Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Hearing her call me scum only has a dark chuckle rippling over my lips while I stare her down. “I’d love to see you try, puttana.”
Calling her a whore in her own language gives me great satisfaction, and not wasting more time with her, I walk to where Alek and Armani are waiting with amused smirks on their faces.
“Shut up,” I grumble at my friends so they don’t start teasing me, then I take the stairs to the first floor where my suite is.
It takes more strength than I have not to look back so I can check if Aurora’s gotten up off the floor.
She’s the enemy. In no world can the two of you be together, so just forget about her. Your loyalty belongs to the bratva and mafia.
Chapter 9
Aurora
I quickly climb to my feet, and keeping my head held high, I watch with a thundering heart as Misha heads up the stairs.
It’s now clear Misha is loyal to the bratva and mafia and sees me as his enemy.
My heart cracks in half. The stupid thing still had hope until Misha practically choked the air from me. My fingers lift to the tender skin where I can still feel his strangling grip.
I can’t believe he hurt me.
“Are you okay?” Abbie asks, her features torn with anger.
I dust my dress off and notice how my hands are trembling. “I’ve been better.”
She inspects my neck, then she hisses, “The fucker, he left red marks on you.”
Locking eyes with my friend, I admit, “I’m so freaking confused. I can’t tell if he’s still attracted to me or whether he’ll enjoy nothing more than to end my life.”
Abbie wraps an arm around me and nudges me into the foyer. As we walk to the stairs, she says, “Yeah, I’m not so sure about this guy. I think it would be best if you ignored him.”
“Ten minutes ago, you were cheering me on,” I scold her.
When we reach my suite, I swipe the card and shove the door open.
“But the dude stares at you every chance he gets.” She throws her hands in the air, shaking her head. “Maybe he’s crazy? Who the hell knows.”
“One second, I’m heartbroken about losing my dream, and the next, there’s a flicker of hope. This will drive me crazy.” I kick off my heels and slump down on one of the sofas. “I’m going to keep my distance. It’s the best thing to do.”
“Yeah,” Abbie sighs as she sits down.
I watch as she picks up the earpiece of the phone and dials a number.
“Who are you calling?”
“We need comfort food, aka all things sweet,” she mumbles, then her voice perks up as she orders half the damn menu.
When she ends the call, I remind her, “We just had dinner.”
“I was too busy flirting with Nikolai to eat.”
“About that.” I raise an eyebrow at her. “You want to see his weapon? I almost died when you said that.”
Abbie starts to laugh. “The look on his face was priceless.”
“Yeah, and I have a feeling he’s going to torture us in combat class.”
She just shrugs as she takes off her heels. “Are we sleeping here tonight or in my suite?”
I let out a sigh. “You don’t have to spend the night with me.”
Abbie gives me a serious look. “I want to. You’ve taken one hell of a blow today, and I’m not leaving your side.”
Standing up, I walk to the sofa Abbie is on. I sit down and lean my head on her shoulder. “Thank you for being my best friend.”
“Hey, you’re the only person on this planet willing to put up with my craziness.”
The corner of my mouth lifts. “I love your craziness. It keeps things interesting.”
Silence falls between us, and Abbie takes hold of my hand, lacing our fingers. More seconds pass, then she asks, “How are you really doing?”
I shake my head, and instantly the emotion pushes up my throat. Turning my face to Abbie, I wrap my arms around her, hating that I’m crying over a man.
“I’ve got you, Ra-Ra,” she whispers.
“I just hate that my dream ended like this,” I sob. “After that night and how wonderful he was…” I wipe a stray tear from my cheek and take a deep breath. My voice quivers as I continue, “And giving him my first and only kiss, I was so hopeful we’d meet again and pick up where we left off.”
“First and only kiss?” she gasps.
I chuckle through the tears as I sit up. Wiping at my cheeks, I mutter, “Yeah, I kinda lied to you. Eduardo never kissed me.”
During a game of spin the bottle, I ended up in a closet with Abbie’s cousin. We made a deal to say we kissed because he was interested in another girl, and I wasn’t ready.
Abbie’s eyes widen at me, and she blinks a couple of times.