Page 21 of Paved in Venom

“Okay, that is worse,” she admits.

I follow her down a long hallway and into a large bedroom. The first thing I see is a framed photo of Roman and Emily. It’s like the kind you get in a photo booth, a strip of five small photos, each of them showing their smiling, laughing faces.

“How in the hell did you get involved in all this?” I ask her.

She laughs and walks over to the closet. “My dad’s the mayor, and Roman came to one of his fundraising functions because they’d learned that he was into some seriously shady shit. I’d been suspicious of my dad and his friends for a while, and we sort of ended up teaming up to try and stop them and find Alina.”

Grabbing a dress, she walks back out and says, “He actually saved my ass. I’d gone to the Red Viper to investigate on my own, and he’d found me there. I thought he was going to completely lose his shit. He was so angry that I’d put myself in danger. The only way to protect me was to pretend that I was his pet.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah, it was crazy, but it worked. It became too dangerous, though, and now that I’m pregnant, he refuses to let me help.”

“I can’t say I blame him. I wouldn’t want anyone that I care about around these sick fuckers.”

I grab the hanger she holds out to me, noticing the tattoo of Roman’s name on her inner wrist. My own wrist throbs while I eye the tiny, pink dress that looks impossibly small.

“Do you need heels?” she asks.

“No, I’ve got the pair I wore here.” My feet hurt just thinking about having to put them back on again. “Thanks for letting me borrow your clothes.”

“Anytime. Let me get you some makeup too.” When she returns, she reaches out and squeezes my hand. “I know this is weird and that it’s been horrible for you, but I promise you’re safe here.”

“Thanks, Emily.”

She looks towards the hall that leads back to the five Melnikov brothers. “I’m not going to lie and say they’re not into some seriously illegal shit, but the only reason they’re involved in the sex trafficking stuff is to find Alina.”

“I get it. I mean, she’s their sister.”

“Well, technically she’s only Roman’s sister. They’re brothers by choice, not actually related.”

“That makes sense. They don’t really look alike, but they all seem so determined to find Alina, especially Matvey. I’m glad she has them fighting for her, and I really hope they can find her soon. I wouldn’t wish what I went through on anyone, and I wasn’t even with them that long.”

“Matvey’s in love with her, and it’s slowly killing him.” She puts her hand on her stomach. She’s not showing yet, but she’s got that pregnancy glow going on. “We all want her found before the baby’s born.”

“I’ll try my best to spot someone tonight, but there’s no guarantee they’ll be there,” I try and warn her, because I’m beginning to think that everyone’s hope is riding on me, and the weight of it is making it hard to breathe. The truth is, I really just want to crawl into bed and sleep for days. I don’t want to face any of this. I want to just disappear for a while, but I can’t tell them no. They’ve given me no reason to not believe them, and I’m very aware that if these men wanted to hurt me, they could, and I wouldn’t be able to do a damn thing to stop it, but they haven’t. They’re being kind, and that’s what I hang onto when we walk back into the room and all five of them turn to stare at us.

They’re all looking at me, but it’s Danil’s eyes I focus on. “I need to change and then we can go.”

He nods and watches me as I walk past and go back down the stairs that lead to his room. In the bathroom, I hurry up and change and then put on a little bit of makeup. I don’t put as much effort into it as I probably should, but I’m going to the club, damn it. I kind of feel like I’m doing enough just by agreeing to put my ass back in danger again so quickly.

My hair is a mess, so I go through a few drawers until I find a brush. I smell like Danil. The citrusy smell of his shampoo fills the air around me as I fluff out my hair. I see his bottle of cologne on the counter, and without thinking, I bring it to my nose and take a whiff. The spicy scent immediately puts me back in that room where they gave me the tattoo. I’d been so scared, but Danil had just put me on his lap like it was the most natural thing in the world and caressed my skin, distracting me from my fear. It was comforting, and no matter what happens, I’ll always be grateful to him for that kindness.

When I step out of the bathroom, he’s waiting for me. He’s in the same dark suit he was wearing before, and he has that same leather messenger bag slung across his chest. I’m guessing he’s still wearing the gun too. I don’t ask. I just look up at him and wait for him to speak.

His grey eyes run over me, and I see the way his jaw tightens when he takes in the small, pink dress I’m wearing, and I’m not sure if it’s because he likes what he sees or if it’s because he doesn’t. I look down and run a hand over it like I’m removing a piece of lint that only I can see.

“Should I ask to borrow something else?” I finally ask him.

“What? No, this is perfect,” he quickly says. “I just hate that you have to do this again so soon.”

He steps closer like he’s about to reach for me, but then thinks better of it and stops with only a few inches between us. Without my heels on, he’s a good foot taller than me, and his very presence is intimidating, but I can’t look away.

“You don’t have to do this,” he says. “If it’s too much, just tell me, and I’ll call it off.”

I shake my head. “No, it’s fine. I’d rather go and get it over with. If I can help, then I want to go.” I hesitate before reaching out and running my fingers over the strap of his bag. “Don’t leave me there.” I mean it to sound like a command, but it comes out as more of a shaky plea.

“Never,” he says, and I can hear the determination in his voice. He runs a finger over my tattoo. “This black viper means that you’re privately owned. The tattoos are very important in the club we’re going to. The black viper means that no one else is allowed to touch you, and if they do, then I have the right to kill them.”

---