The Collector: A Dark Russian Mafia Romance (The Cells of Kalashov Book 1)

by Vi Carter

  “You’re perfect the way you are.”

  “Thank God.” I grin and his smile has me biting my lip. My mind goes to one place too fast when I’m around Nicholai. No one could blame me. He’s magnificent.

  ***

  The room where the party is being held, is a dining room. I didn't realize it would be this kind of party. The table is laid out for a meal. Anita smiles at us. She’s wearing a long black dress. I smile back at her. I don’t want to. She gave me this cheap dress on purpose. I hold my head high as I walk to the table. Nicholai pulls out my chair and I smile up at him before sitting down.

  I meet Lucca’s gaze. His eye color is unusual, I wasn’t sure if it was silver or grey. Anita is beside Lucca and two men are already seated at the table, but two more place mats have been set.

  “We have two more guests arriving. A friend and his son.” Lucca answers my unspoken question.

  “Alex and Bogan, this is Mila, Nic’s girlfriend.” The way Lucca introduces me has amusement in his voice. The two men look at me differently now. If this was real, and I was Nicholai’s girlfriend, I’d feel ten feet tall, but I have to remember that we are just pretending and not get carried away.

  “Lovely to meet you, Mila.” I think he’s the one called Bogan. He has more tattoos on the left side of his face than his right. You’d expect to see someone like him at a street corner, not at a table in a very expensive house.

  “You too.” I force a smile and like the feel of Nicholai’s hand on my bare thigh.

  “How have things been?” Bogan turns his attention to Nicholai, who releases my thigh.

  “I’ve been busy. I see you have moved up the ranks.”

  Bogan spreads his hands, a grin on his face that displays dimples on either side. “I might be one of The Watchers.”

  Nicholai’s laughter is soft and sends waves through me. “Might be, huh?”

  “Are you the other?” Nicholai asks Alex.

  “No, I have a different role. But like you and Lucca, I climbed fast too. I knew what I had to do.” Alex picks up a glass of clear liquid and sips from it. “What did you do to get your title?”

  “The unthinkable,” Lucca answers for Nicholai and my stomach hollows out. What is the unthinkable?

  The men laugh around the table and I have that moment of understanding that I’m seated with the most dangerous members of the Bratva. I should be terrified. I should be trying to escape while they eat and drink, but sitting beside Nicholai, I’ve never felt so safe in my life.

  I glance up at him and his dark eyes meet mine. I want to know what the unthinkable is.

  “Lucca thinks he’s funny.” Nicholai reaches out and when his fingers touch my face, I lean into his touch. “But he’s not.”

  Lucca sneers at Nicholai’s insult and picks up his drink while saluting Nicholai. For me, I believed Lucca. I think these men did the unthinkable. I’d seen Nicholai strangle and shoot a man. I’d watched him burn and bury bodies.

  The doors open and an elderly man enters with a tray of food. I accept the steak dish that’s the same for everyone. The plates are put down at the two empty spots and the waiter leaves as the two other men arrive. I’m ready to pick up my knife and fork when everything in me sours. My fingers tighten around the table as blue eyes stare back at me.

  “Mila.” Eric looks so much older. But it’s been six or seven years. He’s a man now, but I would know him anywhere. His blond hair and pale skin are still the same, but he’s larger with tattoos snaking up his neck. I’m standing and moving. His smile melts off his face as I reach him. My hand collides with his cheek, the sound deafening in the room.

  His father steps closer. “Mila.” The warning is there as his gaze bounces between me and his son.

  Eric touches his face that is already turning red. “I deserved that.”

  “Nicholai.” I freeze as Eric’s father says Nicholai’s name.

  “Vlad.” Nicholai’s voice is right behind me. His large hands touch my shoulders. Eric’s gaze zones in on the hands on my shoulders. I want to snap my fingers in Eric’s face and make him look at me. So much anger that I had thought left, boils and bubbles under my skin.

  “You left me for dead,” I say the words that I know I shouldn’t. It isn’t the time or place.

