Nothing Burns Like You | 18+ Mafia Romance

12 On My Knees

DANIEL VOLKOV

I lied to Clara.

The reason I wasn't too crazy about her coming to dinner...

Yeah, Marko would get handsy, and it'd be unpleasant, to say the least. But what bothered me more, unfortunately, was that tonight Clara would see the other side of Daniel Volkov.

The bad side. The unlovable, cunning, deceitful side who'd do anything to get what he wanted.

In the tinted SUV which Grigor was driving, I sat in a black button-down with my white gold chain around my neck and a fake wedding band around my ring finger.

Another ring sat on my left index finger, a gift from Andrei when I got the leadership position. And one on my right pinky, a signet from Niko and Charlotte from my eighteenth birthday. Never been into flashy things. But these were sentimental.

Andrei wore one of his signature, tailored navy suits. Freshly shaved. Chestnut hair styled. Niko was more casual, as usual. A faded olive henley, with the tips of his honey-brown hair touching his arched brows. Charlotte wore a stunning off-the-shoulder gown in deep green, with diamond earrings and a sparkling necklace.

And her.

For the thousandth time, I glared at her choice for the night.

The black gown that fit her like second skin. Kissing every inch of evil curve from her neck, to her shoulders, and down to her feet. The only open part was a seductive thigh-high slit and a sweetheart cutout on her...delicious breasts.

Otherwise, she was covered in the most disgusting—

I shuddered.

Fingernails on a chalkboard. That's what looking at velvet did to me.

She raised a sculpted eyebrow, her smoky gaze oh-so amused.

Like I said, evil.

Grigor parked in front of a packed building. It was a three-story restaurant bar which Tomasso never stepped foot in. Located on the opposite side of his normal spots for business and fun.

Which, thankfully, could mean only one thing. Marko wanted to keep this a secret. Or that's what he wanted me to think, and in reality, this whole thing was a set-up to spy on us.

"Alright," I said to everyone. "We ready? Any last complaints? Clara?"

She shook her head, but her body language was nervous.

"The sooner he's hammered, the sooner this ends. There will be a lot of people around. But we don't know who's really a stranger, and who's there to keep an eye on us. So don't drop your act. Got it? No matter what he says and no matter what happens. Clear?"

A soft nod. "Clear."

"Let's party."

The moment we stepped in, it was a sensory nightmare.

A bar cluttered with suspicious faces, under dim lights on black-red walls. Too dark to properly scan for details, to know who had a weapon. Who was a threat? Who could attack us if we weren't careful? A jarring live band was torturing music instruments near a cramped danced floor. People humped like a can of sardines.

The worst part?

When I saw Marko's shit-eating grin, guess where he was standing? Guess where he had picked for us to sit for the next three to four hours?

In a velvet seating booth.

Charlotte snickered behind me. "At least he ordered bottle service?"

"Shut up."