“Tal? You’re scaring me now. What’s wrong?”

“I just needed to get away.”

Kisa was too quiet in reply. I met her gaze to find her frowning. “But you went to the Hamptons to get away from everything here. To disconnect from Brooklyn for a while. Now you need to get away from the Hamptons, too? I don’t understand.”

“I know,” I replied quietly, “I’m ridiculous.”

Kisa’s gloved hand found mine and squeezed my fingers. “You’re not ridiculous. But what’s happened to make you need to leave?”

My free hand sunk into the cold sand beside me and I filtered the grains though my fingers like a sieve. I wanted to tell someone.

“Talia, please. You’ve never hidden anything from me before. I know you. I can tell something is on your mind.” Kisa’s blue eyes searched mine, then she added, “Just because I’m married to Luka doesn’t take away my loyalty to you.”

I threw Kisa a watery, grateful smile. Kisa nudged her head in my direction urging me to divulge. Unscrewing the Grey Goose, I drank another few sips, and whispered, “It’s 221. I needed to get away from 221.”

Kisa tensed and sorry spread over her face. “Shit, Talia. I didn’t even think.”

I nodded my head then took another drink. I gripped the neck of the bottle and the laugh that tore through me was humorless. “He’s haunting me, Kisa. I can’t believe Luka brought him to the country house where I was staying. I just never expected to feel this strongly toward him. He’s all I can think about. He’s all I can concentrate on.” My hand subconsciously lifted to run over the “Tolstoi” engraving on my favorite gold necklace.

My heart raced as Kisa said nothing. Finally, I turned to my best friend to see her watching me sympathetically. “I never even thought how hard it would be for you having him there.” My eyebrows pulled down and Kisa squeezed my hand. “Of course you don’t want him there. After all the family history, of course you don’t.”

I opened my mouth to tell her she’d misunderstood me, but Kisa looked out over the sea, lost in her own thoughts. “It’s Luka, Tal. He’s got a one-track mind over saving that guy. It wouldn’t have even occurred to him that you’d detest the very sight of him. That it was disturbing your life to this extent.”

Even surrounded by the freezing cold wind, my cheeks filled with heat. Kisa had it wrong. So wrong.

I opened my mouth to explain that when Kisa laid her head on my shoulder. “I’m sorry you’re getting dragged into all this revenge business of your brother’s, Tal. But … but Luka needs it. He needs to help 221 more than you can understand, despite how offensive that is to your family. It’s healing him.”

Kisa’s sad voice drifted on the wind to my ears and I stopped what I was about to say.

This fascination, I would have to keep to myself. With a final sigh, I laid my head on top of Kisa’s. I was lost. Alone and lost.

“Tal?” Kisa asked moments later.

“Yeah?”

“Where’s your byki?”

I grimaced when I thought of the trouble I’d be in with Savin and Ilya when I was found. “Erm. I kind of left them at the Hampton house and came back to Brooklyn without informing them.”

Kisa’s head whipped up, and an admonishing, but humored smile spread on her lips. “Talia! Seriously, girl. You are a rebel! Your father will flip if he finds out you sneaked off.”

I rolled my eyes. “I know. Twenty-four and still have to answer to daddy dearest. How pathetic.”

Kisa playfully slapped my arm. “With the rival threats of late it’s necessary. It’s for your protection, not punishment.”

“I know,” I said indulgently, and patted Kisa’s hand. “Come on, dorogaya moya, time to get off this beach. It’s fucking freezing!”

Kisa laughed as we walked back toward our cars. I suppressed my groan seeing Kisa’s byki standing dutifully by her Lincoln. She was going to be the perfect Bratva wife when Luka eventually took the pakhan mantle.

“How you doing, Kisa?” I asked as we casually headed over the sand. “Have I missed anything since I’ve been away?”

I felt Kisa’s arm tense for the briefest of moments within mine, but she shook her head in dismissal. “Nope, nothing new. Just the same old same Volkov life. Fighting, death, and extortion. You know, our honest family’s business.”

Unable to hold back my laughter, I nudged my shoulder into Kisa’s and we both chuckled all the way back to the road.

When we hit pavement, I saw Kisa’s byki eyeing me strangely. They knew I was alone without my guards. That clearly wasn’t going over well.

Throwing the guards a wave and a huge smile, I greeted, “Evening, boys!”

Kisa, laughing again, pulled me in for a hug. I went to move back, but she held on tighter. Frowning, I held her back until she pulled away. I went to ask her if she was truly okay, when she pressed a kiss to my cheek and whispered, “I miss not having you around, Tal. Brooklyn’s not the same without you.”

My chest filled with warmth. “I’ll be back soon, Kisa. Can’t leave you in everyone’s favorite death-match ring alone. You need me to brighten your day.”

“You joke, but it’s true,” she said meaningfully. Kisa stepped back toward her car, but asked, “You’re going back to the Hamptons, aren’t you?”

I let my eyes drift into the distance and the empty, almost post-apocalyptic feeling of the Brighton Beach streets. “Yeah, I still need a bit of time alone.” I met Kisa’s eyes and said, “You give that big brother of mine a kiss for me, okay?”

Kisa’s face lit with pure love at the mention of Luka. “I will. He misses you, too, you know. Even if he doesn’t show it so much.” Kisa hesitated before she got in her car. “Are you okay to drive? You haven’t drunk too much, have you?”

I waved my hand, dismissing her concern. “Nope. I’m good. I’ll take it easy, I swear.”

Kisa nodded, but I could see she was still worried for me. “Okay. Call me when you get back.”

“Will do!” I said cheerily.

In minutes Kisa was gone. And I was still thinking of a six-foot-six, 250-pound Georgian.

Shit.

Screw this, I thought as I jumped behind the wheel. I needed a club. I needed a bit of normality. I needed to be the Talia of old for a while. I needed to see if another guy could make me forget 221’s face.

Chapter Nine

Talia

Club Synz was teaming with hundreds of hot bodies, all dancing, kissing, brushing against one another—a promise of what would come as the night wound down and the comforts of home came calling.

I sat at the bar nursing a mojito.

Acid music pumped through the speakers so loudly I could feel the heavy bass vibrating through my chest. Staring into the clear liquid of my drink, I twirled the straw and watched the sprig of two mint leaves dance in the funnel I’d created. Then there was the lone lime segment chasing the paired and connected mint leaves down to the bottom of the glass. It never quite caught up, bobbing just above as if it were watching them have all the fun.

I couldn’t help but think it was a metaphor for my life. Always watching other people fall in love. Always finding love out of my grasp.

221’s face then appeared in my mind yet again. His long hair. His green eyes. That long black hair, his hand holding mine, the feel of his length under my palm …

Shit!

Suddenly, the chair moved beside me, making me jump. My hand flew to my chest and my heart skipped a beat. I glanced to the side to see a young dark-haired guy sporting black geek glasses and an expensive three-piece suit slip into the neighboring leather seat.

Holding up his hand to signal the bartender, he flicked his blue-eyed gaze my way, a slow grin instantly pulling on his defined lips. Forcing myself to smile back, I watched in rapt attention as his eyes dropped to my bared shoulders, over my white strapless top and down to my skintight Armani jeans. His nostrils flared as he drank in my over-the-knee boots and my long blond hair that fell to the middle of my back.