  Eric’s face grows tight. “I searched for you.” He takes a step closer towards me and he’s as large as the rest of the men in the room. I feel tiny, but I hold my head high.

  “You’re such a liar,” I spit out and Nicholai’s hands tighten on my shoulder. I glance back at him and I don’t know what warning his eyes hold, but I ignore it and spin back to Eric.

  “I hate you.”

  “My son isn’t responsible for your behavior, Miss Ivanov. Your father did what any father would have done.”

  I grit my teeth at his lies. “You would say that. You always kissed his ass.”

  I can feel the change in the room and glance at the table as Lucca rises.

  “Ivanov?”

  My heart starts to pound and before I can answer, Nicholai blocks me and turns to Lucca. “Who she is doesn’t matter. She’s here with me, under my protection.” Nicholai’s back is rod straight and I don’t see anyone trying to test him. I peek out as Lucca nods.

  “Everyone sit.”

  I don’t want to, but I follow Nicholai to the table. I hate that I have to eat beside Eric and his father. They will run to my father the moment they have the chance. Nicholai has got to know that. The tension at the table seems to grow.

  “You’re Victor’s daughter?” Bogan asks with a smile that shows off his full dimples.

  “Yes, I am,” I answer and pick up the glass of clear liquid. It’s vodka and I like the taste of it. It reminds me of the man to my left, who’s rigid beside me.

  “You look good.”

  I’d throw the glass at Eric if I could get away with it. “Don’t speak to me. You lost that privilege when you left me.”

  “I tried to find you,” He speaks again through gritted teeth. I hate how we have captured the attention of everyone at the table. Anita isn’t smiling when I meet her eyes, I’m not sure what I see. Respect? Is it because I’m standing up to Eric or who I am?

  I snort and drink more vodka. I want to cry, I want to run, but I hold my head high.

  “Everyone eat,” Lucca’s command is said like we aren’t all stiff as boards around his table. The food goes down like dry sand. I empty my glass of vodka and Bogan winks at me as he refills my glass from a jug that I had thought held water.

  This is exactly what happens when people learn who you are. Are they all looking at me as a ticket to a promotion? They had done the unthinkable to get where they are today. Had they handed over family members, wives, children? Who the fuck knew? I drink more and want to bark at Eric to stop staring at me.

  Silence fills the space as everyone eats. I give up the pretence and just drink. Nicholai eats, and when I glance at him, he looks almost relaxed, like this isn’t unusual.

  “I swear, Mila, I looked for you.”

  I push my chair back and pick up my drink before turning to Eric. “Speak to me one more time and you will regret it.” I leave the warning and pad out of the room with my head held high. I had no idea what would transpire after I left, but I didn’t think it would be the sound of a gun being fired.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  NICHOLAI

  Vlad hits the ground. I have two guns drawn. One pointed at Vlad’s head while he nurses his shoulder, and the other pointed at Eric.

  “I’m a perfect shot. That’s just a warning.” Everyone else is standing, but no one has drawn a gun on me. Vlad had been ready to follow Mila from the room and I couldn’t have that. I’m too close to snapping.

  “Why don’t we lower the guns and talk?”

  I don’t look to Lucca, but he knows how this goes down.

  “If they leave this room, they will alert Victor, and I was commissioned to collect Mila. So dropping the gun isn’t r
eally an option, brother.”

  “What do you need?” His words have relief swimming through me.

  “Money and a head start.” I had to run. Staying here isn’t an option anymore.

  “You have it.” This time I look to Lucca and nod.

  “You won’t get away with this.” Vlad still clutches his shoulder, but it’s Eric who I focus on. He had left Mila to rot in the mill. What kind of man did that make him? His face is twisted in rage and that’s what will get him killed one day.

  I pull the trigger and he roars, falling to the ground. I’ve blown out his knee cap. I wanted to blow out his brains, but I’m feeling lenient. Eric doesn’t ask why. He has the sense to look away from me.

  Lucca taps my shoulder. “Bogan, Alex, don’t let them move.” Bogan and Alex both stand extracting guns. I don’t relax until I’m outside the room.

