Read Online Bought by the Russian Mobster by Bella Rose - Free Book Online Page A

Nicolai were dead, she was on her own. She would need to find a place to go. That meant she needed money. Where would someone like her go to get money? She couldn’t return to her father’s house.
    That thought alone made her brave. She stared again at Vladimir’s sleeping form. There were no clothes on the floor, yet he was naked in the bed. That meant he had to have undressed in the bathroom. Perhaps he had left a wallet.
    Anticipation made her nerves raw. She carefully rose from the chair. Creeping across the bedroom, she entered the bathroom. She eased the door shut. Feeling along the wall for the light switch, she held her breath and tried to choose which of the three to turn on. Before she hadn’t cared if she flooded the bathroom with light. In hindsight, that had been idiotic. She could have awakened Vladimir. Except she hadn’t known it was Vladimir.
    This whole situation was making her head spin. Picking a switch, she pushed the toggle. A tiny light in the shower went on. There was just enough light to see the pile of bloody clothes Vladimir had left on the floor.
    The pressure of tears was unbelievable as she began picking through Vladimir’s clothing. What if this were Nicolai’s blood?
    No.
    She shoved the thought to the back of her mind. She would not allow herself to believe that he was dead. He was alive. He had to be. Gathering her resolve, she searched quickly for Vladimir’s wallet.
    Finally she located it in a hip pocket. Using her thumb and index finger, she pulled it out. There was a smear of blood across the smooth leather surface. Ignoring the blemish, she opened it and discovered hundreds of dollars in cash. It might be enough to get her a place to stay, although even Lily knew that fresh starts didn’t come cheap.
    She reached for a towel and wiped her hands. Nicolai’s bathroom was now spotted and stained with blood. Lily couldn’t understand how anyone could murder his own father. She had hated hers, but she never would have killed him. Then he had shown up here in Nicolai’s home. It was as if he were trying to switch lives with his twin.
    A chill raced down her spine. It was time to go. She wasn’t safe here any longer. The clothes she had discarded earlier were still in the bathroom hamper. She pulled on the jeans and sweater, glad that she had them. She felt a little pang at having to leave all of the beautiful new things that Nicolai had bought for her behind.
    Perhaps the fire of self-righteous anger made her reckless. In any case, Lily shoved Vladimir’s money into her pocket and left the bathroom with a rather bold step. She took one last look at the murderer sleeping in Nicolai’s place and left the bedroom. Her bravado lasted until she hit a squeaky step halfway down the stairs.
    “Lily?” Vladimir’s sleep-roughened voice called out. “Lily, where are you?”
    She held her breath. Was it better to answer or make a run for it? Trying to outrun Vladimir would likely be suicidal. She gathered every ounce of her composure and called back to him. “I’m just getting a drink, Nicolai. I’ll come back to bed in just a moment.”
    “Hurry up.” He sounded irritable. “I’m horny.”
    Lily did hurry, but in the opposite direction. Whatever courage she’d been feeling was replaced by an absolute terror that she might be forced to live out that awful dream. She reached the bottom of the stairs and tried to be careful as she unlocked the front door. Once it was open, she could see the first light of dawn on the horizon. 
    ***
    Nicolai yawned and rolled his shoulders to loosen muscles that were cramping with the effort of remaining still for so long. He was unaccustomed to surveillance. The shadows hid his presence. He had burrowed into a copse of trees in a yard across the street from his own house. The irony of that was not lost on him.
    The overwhelming scent of boxwood tickled his nose. He swiped at a branch that was doing its best to scratch his arm. Dawn was coming