Vlad: Foxy little minx is definitely a hot little piece boss.
Ruslan: Anything else?
Vlad: Why the hell is she camped out in this shit place and driving that box of rust?
Ruslan: No clue. Is all part of the mystery.
Vlad: Check in later.
The whole situation was strange. Here we have a seemingly casual, unplanned meeting of a mafia boss with his rival’s daughter. She didn’t seem like a princess with the financial backing of a crime family. No. She seemed like a girl just trying to get by. Hell, she couldn’t afford a tow and a new tire. Definitely strange. She didn’t have the attitude most women in mafia families have, either. She was sweet and a little on the quiet side. She blushed when I caught her checking me out, too. None of this shit made a bit of sense.
Checking my watch, I realized Bobby hadn’t reported back, which wasn’t entirely odd. The man was brilliant as hell when it came to digging up details on people and hacking, but time management was not his thing. I’d give him a little more time and then I’d call his ass back.
One thing I knew for sure was that I needed to get ahead of whatever the hell this was… and fast. If Markow got one over on me, everything with the five families would go up in flames.
Chapter Seven - Liliya
“The difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is how you use them.”
-Unknown
It’s been a week since I fled the only home I’ve ever known. At first, I had been so scared of being on my own out in the world, without my family and all of the things I had grown accustomed to. Strangely enough, however, I had been lucky enough to meet a few really nice people along the way, and I had seen some of the most amazing things. But mostly I’ve kept to myself, rarely leaving the motel. My father had never let me travel. I don’t know why he felt the need to keep me locked up tight. My brother was allowed to leave whenever he wanted. It wasn’t fair. I knew that, even as na?ve as I apparently was.
My new life was off to a fairly good start, albeit my choice in motel had been horrible, but it was affordable. The stained carpet and moldy bathroom tiles had made my skin crawl that first night. I shuddered at the thought of sleeping in the bed after seeing just how awful the room as a whole looked that first day. But I was exhausted and slept in it, anyway. My second day in Vegas, I had hit up a local store and bought some cleaning products and food to get me by, and cleaned up the room some. It was better now.
As bad as the room was, I was lucky to have a safe place to crash. I knew that. My complaints had lessened as the days crawled slowly by. I’d found the local library and did my best to try to locate the Volsky mafia family. All week long, I had lacked the necessary courage to visit the nightclub the mafia boss owned, per the newspaper article I had read. Soon though, I’d have to swallow my fear and just do it.
Now my main problem was loneliness.
When I couldn’t shake the loneliness, my mind wandered to the people I’d met, specifically how nice Gladys had been to me, and how kind and helpful the very handsome Ruslan was in my time of need. He’d swooped in like a hero and made my day brighter. Sometimes, I found myself wanting to drive over to the diner just to see if he was there.
I didn’t, though.
I shouldn’t tease myself with things I cannot have. With the darkness that filled my mind, he gave me a little hope that things would be alright. I wished many nights that I was as strong as he seemed to be. He seemed fearless and in control of his life, and I needed that so badly. He was too good for someone like me. I’d just drag him down into the pit of hell that is my life. If we did start something, then it would all be based on a lie. My lies. That wasn’t any way to begin a relationship, and I knew that better than anyone. Without honesty and trust, there was nothing to base a relationship on. I still hesitated to trust anyone. I felt like Ruslan’s kindness alone had given me another reason to keep fighting this insane battle I faced. That was something. Right?