. Black. Sleek. Engine purred low and deep when he started it. I slid into the passenger seat. Leather cold against my thighs even through the leggings. Seatbelt clicked. He pulled out smooth. Gates opened without him stopping.
The drive felt like freedom. Trees blurred past the windows. Sun broke through the clouds in bright, sharp patches. Cold air rushed in when I cracked the window a little. Smelled like pine and wet earth and possibility. No one watching my hands. No one counting my breaths. I closed my eyes for a second. Let it sink in.
We pulled up to a restaurant that looked too expensive for lunch. All glass and gold trim. Valet in a crisp white shirt took the keys. Enzo nodded at him like they were old friends.
Inside it was dim. Soft jazz floating low. Velvet booths. Waiters in black moving quiet. Smelled like seared steak and expensive perfume and cigar smoke.
A bald man in a razor-sharp suit—thick gold chain, rings flashing on every finger—spotted us right away. Walked over fast. Kissed Dante on both cheeks. Slow. Lingering. Eyes raking over him like he was something delicious.
Enzo coughed. Loud. Pointed. “I have a project for you.”
The man’s eyebrows shot up. Turned to me. Looked me up and down. Head to toe. Slow. Then back up again. “What package we working with?”
Enzo didn’t hesitate. “Sluttiest stripper.”
The man whistled long and low. “I can work with those curves. Boobs like that? Big eyes? We’ll make her the sexiest thing walking in there.”
Enzo smiled. Sharp. Satisfied. “Get to work.”
“Okay, papi,” the man said. Giggled at Enzo like they shared some private joke. Then turned to me. Face changed. Disgust plain as day.
“You slut Follow me.”
The word slapped hard. My mouth opened. Closed. No sound came out.
He didn’t wait. Turned on his heel. Heels clicking sharp on the marble. Walked toward the back through a heavy velvet curtain.
I stood frozen for half a second.
Enzo gave me a small push. Gentle but firm. “Go on. He’s the best. Trust him.”
I took a breath. Squared my shoulders. Followed the bald man through the curtain.
Into whatever came next.
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