  “I’ll get you some money.” Lucca takes the stairs two at a time. I take out my phone. Mila’s dot comes to life beside me. I look around and spot a small door. Opening it, she looks so angry and ready to go off on someone. Her face is tear stained as she glances up at me. The vodka pools in her eyes.

  “We have to go.” I reach in and pull her off the toilet seat. Her glass is empty.

  “I want another drink.” She wipes her tears away with the back of her hand. I hate the effect that Eric has on her. I hate the hurt that twists her beautiful face. I’m tempted to go back into the room and end him.

  Lucca races down the stairs with a duffle bag that I catch. Digging into his pocket, he clutches a set of keys before throwing them at me.

  “She’s parked out front.”

  I tighten my fingers around the keys. “I can’t thank you enough.”

  Lucca pulls me into a hug. “You saved me more times in prison.”

  “We saved each other,” I say.

  Lucca nods. “They’ll send me after you,” he states. “I’ll come.”

  I grin at him. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, brother.”

  Lucca turns to Mila. “You take care of him. He’s one of the good guys.”

  I laugh, but Mila doesn’t answer. I think she’s gone beyond playing nice.

  “I hope she’s worth it,” Lucca says.

  “She is,” I answer before leaving Lucca’s house behind. I unlock the black slick car and Mila gets into the passenger seat. She’s still clutching the empty glass. She places it between her legs as she buckles herself in.

  “I’m sorry.” She speaks when we are on the road. I glance at her.

  “For what?”

  “I should have stayed silent.” Her eyes meet mine.

  “I would never expect you to remain silent, Mila. I can see he hurt you.”

  She quickly looks away from me and falls silent again for a few more moments.

  “I heard gunshots.”

  I flicker my gaze to Mila. She’s watching me intently.

  “Vlad was about to follow you.”

  Her deep inhale of breath has me regretting telling her. I had to remember this isn’t the life she was born into. She was born into the more blanketed part of Bratva.

  “Is he dead?”

  She doesn’t sound upset. “Nah, it was only a flesh wound.”

  “I heard two gunshots.” Her voice is low and her eyes are drowning in sorrow.

  “The second was for Eric.”

  I can see the pulse in her neck flicker to life.

  Before she asks me if he is dead, I tell her. “Another wound, not lethal, but enough to cause serious pain.”

  I focus on the road and let Mila delve deep into her thoughts.

  I had no idea where we were going—I was running. The Collector doesn’t run. Ever. I just need some time to figure out what to do.

  “Did you shoot him for me?” She asks nervously.

  I smile instantly at Mila’s question. “Yes.”

  I glance at her and she nods at me. “Thank you.”

  I grin. “You are welcome.”

  She has no idea what I will do for her. What I have done for her already, and would do in the future to keep her safe. I wasn’t exactly overly confident about how safe I could keep her when it came to Victor. You don’t stand up to the leader of the Bratva and live.

  Lucca, asking me if she was worth it, knew the price I would pay for this.

  I glance at Mila again. She’s rolling the empty vodka glass in her hands. Her legs are drawn up on the seat. She’s beautiful.

  Yes. She is worth it.

  MLA

  Seeing Eric had done something to me. Even as I heard the ring of gunshots, I hadn’t run like I should have. I sat in that bathroom and cried angry tears while wondering if he was bleeding out on the floor. I take a peek at Nicholai. He's focused on the road and I have no idea what we are doing. His shooting of Eric wouldn’t be brushed off. Shooting Vlad is a crime I couldn’t see my father forgiving. I had gotten Nicholai into this mess.

  “If I wanted to see my father, I had to schedule an appointment with his security.” My words didn’t matter now. We had bigger problems, but I can’t stop the anger that’s spinning through my mind.

  “I made an appointment the morning of my seventeenth birthday to have breakfast with him.” I roll the glass in my hand.

  “I mean, it was scheduled, but he cancelled at the last minute.” I remember trying to eat the pancakes alone without crying. That night, I had gone off with Eric and we had snuck into a VIP venue and ate all the free food. We could have gotten in, but it was far more fun breaking the rules.

