I take a steadying breath. “I’m getting married to the Pakhan. You’re looking at the future wife of the head of the Bratva.”
The room goes dead. The clinking of silverware in the main restaurant seems miles away.
Yelena finally speaks, her voice a tiny whisper. “Wait. Are you telling me you’re Mrs. Pakhan? You’re the Pakhness of the whole damn country?”
Darcy slaps the table. “Shit. And I thought our lives were boring. You’re living the Fast and Furious lifestyle.
“Alright.” Yelena grabs the vodka bottle with a predatory look. “We need another round. There is no way I’m processing a Bratva marriage in this headspace.” She splashes four more shots into the glasses, and the routine continues.
Anya looks at me, her usual gossip-hungry expression turning serious. “Are you actually okay with this? Because if you need to run properly this time - change your name, your face, everything - you call me. I’ll sell my favorite bag for you.”
I blink, genuinely touched. “You’d actually do that?”
“Of course. I’m not as money-driven as you guys think.” She cuts a sharp look at Yelena. “And speaking of money problems, well, we know who the real risk is. Yelena would sell me for a couple of euros and a cigarette.”
Yelena throws her hands up in mock defense. “Okay, calm down. Things were tight, and the black market pays fast.”
I laugh, feeling the vodka finally smoothing out the edges of my nerves. “Alright, enough dark shit. It’s a birthday party.” I raise my glass. “Happy birthday, Yelena.”
“Forget the wishes,” Yelena says, her hands out. “Where’s the gift?”
I reach down and pull up the gift bag. She snatches it, shredding the wrap like a kid on Christmas morning. When she sees the label on the bottle, her mouth drops. “Oh, my God! Is this…”
“Only the finest for my favorite alcoholic.”
Tears well up in her eyes before she turns to Darcy. “And you? What did you get me?”
Darcy slides a box across the table. “Remember that bag you were obsessing over?”
Yelena screams as she hugs the bottle in one arm and the box in the other. “Thank you! Seriously!” She looks at us, then glares at Anya. “Alright, just because I’m not a stingy bitch like somebody... I’m pouring everyone another glass.”
She starts filling the shot glasses again. “Happy birthday to me. I’m praying for my own mafia boss and a life where I don’t have to check my bank balance every hour. I’m saying it now so when I die, nobody says I should have spoken up. I’m speaking up. I am struggling.”
“We get it. Cheers!”
The music swells, the heavy beat of Russian pop taking over the room. Someone fires up the karaoke machine, and the air issuddenly filled with the sound of Darcy absolutely butchering a ballad. When it’s my turn to head for the mic, Darcy catches my arm.
“Zoya, wait…”
“What? Everyone else went. Why can't I?”
They exchange a series of panicked looks. “You know what, Zo? I don’t think the machine has any songs you actually know,” Darcy says, her voice a little too careful.
“Guys, I’m not that bad. I know what you’re doing.”
Darcy puts a hand on my shoulder, her face a mask of pity. “Look, I’m just going to be honest. It’s not about talent. There could be kids around.”
I huff but let them pull me toward the dance floor instead. As the beat drops, my phone buzzes, and I see Alexei’s call ID pop up. I answer the video call and hide the phone in the corner of the booth where only I can see it. He looks lethal in his suit, his eyes narrowing as he takes in my surroundings.
I don't say a word. I just let the music guide me - rolling my hips, letting my hands travel over my breasts and down my thighs, the Valentino clinging to me like a second skin. I lock eyes with him through the screen, watching his jaw work as he tries to stay composed. I turn around, giving him a deliberate view of my blue thong under the chocolate fabric.
“Vedma,” he growls, his voice thick with a hunger that makes my stomach flip.
I turn back with a smirk, blowing him a kiss just as Anya leans into the frame. Then Anya appears next to me. “Zo, what are you…”
I immediately end the call and shove the phone back in my purse.
Chapter 20