Page 40 of Marked By His Touch

Tonight, I’m no longer Ava.I’m Anya, a Russian ghost. I need to play the role completely. Embrace my roots.

“This is it,” Zara says. “Time to show men what we made of.”

I can see my breath in the light from the street lamps. The road is mostly deserted, a lonely stretch of brick and concrete as we walk down towards the bar, huddled close. We reach the alley, and I scan it. The glow of the club’s sign, a shimmering“Kitty’s Port Bar,” casts a sickly, green light across the ground. We’re just a few steps from the front door, its heavy frame against us.

“Are you sure they’re okay with us coming like this?” Tatiana asks, her eyes darting down the alley as if she’s waiting for someone to jump out and scream‘booh’. Her hair is cut short, black, in a bob. She looks intelligent and sophisticated, had it not been for the towering heels and red spandex outfit.

“Yes,” I say, remembering Nikolai’s words:“If you want to work here, stay. If not, don’t come back.”Well, I’m back.

I pull my coat tighter around me, a shiver running through me.

Zara approaches the door. She knocks a few times until the door opens, and two women come into sight. She immediately spots another Russian speaker, one of the women with long blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail, and launches into a rapid stream of fluent Russian. Her voice is smooth and confident. The woman at the door, her face etched with suspicion and boredom, shakes her head.

“Niet,” she says behind tight lips.

Zara mutters a curse under her breath.

Damn it, so that didn’t work.

I step forward, my heart pounding. “Tell Nikolai it’s Daisy,” I say, my voice practiced. I’ve rehearsed this moment a hundred times, but I can feel the fear tightening its grip on my stomach.

The woman’s eyes widen, a flicker of recognition crossing her face. She fiddles with a small device, then moves aside, her expression emotionless.

“Why you think, this work?” Zara hisses, her eyes narrowed.

“Trust me,” I say,but I’m not sure it’ll work at all.

Moments later, the door swings open. The woman is alone now, she gestures to us to enter with an emotionless look. Adjusting her sleek hair, she pulls out a cigarette and lights it.

“Enter,” she mutters, her voice a low growl, and turns back to her phone, scrolling through what looks like jewelry shop pages.

“Shit, ragdoll, you genius,” Zara whispers, nudging me after we’re out of earshot.

“Now, will you stop calling me that?” I whisper back, my tone firm.

“Da, ragdoll.”

“Whatever,” I say, dismissing her with a smirk. I glimpse a small, black, reflective globe mounted on the wall, a camera, and quickly look down. “First camera. Look away.”

The women nod, and we strut forward, eyes glued to the floor, trying to blend in.We’re a team.

The music is a beast inside the club; it vibrates through the floorboards, making my teeth rattle. The city outside is holding its breath but in here? It’s a wild party, like chaos on overdrive. The air smells like sweat, cheap perfume, and something darker, more desperate. This isn’t my scene, not usually. But tonight, this place is my battlefield.

I shiver. I can’t believe I’m here. Andby choice.I take a deep breath, trying to find my footing.

“What hell?” Lena says, shaking her head. She points at the red velvet curtains. “This club or bedroom?” They’re like a curtain hiding a forbidden world, swallowing the light and creating pockets of intimacy.

“Kind of both,” I say, gesturing to the dance floor ahead. “This way.”

We reach it and see a sea of bodies. The music is like a hypnotizing beat. You can’t stand still. The place smells like smoke and expensive vodka. The strobe lights, flashing nonstop, throwing shadows everywhere, distorting the scene, and turning the room into a blurry, surreal landscape.

I swallow hard, trying to control the panic that’s rising inside.

“Fuck indeed—” Zara adds, pointing to a naked couple on the floor, the woman riding the man, his hands on her hips, his moans drowned out by the music.

“Oh shit,” Tatiana spills out, trying to dodge them as she navigates the crowded space.

I told them about this place, what they do here, but you have to see it to believe it I guess.

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