MILANA
The music in my dad’s club pumps around me as I sway my hips to the beat. I may hate what he does for a living and I may hate him, but at least there are parts of this life that I
enjoy. Free booze and entry to one of the best nightclubs in the city, Jive, doesn’t harm.
We are the only freshmen that get to go clubbing because my dad’s guys don’t give two shits about the legal drinking age. Especially not when it comes to their pakhan’s daughter.
“You have the coolest dad,” Kate shouts, downing a shot of top-shelf vodka.
I nod in response. If Kate truly knew who my dad was or what he did, she wouldn’t think he was so cool. Luckily, since attending the University of Miami, no one there knows who I am or who my father is. It had always been difficult in high-school to make friends because the rumors spread so quickly.
My dad is a murderer and a criminal—a man who has never given two shits about me. He pretends to care by forcing me to stay in Miami for my safety. He is such an asshole. If I’d had my way, I would have gone to university on the other side of North America.
If I could swap him for Kate’s dad, I would do in a heartbeat. They talk on the phone regularly, and he even came up with her mom to move her in. Her parents are about as far from my dad as you can get—normal, caring parents.
Instead, I’ve got a father who controls me and has me followed everywhere by my damn bodyguard. Not because he cares about me, but
because he knows I’m a target. It would be seen as a weakness if he couldn’t protect his one and only daughter. He’s almost as bad as my brother, Dima.
Dima is my older brother and a sadist. A man of pure evil who has been that way since I can remember. My dad loves him more than anything.
He’s the brutal and vicious son he had always hoped he’d have. I am the letdown and disappointment — a daughter who wanted nothing to do with the crime-infested life he loves so much.
“Milana, dance with me,” Alex shouts, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward him.
I notice Pavel tense and take a step forward. He is the bane of my existence. I don’t often get much male attention because of him. Pavel is my bodyguard, and he follows me everywhere.
“I need a rest,” I say, pulling away from him before Pavel embarrasses
me.
Pavel backs off a little, keeping his eyes on us.
Alex looks hurt, but Kate soon swoops in and saves the day. “I will
dance with you.” She links arms with him, and they start to dance.
I sigh heavily, walking back toward our private VIP booth. It’s comfortable, but I’d rather be out in the central part of the club. My father insists I remain in the VIP section for my safety. I take a sip of my vodka, sitting back in my chair and watching Alex and Kate dance.
They are great, I haven’t known them for long, but we became friends pretty quickly.
Harriet, my roommate on campus, isn’t into clubbing. She has stayed behind to study, but we get on well too.
Kate flops down next to me. “Fuck, I’m parched.” She grabs a shot of vodka and downs it.
“I’m not sure Vodka is good for thirst,” I say. She laughs. “Vodka is good for everything.”
Alex sits down next to me, and Pavel watches him like a hawk. “What is with your bodyguard?” He shakes his head. “I get that your dad is rich, but it seems like overkill.”
I shrug, saying nothing. The questions they ask me, I can never answer. Sure, we’re friends, but no one can know who my dad is at University. It would ruin everything. In the past, the moment anyone realizes who my father is, they change around me.
“Come on, get the shots down,” Kate shouts, passing me a shot of vodka before giving one to Alex. “To a great first year of partying and studying, but mainly partying.”
We chink our glasses together and then down the hot, fiery alcohol.
I wish my dad would stop making Pavel follow me everywhere. He might need protection, but why the hell do I need it? No one even knows who the fuck I am.
Alex and Kate are chatting with one of my father’s men. He has had his eyes set on Kate ever since we got in here. I hate that bringing them here brings them into the orbit of men from the bratva. I glance out onto the dancefloor, wishing I could be out there.
I would give anything to feel normal for five minutes.
My heart rate picks up as I notice a man staring right at me intensely. His bright blue eyes almost glow as the lights flash around the club. He looks like he wants to come up here, but he hasn’t approached the bouncer.
The heat in his gaze is unmistakable, sending a shiver down my spine. I’m not sure whether it is a good shiver or a bad one. He has a dangerous aura about him with the signature bratva ink snaking up the front of his neck and down his muscled forearms.
He is probably one of my dad’s men, but I don’t recognize him. I can’t understand why he fixes his attention solely on me—maybe I imagine it.
