The doors were so close. I was almost inside the mansion.
They came close, their heat at my back. Feeling a touch on my arm, I let out a small scream and increased my pace until I passed through the door.
I ran blindly. Between sofas, chairs, a table, and then the stairs. I didn’t pay attention to where I was going. I just ran.
When I reached the second floor, I tripped over my legs and almost went down in a heap. Saving myself in time with the help of the banister, I continued running.
All I heard were furious shouts. Even when several men came from different directions, I didn’t stop running.
The halls were big and filled with many doors. When I heard distant screams, I blindly moved toward one door and opened it. I ran inside and slammed it behind me.
My body prickled with tension, like thousands of pointy knives piercing my body. My heart was beating as fast as the thrumming wings of a caged bird. It sounded like drums to my ears. It was the only thing I could hear.
I closed my eyes and leaned heavily against the door.
The mansion was too big. It would take them some time to find me. I slowly slid down until my butt met the floor. Pulling my knees toward me, I hugged them tight to my chest. I placed my head on them and tried to calm my breathing.
When I could finally breathe normally, and my gasps no longer filled the room, I looked up. Noticing that I was in a bedroom, I stood on shaky legs and moved away from the door.
The room was massive. There was a king size bed in the middle of the room and a nightstand on either side. A bench sat in front of the bed. I walked closer and pressed my hand into the soft cushions.
Looking to my left, I noticed a chest against the wall. I turned around to see a sitting area. There were two couches and a coffee table in the middle, facing a fireplace.
I looked to my right and saw that instead of walls, there were big paneled windows framed by intricate draperies. The room was welcoming, but dark.
My breath picked up when I heard someone at the door. The knob moved and my eyes widened in panic. My heart pounded faster. No. No. No.
I searched the room for a place to hide. The bed was the closest to me, so I crawled under it.
I lied down on my side. Bringing my knees to my chest, I wrapped my arms around them and closed my eyes tightly, praying that whoever was at the door wouldn’t find me.
Chapter 2
Alessio
I opened the door to my bedroom and slammed it behind me. Viktor had been busy with the clubs’ problems, to make sure all our businesses were running smoothly, so house check-ups fell on me. That was Viktor’s job and I didn’t trust anyone else to take care of it. So I went myself.
Shifting my weight on my feet, I jerked at my tie hard until it came undone and I pulled it off my neck. As I was taking off my suit jacket, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
Taking it out, I saw Phoenix’s name flashing on the screen.
“What is it?” I growled into the phone.
“Boss,” he said, sounding panicked and out of breath. I almost rolled my eyes.
“What is it?”
“Boss…”
I didn’t hear the rest of his sentence, instead tuning him out.
My eyes widened when I noticed a white cloth extending from beneath my bed. I walked closer, the phone still at my ear.
When I reached the cloth, I crouched down and touched it.
As I lifted the covers around the bed and looked down, my mouth fell open at the sight, then anger coursed through me. I could feel my eyes narrowing into slits.
A girl. A dirty-looking girl was hiding under my bed.
“Boss, boss, are you there?” Phoenix yelled through the phone.
“What?” I bellowed, as I kept my eyes on the little intruder.
She jumped at my tone and started shaking, her chin trembling and tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
I bared my teeth at her and she tried to scoot away from me, but I didn’t give her a chance. Grabbing onto her white, shredded, dirty dress, I held her still. She wasn’t going anywhere.
I fisted the material in my hand and pulled until she was no longer under the bed.
“Boss! Someone broke into the estate,” Phoenix screamed through the phone, sounding frustrated.
I smiled. The girl kept her knees against her chest, then wrapped her arms around her head as if to protect herself from me.
I laughed at the thought. Poor girl. She didn’t even know what she’d gotten herself into. Breaking into the house of the Bratva’s boss—the Pakhan—and then hiding under his bed.