4. Alena

"Are you sure about this?"

Katja looks me dead in the eye, brushing her fingers through my curled hair to separate the ringlets. She shakes with nerves, and the same nerves flutter through my own gut like I've swallowed live butterflies.

This is my last chance to back out. My last chance to change my mind and just stay home. Part of me wants to. I've rarely been outside the mansion other than on trips with Mara and my father, so sneaking out to try and find a club is far beyond anything I've ever tried before.

I'll never get a chance like this ever again.

"I'm ready." Surer words I have never spoken.

"Okay." Katja stands back and admires her work.

With the family busy with the meeting, it's the perfect time to slip out of here unnoticed. I chose a blue ruffle dress to wear from the back of my closet, a gift from someone a few years ago that I've never had a chance to wear. Katja borrows a red dress with a glittering bodice and a flowy skirt. She's a little thinner than me, but it still fits her perfectly. Now, we just have to get out of here.

"I called the taxi," Katja says as I move to the window.

Months I have spent here, reading stories of daring adventures and escapes while watching the garden patrols and mapping out their patterns. Back then, I had been planning to run away, but I know there's no chance of getting far. Using what I've learned to slip out for a night of fun is as far as I'll get.

"Petar's phone?" I ask. Katja's reflection in the window nods. "And you deleted the call?"

"Yup. If we do get caught, it won't be through his phone."

"Excellent." I force a deep breath, trying to calm the flurry of nervous excitement inside me, then I turn to Katja as she hands me my purse and the straps for my shoes. We'll go barefoot until we make it over the back wall, and then it"s on to the city.

"Ready?" Katja's eyes gleam at me, and I reach for her hand, clutching it to my chest.

"As ever. Thank you for doing this."

The clock strikes eleven p.m. It's showtime.

My window opens easily, and we slip barefoot out onto the balcony just as a patrol passes underneath us. Counting in my head, there are thirty seconds before the next one comes around the corner. The stone is cold against my bare feet as I run to the edge and throw my purse and shoes down into the bushes below. Hiking up my dress, I throw one leg over the railing and then I'm clambering down the wooden trellis. My heart hammers in my throat and the wood bites into my palms, but I don't feel any pain. Now that I've started, the nerves have flown, and nothing but excitement beats in my chest. Down I climb, around plant stems and wire, until my bare feet land on the biting gravel. Snatching up my shoes and purse, I reach to catch Katja's hand as she lands next to me, and we dart into the high bushes with seconds to spare.

Breathless, we crouch down, and I glance at Katja's bright face. The same exhilaration I feel inside me flashes in her eyes and our fingers lock together. She squeezes my hand, a silent confirmation that she's with me, and we move.

I've mapped this path a thousand times in my mind from my bedroom window, yet it's quite a different thing to travel it. We dart between bushes and trees, duck behind planters, and pause against statues as guard patrols move around us with no clue that we are even there. Like ghosts, we dance across the garden. From cold stone slabs to chilled grass, I run until my heart beats behind my temple and my lungs scream for air that I'm too nervous to give beyond small gasps. It lasts until we make it to the back wall and Katja stumbles next to me, panting heavily.

"Nearly there." I flash her a grin, tuck my purse and shoes under one arm, and start to climb. It's difficult to balance myself and the items while climbing the wooden trellis. Again, the slats imprint on my palms, but I barely notice. Up and up we climb, toes scrabbling for grip and the vines catching on our clothes as if begging us not to go.

I ignore it all and reach the top, taking the first deep breath of freedom. My bag and shoes land on the other side, then I drape myself over and let go of the wall. For the few seconds I'm falling through the air, I'm weightless. It's like a dream until I hit the grassy bank and all air shocks from my lungs on impact. I roll thrice, gasping as Katja lands somewhere near me and a laugh squeaks out of her. It's the nicest sound that cuts through the darkness, and when I finally stop rolling, lying flat on my back in the grass, a bubble of laughter escapes me too.

Freedom.

Suddenly, Katja is above me, grinning down with her dark hair creating a velvet curtain between me and the stars above.

"Come on." She grins, panting. She takes my hand, pulls me to my feet, and then we're running. My home is nothing but an afterthought behind me as we sprint across the road, down an alley, and through a small park. Bare feet pounding the pavement, I run until my lungs burst, and it"s only when we reach the third street over that I pull my hand from Katja and stumble to a stop, gasping for air. The chill of the night air doesn't even breach the bubble of warmth pouring off me. I lean against the wall and laugh breathlessly as Katja stumbles back toward me.

Her smile is as wild as her hair, and she looks more alive than I've ever seen her.

"We did it," I gasp. "We fucking did it!"

We clutch at each other, jumping up and down for a few moments until I notice a twig in Katja's hair. Removing it with a laugh, she pulls a small brush from her purse, and we take a few moments to sort ourselves. Clothes are smoothed down, hair is brushed, and heels are placed on sore feet, but nothing can bring me down. A touch-up of lipstick, and Katja takes my hand, her eyes sparkling.

"Come on, we're close!"

This time when we jog out into the street, I'm no longer Alena Orlova, daughter of the Pakhan and heir to the Russian Mafia. I can be whoever the fuck I want to be. The world stretches out before me with infinite possibilities, and each lungful of air tastes different to anything I breathed in at home. This is freedom.

This is life.

Katja leads me to a waiting taxi, and we stumble into the backseat, breathless from our escape. The driver, an older woman with wire glasses attached to a gold chain, swivels to face us, and she raises a penciled brow.

"Are you girls okay?" she asks, slightly alarmed.