I shift and turn toward Kate, who is now being hit on by Yuri unashamedly. He has been hitting on her all night, and my warnings to keep away from him are going unheeded. When I glance back, the man who had been staring at me is gone.
I can’t understand why a part of me is disappointed. He was attractive, one of the most attractive men who has paid attention to me for a while.
With Pavel following me everywhere, men tend to stay away. He’s six foot eight and pure muscle, despite being only slightly younger than my dad, he isn’t the kind of guy most men want to cross.
“What’s got your panties in a twist?” Alex asks, talking across Kate.
I shrug. “Nothing.” I grab another shot of vodka and down it. My head swims as I sway to the music in my seat, knowing I’ve drunk more than I should.
He shifts from his seat and comes to sit by me, glancing briefly at Pavel. Pavel’s eyes narrow as he watches Alex with hawk-like intensity. The guy
needs to chill out. He knows Alex is one of my friends. I’ve got a feeling my dad has ordered him not to let any guys near me.
One thing my father insists on is that I’m going to be married into the bratva. He can try and make me, but I’d rather fucking die than being tied to this world. I hate how much he wants to control my life.
Alex notices me watching Pavel and laughs. “Let him glare at me. I’m not doing anything wrong other than talking to my friend.”
I smile at that and nod, taking my eyes off of my bodyguard. “True.”
He holds another shot of vodka out to me, and I take it. “Thanks.” We clink glasses and knockback another drink.
A shout from the back of the VIP area of the club makes me jump. I glance over to the commotion and notice smoke clouding the area.
My dad’s men dash into the back to check it out, and even Pavel takes his eyes off of me for once. He joins them to check for any threat.
It may seem to most that some idiot has set of a smoke bomb, but since this club is bratva owned, it could be something more sinister—an attempted attack on my dad’s outfit.
The thick smoke swirls closer and closer to us. “Come on, let’s go down into the main club,” I shout to Kate and Alex.
Kate looks a little reluctant as she glances into the back, searching for Yuri. “Fine.” She gets to her feet and follows me down onto the dance floor.
My heart hammers hard as I set eyes on the man from before. He’s watching me intently, or at least, I think he’s watching me.
A pulse of heat races through my veins at his attention. Thank God this club is dark. Otherwise, he’d be able to see that I’m turning redder by the second. I can feel the blood rushing to my face.
Even as my body temperature rises, I can’t seem to bring myself to turn away from him. His eyes have mesmerized me, fixing me to the spot.
Is he staring at me?
I glance behind and only see Alex. Either he is watching me, or he is into guys. Knowing my luck, he’s probably into Alex.
I glance back, and he is smiling at me. It’s a smile that sends a thrill through me. A flood of hope fills me as I realize he is watching me.
Kate grabs my arm and swings me around, forcing me to dance with her. It’s a welcome reprieve from the intense staring competition we’d been having. I try to forget about the inked up man watching me, swaying to the beat and letting the alcohol take away my inhibitions.
There’s no way a man like him would want me. I’m a young girl with hardly any experience in that department. Even as that thought crosses my mind, I let myself go, dancing in front of him.
I twirl around and make eye contact with him again. He’s still standing there, watching me. The smile has disappeared, and his eyes are dark as he watches every move I make like a hawk.
My tummy flutters and body heats at the way he watches me. His gaze is predatory. As if he is getting ready to pounce on his prey. The thought alone makes me hot, or maybe it’s just hot in here. The alcohol I’ve drunk tonight has gone straight to my head.
I have to look away, struggling to keep his gaze any longer. Kate is dancing close by, so I twirl toward her and grab her hands.
“Thank God you’ve got rid of that damn bodyguard for five minutes,” she shouts over the loud music.
I nod my head, swaying my hips to the beat. I know the reason I’m dancing like this, and it’s ridiculous. As if I have a sixth sense, I can still feel his eyes on me. I want to give him the best show I can, even though he’s dangerous and bratva—two things I try to keep away from.
Alex dances toward us, and his eyes alight with mischief as he’s about to grab my hand. I know Alex has had a crush on me since we started university, but Pavel makes sure he can’t make any moves. His face drops as he looks behind me, and suddenly a pair of rough hands grip my hips.
The possessiveness of his touch is spellbinding, and I feel his breath teasing against my ear. It looks like my dancing drew him over, but is that a good thing?