My family, the bratva, betrayed me.
Had it been Luka who wanted me dead? Mikhail? Or had Anton and Savannah been responsible for shooting me and leaving me to die? That doesn’t include the countless enemies I’ve made as a member of the bratva.
I search quietly through her apartment, glancing through the small space until I notice that plugged in beside the television is a VR headset. I slide the headset on and use the controllers to view the settings, finding the account name of the user currently logged into the system. I don’t recognize the screen name,AllieInWonderland.
I never conversed or played withAllieInWonderland.
How the hell does she know who I am?
It’s impossible to tell how new her account is based solely on her screen name. She has a handful of games downloaded. The most recently played is Orc Hunter.
I click on the app, open the program, and turn the volume down so as not to wake her or Kona.
I glance through her game settings. She’s a level twelve.
Amateur.
It may be a new headset. But why acquire a new account too?
I sign out of her account, loading mine. Mikhail had me use the VR system, as it is a completely untraceable chat interface.
Mikhail never knew my handle. It wasn’t necessary since I was tasked with handling the associates. I log into the account. It’s considerably early to be signing on. A few months ago, I would have been working at the club until closing. It feels like just a few days ago for me.
Word must have traveled to the associates; they should expect I’m dead. How will they handle seeing a ghost?
There’s no one I recognize online, and that doesn’t help my situation. I need money and a weapon for protection. I sign out of the headset, not wanting Sadie to know who I am, although it seems she already has figured me out.
I can’t determine how. It’s like she knows me without knowing anything about me.
There was one woman who I conversed with online, and she didn’t even have her own account. She used her niece’s for the better part of a month.
Could it beher?
I never got her name. Only that she resides in New York, which doesn’t narrow it down much. She sounded hot over the microphone, but I never got a glimpse at her.
I place the headset back where I found it and plug the cord back in, not wanting it to look tampered with, although she’s bound to discover that she’s been signed out. If I’m lucky, she’ll think it’s just a glitch from an update.
Her keys are near the door, along with her purse. Abandoned.
I stand, heading for the door, when it swings wide open.
A young girl, all of five feet, stares back at me. “Are you my mom’s boyfriend?” she asks.
“Your mom’s boyfriend?” I repeat, dumbfounded. Sadie didn’t mention that she had a kid. “Yeah, I was just leaving.”
She smirks and chews her bottom lip. I swear I’ve seen Sadie do the exact same thing. “You don’t have to leave on my account.” She shuts the door behind herself and drops her purse beside Sadie’s. “Mom never mentioned you.” The kid glances me over, a wide grin on her face.
I run a hand through my hair. “I should go,” I say. I’m not particularly bad at lying, but I don’t need to ruin this young girl’s future or her mother’s. The shit I’m wrapped up in is too dangerous for them.
“I’m Allie, by the way.” She holds out her hand. The girl has more manners than most men twice her age.
“Nice to meet you, Allie. I’m Dmitri.”
“How long have you been dating my mom?” Allie asks.
There’s no way in hell I’m about to answer her question or any others she decides to throw at me. “It’s late. Shouldn’t you be in bed already?” I can’t imagine the girl is old enough to drive. How the hell did she get home?
“Can’t sleep,” Allie says, and plops herself down on the sofa. The girl is wide awake with bright blue eyes. “Besides, my friend down the hall was being a total brat, TBH.”