Something about that question and how concerned she is tickles me, and I burst out laughing.

"I'm so sorry," I gasp. "We're okay. Just in a rush."

"Alright, my dears." She smiles and turns back to the wheel. "Where can I take you?"

"The biggest nightclub in the city," Katja says, pulling a wad of crumpled bills from her purse and passing them forward. I hadn't even thought of paying, but it seems Katja has thought of everything. She's bending over backward to give me an amazing birthday present. I make a mental note to repay her tenfold when this is over.

"No problem, dear." The woman chuckles, and she gathers up the bills. "Everyone buckled in?"

The world darts past the windows as we drive, and I can't tear my gaze away. Never have I seen things so clearly. Any travel I've had in my life has been through protective blacked-out glass, and never have we driven into the heart of the city. We melt from the dark outskirts into the bright, buzzing circus of New York City, and my heart soars. We pass buildings lit up with wild, colorful neon lights, nightclubs and restaurants heaving with people. Men and women fill the streets dressed to the nines in fancy clothes and smart suits. I drink it all in with wide eyes, pressed up against the glass, while Katja chats away with the driver.

Everything is so beautiful. The city gleams like it's covered in fallen stars, and the lights are so bright it's easy to forget that it's so late at night. My heart races so fast I barely even notice it anymore, and all thoughts of my father and the family fade from my mind.

I'm free.

Twenty minutes later, we pull up beside a large crowd of people. Over the top of their heads, a pink neon sign reading Gemini blinks at me.

"Alright, dears, here we are!"

"Thank you so much," Katja exclaims, pressing a few more bills into the driver"s hand.

"It's no problem." She chuckles, but she accepts them anyway.

"Yes, thank you!" I call and climb out of the taxi. An assortment of smells hits me immediately, from perfume and sweat to fast food that causes my gut to pull slightly. The possibilities are endless, and as Katja joins me, I immediately clutch at her hand.

"This is amazing!" I squeal, and Katja bounces alongside me.

"Right? Come on, let's get in line."

As we slot into the line of people awaiting entry, my mind races with the possibilities of what's inside. The air thrums with the beat of the music pounding inside, matching the beat of excitement flooding through me. I'll be in so much trouble when we get caught, but right now, I couldn't care less.

My birthday is three weeks away, my marriage is three weeks away, and one night to be myself, to find out who I even am, is all I want. One night where I can just be me without the crushing weight of the responsibility I was born into.

The queue moves swiftly, and before long, we're facing down a tall, muscular man who is seconds away from bursting his black T-shirt at the seams. Staring up at him in awe, it takes Katja nudging me with her elbow before I click and rummage through my bag for my fake ID.

"ID?" he asks, his deep voice catching me off guard. The card slips between my fingers, and it's difficult to hide the tremble moving through me as I pass the ID over. Katja does the same, a bright smile on her face, and my heart leaps into my throat.

This is the one moment where the night could be over before it's even begun.

He stares at both IDs, and a look of amused disbelief crosses his face when he looks back at us. It takes all my strength not to glance at Katja as the bouncer's green eyes lock on me.

"You're twenty-one?" he asks.

"Twenty-two, actually," I answer quickly, remembering the date on my card. His brow lifts, then his gaze slowly drags down me. He takes in every inch and doesn't hide it. Part of me feels like I should be indignant by his wandering gaze, but instead, it's exciting. Especially when he gives a smirk of approval and hands our IDs back to us.

"Welcome to Gemini."

Katja and I keep it together until we're inside and past the velvet rope. Only then do we break into a fit of giggles and clutch at each other.

"Oh, my God, I thought for sure we were screwed," Katja exclaims.

"Me too! The way he started quizzing me, I for sure thought I was done for."

"Luckily, he's a man with taste." Katja laughs and takes my hand. "Come on!"

Down a dark corridor with red walls and tiny, twinkling circle lights above, it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Then we push past a beaded curtain and step into the heart of the club. The sight takes my breath away.

A sea of people moves together, dancing in the middle of the club. The floor beneath them slowly fades between various colors while bright spotlights and colored lasers dance overhead in time to the thumping music. It's so loud I can feel the vibrations in my breastbone, and I press one hand to my chest as we slowly walk forward. Several tables dot around one half of the room, and booths hug the wall on the other. A large stage sits at the far end filled with the DJ and countless dancers grinding on one another.

What catches my eye the most, however, are the multiple silver stripper poles dotted around the room. Each one has a naked man or woman grinding against the pole like their life depends on it, and the flashes of tits and dicks warms my cheeks in shock.

"Too much?" Katja yells in my ear, leaning close because of the music.

"No!" I yell back. "It's perfect!" Reaching the edge of the crowd, I cast my gaze up to several hanging cages above the crowd. Each one has a naked couple of varying genders getting down and dirty, and my heart leaps into my throat. We definitely came to the right place. This is the kind of place that changes people. I can taste it in the air.

I tighten my grip around Katja's hand and take the lead, weaving through the sweaty sea of slicked, dancing bodies to the glittering bar. Several topless bartenders rush back and forth between patrons yelling out their orders, and I dart into an opening, pulling Katja with me.

I've never had a drink before, beyond a few sips at important events, thanks to my father. This is going to be amazing.

"How can I help you?" A topless man covered in body glitter slides up to the counter with a dazzling smile and neon glasses atop his head.

Glancing at Katja, who raises her brow encouragingly, I lean over the bar, toying with the pendant around my neck.

"Two of the fruitiest cocktails you have!" I ask excitedly.

"Coming right up!"

Tonight will be a night to remember.