  “I’m sorry, Mila.”

  I glance at Nicholai and shrug, “It doesn’t matter now.”

  “What happened the day you got sent to the mill?”

  “I told you, I stole a car with Eric.”

  The car under us slows down and Nicholai pulls off to the side of the road. “I know this isn’t easy, but tell me what happened.”

  I want to ask him why this is important to him.

  I glance down and roll the glass in between my hands again.

  “I was called to my father’s office. The man we stole the car from was a friend of my father’s, so he wasn’t going to report it. My father was pretty pissed.”

  I had known things were bad when I was summoned to his office. He’d never asked me to come before. A small part of me thought, just maybe, he wanted to make up for all the missed birthdays, all the dinners I ate with our staff, or maybe he just realized there was more to this life than work. No, he wanted to punish me.

  “He had been informed by my bodyguard of all the things that Eric and I had gotten into. I hadn’t known Dimitri was reporting everything…”

  “Dimitri?” Nicholai is frowning.

  “Yeah. So this was the final straw for my father. His daughter, embarrassing him.”

  I glance out the window as trickles of rain hit the glass. “Eric never got punished. Just me.”

  I turn back to Nicholai, who gives me an encouraging look to continue. “He said I was going to the mill as punishment and that he would send ‘The Collector’ when he felt my lesson was learned. I had heard of the mill, so at first I didn’t believe him. I even went willingly with Oleg.”

  “Oleg took you there?” Nicholai asks.

  “Yeah. When we arrived at the mill, the reality sank in. I was placed in a small room with Liddi, and I waited each day for ‘you’ to come.” My damp fingers leave an imprint on the glass. “A week later, Oleg arrived and we got into an argument so he left without me. He kept coming back though, to sleep with Liddi, and he never took me with him.”

  Liddi’s screams invade my mind again and I push them away, “A week later, after he killed Liddi, he returned. He told me my father wanted me to disappear, so he gave me money and dropped me off. That was it.”

  “You never tried to contact your father?” Nicholai is frowning.

  “Why would I? He didn’t want me. He never had. It was a second chance at a better life.”

  Nicholai star
ts the car and does a full U turn. “Why are we going back?” I ask him.

  “I need to check something.”

  I focus on his tattooed hands that are clenched on the steering wheel. I want to tell him he should walk away from this, from me, but I don’t. I’m selfish as I stare out the window and hope he doesn’t abandon me like everyone else has in my life.

  The alcohol lulls me into a half sleep. I’m aware of the car moving under us. I’m aware when it slows down and comes to a stop. I sit up straight as I look around the neighborhood.

  “Where are we?”

  “I need you to stay in the car.” Nicholai stares up at the house that’s three stories tall. It’s a fancy townhouse. I know wealth when I see it.

  Nicholai gets out and closes the door. The moment he does, I lock the car from the inside— not wanting to be hijacked again. The time ticks by and I start to grow nervous as I glare up at the house. I don’t see any movement. Flipping down the visor, I wipe away the small amount of mascara from under my eyes. My eyes are red from crying and alcohol. I do what I can before closing the visor and waiting.

  The car heats up and I hate feeling trapped. Opening the door, I let some air in but am ready to close it if anyone comes. I see movement at the top window, my heart races and I close the door gently like whoever is up there might hear me. I’m staring at the same window but nothing moves. Maybe it was a trick of the light?

  My heart lifts as Nicholai approaches the car. I unlock it and he climbs in. Without a word, he starts to drive away from the house.

  “You want to explain to me what that was all about?”

  He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a folded up photo. “Is that Dimitri, your bodyguard?”

  I take the photo. Dimitri is in it with the woman we met on the street, Gail, and a young girl about six is smiling up at the camera.

  “Yeah, that’s him.” I look up to Nicholai. “Small world,” I say.

  Nicholai takes the picture back. He removes something else from his pocket and hands it to me. “Can you read that?”

  I take the white slip of paper and open it. I glance at Nicholai for an explanation.