Maria
The moment I step off the bus, I'm hit by a blast of humidity in the face. I'd pause, but everybody is moving fast, and I'm trying to keep up as I exit the Port Authority. I speed walk as if I know where I'm going, and I hope I do. Times Square is like stepping into another world, with bright colors and Broadway billboards over my head. For a moment, I stand still on the sidewalk, soaking in the chaos surrounding me. It's exhilarating and overwhelming all at once—until a woman jostles me out of her way.
Stay focused, Maria. Stop acting like a tourist.
I start moving again, looking for a pay phone, but they must only exist on old TV shows. I pull the card with Mercy's address out of my pocket and start walking, not entirely sure how I will actually get there.
I'm hoping I can stay with my cousin for a little while. I've never been sure how we're related, but we've called each other "cousin" since we were babies.
Until Dad stopped us from talking.
I try to keep pace, walking on pavement littered with flattened trash, surrounded by people of every shape, size, and color imaginable. As I weave my way through the crowd, I can't help but feel like Dad might be right. The time on the electric ticker tape is barely noon. I've been gone for four hours. I wonder what my dad will do. The guilt of leaving him gnaws at me. There's still time to turn around and find a bus back. But if I go back, he'll never let me out of the house again.
"Hey there, pretty girl," a voice calls out behind me. I turn to see a rough-looking man in dirty jeans and a faded T-shirt looking at me with a leering grin. Each time his eyes rake over me, it sends my skin crawling with unease. The wind picks up, and I can smell that his last shower was probably months ago.
"Leave me alone." I try to keep my voice steady as I pick up the pace.
"Aw, c'mon, don't be like that," he sneers, following me. "You need a daddy, little girl? I'll be your daddy."
I feel my chest tighten, panic setting in. "Leave me alone," I repeat, fighting to keep my voice from quivering.
"Aw, don't be like that, baby," he coos. "I just want to get to know you. We could have some fun together."
"Get away from me!" I shout, my voice cracking in fear. People pass us, but no one seems to care that this man is bothering me. They look straight ahead, moving quickly down the street. I start to walk faster toward the avenue, but he hurries up to catch me.
"Fucking cunt," he growls. "You think you're better than me?"
He grabs me by my backpack and yanks it open. To my horror, my book falls out. But I don't have time to react as the man reaches out to grab me. I squeeze my eyes shut, regretting every moment of my foolish decision.
But the hand never reaches me. I open my eyes and see a hand grabbing my would-be assailant's wrist.
"Didn't she tell you to leave her alone?"
I turn to look at my savior and stare into the face of a handsome man in a suit. He looks a bit older than the man harassing me, with dark hair and piercing green eyes. He looks like he just stepped off a GQ cover, and I can't help staring at him.
Calm down, Maria!
"Or what?" the punk sneers, but his bravado doesn't match the doubt in his shifty eyes.
"Or I'll make you regret laying a finger on her," the handsome man threatens, stepping between us.
His tall frame towers over the man and I instinctively move behind him, catching a hint of his scent—something light and airy instead of the choking body spray of high school boys. It's so subtle that it makes me want to lean in and discern the subtle texture of it all.
There's a familiar tone in his voice, and it takes a moment before I realize that it's the same tone my father had when he pulled me away from Trevor. Suddenly a chill seizes me, and I wonder if what I saw earlier is about to play out again.
The punk's gaze darts from the handsome man to me as he weighs his options. With a curse, he wrenches his wrist free and steps back.
"You're not worth it, you stuck-up bitch," he mutters, shooting me a venomous glare before he slinks away.
"Is this your book?" the handsome man bends down, picks up the copy of What Great Paintings Say effortlessly despite its weight, and asks. There is concern in his green eyes but also admiration as he casually thumbs the edges of the book. His sudden appearance is a relief, and I'm grateful but also bewildered.
"Y-yes, thank you," I stammer, trying to catch my breath.
"It's one of my favorites." He smiles. "You have good taste."
Oh my God, it's like he knows all the right things to say!If I thought he was handsome before, he's downright gorgeous now.
"Thanks," I say as he gives it back to me.
The handsome man watches with amusement in his eyes as I try and stuff the book back into my backpack. I finally manage to wrangle the damn thing inside, but I can't zip up my bag.
