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Her hand rests on my arm, pulling me from my haunting thoughts. “How many times do I need to tell you that this is not your burden alone? We don’t have much time.” She extends her hand, expecting me to place the bracelet in it.
I swallow, trying to clear what has suddenly become a dry throat. I attempt to push away the tumble of nerves and restraints. But the thought of seeing Dmitri… of seeing more of his world before I can no longer be a part of it is too tempting. I unclasp the bracelet, feeling naked without it. I then hesitantly reach for the necklace Dmitri gifted me, and am more reluctant to hand it over.
“The pizza delivery goes to level four, office fifteen, by the way,” she instructs.
My jaw drops. “Wait, this is an actual order?” I ask, shocked.
She picks up the pizza box. “Yeah, pepperoni. You wouldn’t want it to go to waste, would you?” She places it in my hand and tries not to laugh as she looks me up and down. “Yeah, you were always better cut to be the princess; it just doesn’t suit you.” She laughs as she pulls out my lipstick and applies it. She looks from the mirror in the elevator to me.
That’s when I realize her make-up is fairly similar to mine today despite us both having distinct styles. “How did you know what I looked like today?” I ask incredulously.
My phone in her purse buzzes, and I go pale. She pulls out the burner phone. “Okay we only have thirty seconds.” She hands it to me. I look at the screen where Dmitri sent a text message that says. ‘Tick, Tock.’
I’m torn yet again about leaving her with the phone. The one The Lion calls sporadically.
Layla’s still speaking. “Anyway, Dmitri silently bought out this building from Arabella Barone. Big backstory for another day. But that bitch is a baddy.” She looks up now after adjusting her clothes, and my expression must be stricken with fear and uncertainty. “Hey, it’s okay. I can look after myself, remember.”
“But—”
She pulls me into a hug. “You need to keep living, Elanee.” She wipes at my eye where I hadn’t realized a tear had slipped. “We’re in this together, remember?”
I nod despite wanting to argue with her, conscious of the time. I need to muster the strength to be the voice of reason, but my will to have a crevasse in time to be free is too alluring. I take a shaky breath. The elevator restarts and the lights flicker back on as we go up one level.
“Oh, make sure you walk through the park with a hot chocolate for the homeless lady. I do that every day.” She smiles at me knowingly. Prior to the burner phone, she’d written me small letters as well. And even after the burner phone, I continued doing it to not raise suspicion in my routine. And they continued with the letters.
“Wait, also, did you have a threesome with Mirabella Latine?” I demand.
A tiny smirk appears. “How cute that you think there were only three people involved.”
My jaw drops but snaps shut the moment the doors open, and Layla looks away from me. Two people are waiting for the elevator. I hook my finger over my shoulder, pointing inside. “I’d watch that today. It just broke down on us,” I say, rather disgruntled as I push through them.
My heart is pounding in the aftermath of what we’d just done.
“Pockets of opportunity” Dmitri called it.
I’m scared.
Also exhilarated to step into his world a little more.
I just had to see it once.
I do all that I can to promise myself, this was the one and only time.
28
ELANEE
Ido as instructed, and when I arrive at the address given to me, a woman who claims to work for Dmitri greets me at the door. She escorts me into a spare room where a tight, strapless, emerald green dress waits with black boots. I can’t help but smile at the addition of the boots. Anyone else would’ve made me wear heels.
By the time I arrive at the infamous club, Lev, it’s eight in the evening, and people are already lining up in what looks like a non-moving line. I’d read articles that it’s one of the most difficult clubs to get into, unless, of course, you’re someone of importance or high society. But people still try, tonight clearly being no different.
I’m wearing an emerald peacock mask that tips in gold along the bridge of my nose. Apparently, a requirement to step into the club, but I also like how it hides my identity. It adds to the allure of the club best known for creating and fulfilling fantasies.
My heart pounds as I walk up to the bouncer. I feel out of place here, considering it’d been so long since I’d just gone out for fun. It’s been close to three years, and I fight the internal conflict that tells me I don’t belong or deserve to be here. The bouncer doesn’t so much as look at me as he steps to the side, welcoming me in. People in the line begin to shout, but I’m too mesmerized by the entrance with red leather walls as music coaxes me into the establishment. I feel like I’ve just fallen down a hole in Alice in Wonderland and have no idea what to expect when I’m inside.
I follow the noise tunneling down the red leather hall, and when I step out on the other side, I’m equally surprised and impressed. The club is full of life already, and the patrons act as if they’ve been drinking all day, or perhaps they never left from the night before. The air crackles with an electric wildness, and at first glance, the room looks like a utopia where the wealthy give way to their inhibitions. Some grind against one another on the dance floor. Others are in booths, shouting and encouraging over the music to throw back more shots.
The ceiling is coated in gold, and chandeliers sparkle under the lights that sweep past coming from the direction of the DJ booth positioned in the back of the room. On either side are staircases that lead to another two levels. I’m curious about each.
