“Mallory? How are you feeling?”
His voice was so deep I wanted to squirm against the chair and hug the phone.“Better. I can’t believe I got so sick,” I said, grateful my voice sounded steady.
“I’m glad you’re feeling better. If you’re up to it, shall we have dinner?”
“When?” Hope and happiness exploded inside me. He wanted to see me. We were going to have dinner. I couldn’t contain my excitement.
“Now,” he said immediately. He still carried that confidence he’d always had, but now it was another level. It wasn’t a command, but I felt compelled to comply regardless.
“Now?” My voice was a squeak. My heart jumped into my mouth at the thought of seeing him again tonight. I found myself nodding.“Okay, I just need ten minutes to get ready.”
Theo raised his eyebrows at me, clearly as excited as I was.
“Max will pick you up. He’s outside now,” Kirill said.
“Okay, see you soon.”
I hung up and let out a tiny scream, my only allowance for how fucking excited I was before I collected myself. I pushed back from the table. “I’m going out, so you guys need to leave or lock up behind you.”
Fede frowned.“You’re going out now?”
I nodded. “Max is waiting downstairs,” I said, rushing toward my room.
“Already? Before he asked you? He was confident,” Fede complained.
I’d had enough of her negative attitude.“So? Confidence is sexy, baby,” Theo said airily, clearly not sharing her concerns.
I listened to them with one ear as I dressed in the room next to them.
“Or he wasn’t planning on taking no for an answer,” Fede said. “Anyway, weren’t you the one warning her about the Brighton Beach crew last night? What happened to that concern?”
“She knows him, Federica. He’s her high school sweetheart. He’s not some stranger. It changes everything. You know, you need to dial it back. You’re starting to sound like a bitter, jealous hag. I mean, more than normal,” Theo snapped at her.
“Yeah, I’m jealous of seeing my friend teetering on the brink of falling in with dangerous people. Some of us have worked hard enough not to live like that, thanks very much,” she muttered, nearly out of Theo’s earshot.
“What are you on about? Stop, okay? It’s not a good look. Now, let’s go and see what Lori’s putting on. Knowing her, it’ll be some Gwen Stefani reject outfit that does nothing for her,” Theo muttered.
I smiled. I knew he hated my style. I’d never quite outgrown the rebellious emo teen princess phase, and he teased me constantly about it.
Tonight, it didn’t bother me.
Tonight, I was seeing Kirill, and he wouldn’t care what I wore.
16
MOLLY
Kirill was rich.
I couldn’t get my head around it. The boy who had lived on the wrong side of the tracks and eaten white bread PB&J sandwiches every day for dinner all through high school was rich. Max took me to an apartment east of Central Park. There was a discreet nameplate outside the building that read, “The Tower.” We went up in the elevator, which needed a card inserted to make the penthouse button pop up.
The fucking penthouse.
The elevator opened onto an opulent hallway. It had a minimalist, restrained look that screamed wealth.
Kirill walked toward me wearing a sharp black suit and crisp white shirt. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He murmured something to Max in Russian before turning to me.“Good evening, Mallory Madison,” he said in that deep voice that made my toes curl.
“Good evening, Kirill Lewis, if that’s still your name?”