"I ... I just ... I should get going." I say it, but my feet don't move.
"Where are you headed?" His green eyes—lit up by the million lights of Times Square like a pair of perfectly cut emeralds—compel me to look back at him, and I can't help staring.
I bite my lip, unsure if I should accept his help. But not wanting to be accosted by another crazed weirdo, what choice do I have? I show him the card with Mercy's address, and his brow furrows for a moment as he looks at it.
"It's not too far from here," he says. "But are you sure it's the right address?"
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Well, I happen to be familiar with that place," he replies. "It's a bar."
"Well, my cousin says she lives there." I blink stupidly. "Can you point me in the right direction?"
He looks at me, and for a moment, I imagine him telling me that he'll walk me there. But instead, he disappoints me and simply points to our right.
"Go north two blocks," he says. "And make a left."
"Thanks," I mutter. "What's your name?"
"Mikhail," he replies. "Mikhail Ivanov."
"Maria," I reply and extend my hand to him. "Maria Rostova."
"Nice meeting you, Maria Rostova," Mikhail smiles. "Perhaps I'll see you soon."
Without another word, he turns and walks away. I resist the urge to call out to his retreating figure.
"Come on, Maria," I whisper to myself. "Get a hold of yourself."
I begin walking north like he told me to, still trying to wrangle my book into place. And as the lights of Times Square dance all around me, I notice something poking up from the pages of my book. Stopping at a crosswalk, I pull it out.
It's a card that says "Chrysanthea" on it. When I turn it over, there's an address and Mikhail's name. But it's neither of those things that send my heart skipping a beat.
It's the words on the other side.
Owner. Contemporary Art Gallery.
MariaIt doesn't take long for me to get to the address on Mercy's card, and true to Mikhail's words, it's a bar. The name "Somewhere Bar" is lit up by neon lights, and even though it's not too far from Times Square, it looks surprisingly empty.I wonder if I've made a mistake when I spot her red hair—same as mine—before she sees me. I wave at her like a fool, and her dark eyes narrow on me for a moment before they light up with recognition. She coughs and tosses her cigarette to the ground."Maria!" she calls out. "What the hell! What are you doing here?""Hey, Mercy!" I shout back, dodging a pedestrian to reach her.Mercy wraps me in a tight hug. Her welcome is the reassurance I need right now. She steps back and looks me hard in the eyes. "Where's your dad?"I swallow hard. "I ran away.""Ran away?" She laughs loudly, verging on a coughing fit. "You're eighteen, for Chrissake. Call it what it is: you left home." She gives me another bear hug before pulling back, smiling."Well, you
MikhailI stand tall in the dusty and stuffy anteroom of Sorokin Castle, my heart racing as I adjust the cuffs of my Saville Row suit. My reflection stares back at me in the mirror and I try hard not to grimace.For years, I've both anticipated and dreaded this moment. And with my father, Gennady's, recent passing, it somehow doesn't feel real.Inhaling, I exit the small room and enter the grand hall where my coronation is taking place. I kneel before the head of an ornate conference table and lift my head to heaven while the others remain standing. Grigori Schevchenko, the priest, nods and begins the liturgy of ascension, reciting the familiar words as my late father's gun is placed before me."You care for no one but the Bratva," he drones. "And you shall love none other than the Bratva."This was never supposed to be my burden, I think bitterly as I repeat the words. It was always supposed to be yours, Desmier.Father lost the son he loved—the son he always wanted to pass the Bratv
MikhailA dark cloud lingers over my thoughts. Andrei Barinov's war has put unnecessary scrutiny over all of the Bratvas of the East Coast. A web of violence and deceit is slowly unfurling, and the threat of outside interference has only grown in the months since. To prepare, Father and I had begun a massive recruitment and armament drive. But his untimely death threatens to throw the entire thing off balance.And with the Lanzzare circling like sharks around us, looking for any and all moments of weakness, there is not a moment of rest to be had.Our conversation continues, and the brigadiers each rattle off information about our manpower, reserves, and operations. Each bit of news is accompanied by praise for my father and flattery for me, but I see through their attempts. They're probing me to gauge my reaction. But they played their hand already when Gunsyn disrespected me the moment I walked into my own home.And when it is time for them to leave, I gaze at the eastern horizon, p
MariaI run up the subway stairs and out onto the busy streets of SoHo, clutching the card from Mikhail the other night. The city buzzes around me, making my heart race with excitement. I'm going to my first contemporary art gallery! It's a feeling I've never experienced before, and I feel giddy on the inside while doing my best to keep my cool on the outside.My gaze is drawn to a sleek concrete and glass building with teal banners above the door, displaying the name "Chrysanthea" in bold gold letters. This is it. I stare at the abstract painting in the window by Kimoto Kaori, briefly wondering if I might actually meet her. I step inside, immediately captivated by her work adorning the walls.The air-conditioned space is a welcome relief from the humid summer heat. The room is alive with the hum of other patrons commenting on the art on display. Finally, I have found my tribe.I feel a sense of pride for going out alone and avoiding Mercy's club scene. The low lights and loud music w
MariaOur conversation flows effortlessly from there, moving from art to the city. I'm careful not to reveal too much about myself, but I can't help but be drawn to him. His charisma is intoxicating, and I find myself flirting with him more than I ever have with anyone before. I can't help but let myself be swept away by the possibility of falling in love. Maybe not with him—he's still a total stranger—but I want it to happen one day.Mikhail is nothing like the high school boys I know, and I feel embarrassed for being so eager when Trevor's hands were groping me at the party. I inhale as discreetly as I can when he looks away for a moment.In New York, I can create myself, just like a work of art."There's something about Kaori's art that transports a person into another world," I say breathlessly as we finally walk away from the painting and move on through the gallery. "I'd love to be in her world, even for a moment."Mikhail nods as he smiles knowingly and leads me over to a self-
MikhailMaria tries to run the moment we take her out of the limo beneath my building. Rurik catches her quickly, but not before she kicks him in the shin. Cursing, he hands her to me. My grip on her arm is unyielding as she stumbles off the elevator and into my penthouse.When the door opens at the penthouse, her fear is displaced by wonder and awe. She stares slack-jawed at the pristine floor-to-ceiling windows that offer a panoramic view of the city below us, and then she does a double take at the artwork on the walls.Warhol, Basquiat, Malevich, Mapplethorpe, Nevelson. And, of course, Rothko.The open-concept living area is filled with modern-era furniture, a sleek fireplace, and floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with books and artifacts. There is undeniable admiration in her eyes as she tries to take in every detail of her new luxurious surroundings.Maria walks in a trance toward a wall that's not there. Her fingers touch the glass as she looks out at the world at midnight. The lig
MikhailThe spacious bedroom has a king-sized bed, an impressive walk-in closet, and a lavish ensuite bathroom. The locked windows offer a breathtaking view of the city. A beautiful cage for beautiful women. I won’t deny Maria’s beauty, but I also know the dangers hidden behind her beauty: it’s a distraction that will kill a lesser man.She stumbles and unexpectedly, I reach out to catch her. A current rushes through us when my fingers close around her wrist. Her breath catches in her throat, but she doesn’t pull away. She blinks, and the ferocity that had been erased earlier returns to the surface.“Let me go,” she hisses.I oblige, but only because I know she has nowhere to run. Maria rubs her wrist where my fingers were and throws a baleful look my way.“I don’t know what you think I’ve done,” she says, trying to keep her voice even. “Or what you want from me, but I swear I didn’t do anything.”“Your phone.” I ignore her and extend my hand.“I don’t have one,” she insists. “I told
MariaThe sound of the lock latching echoes through the room like a death knell. I fight to catch my breath as panic rises through my body. My gaze stays on the door, waiting for it to open again.Oh God, no!Sobbing, I remain in the corner. The cool glass presses against my forehead as I curl up in a ball, and the reality of my situation settles around me like a thick fog. I've been imprisoned by a madman who tells me I'm going to marry him. This is exactly what my dad warned me about. But how did he even know?As I sit there, I feel a sense of bigger betrayal. I had faith in my future, and this man stole it away. Mikhail has shown me his true nature. He isn't charming or smart. He's evil, and I don't want to think about what he wants to do with me.... What he already did to me.Memories of his hands roaming across my body enter my mind, and shame bubbles up in my mind. The way he held me down underneath the weight of his body as I struggled awoke something inside of me. Something t