Russkaya Mafiya

Chapter 1: Russkaya Mafiya

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The Series

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Book 1 - Secrets

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WARNING

This content contains material that may be offensive to some readers, including graphic language, dangerous and adult situations.

Some situations may be hotspots for some readers.

Any reproductions of this work not deemed by the author, Sapphire Knight, is Copyright Infringement and against the law.

RUSSIAN WORDS UTILIZED THROUGHOUT

Kraaseevee - Beautiful

Kpacota/Krasaaveetsa - Beauty

Balshoy Shef - Big Boss

Shef - Boss

Brat - Brother

Atyets - Father

Poshyol – Fuck

Mallenkee - Little

Bawg, ya khatyets poshyol Vee ??? plawkha Krasaaveetsa - God, I want to f**k you so bad beauty

YA praava vee ??? maya Krasaaveetsa, nafsegDA - I claim you as mine beauty forever

Maya - Mine

Moy brat - My Brother

Zazhaareets - Roast

Russkaya Mafiya- Russian Mafia

Topt - Type of Russian dessert

Saystraa - Sister

Anaa maya - She is mine

Sin - Son

Moosar- Trash

Da – Yes

Three sources were checked for the Russian Language. If it's not to your liking, I apologize. It's meant to help with the setting, to draw you in and help you connect with the characters.

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EMILY

Deep breaths, deep breaths, mm ahh, mm ahh.

Geez, I gotta relax before I give myself a panic attack. I can't believe I'm stuck starting at a new school and had to skip a semester of my sophomore year. Definitely not what I had imagined looking into the future for myself.

University of Tennessee; I look around and can't help but feel some excitement. The scent of the freshly-cut campus lawns, bees buzzing happily, and big bushes of Knock Out roses adorn some of the corners along the sidewalks. The buildings are huge, making the many groups of people appear small. All this orange reminds me of home and makes me love it more.

No one knows who I am or anything about me and that gives me a sense of safety, finally. Not that I'll be out when it's dark, walk by any shadows or leave my windows open. I'm not completely stupid or oblivious to my safety, even if I am far away. I have been known to be slightly naive, but do my best not to be.

I glance at the pink carbon copy of my schedule again. Ugh. I'm taking all my classes early in the morning. This way I don't have to be out in the evenings and it sucks, royally. I'm so not a morning person and to say I'm a little paranoid is extremely accurate.

First on the agenda is Government II. This should be interesting, or not. I'm going to have to take major notes. I've always been pretty smart, but come on, History and Government? No way. Too boring for even the intelligent people.

I can seriously see this lecture going in one ear and out the other. Thank God for my Route 44 soda. One thing I love about the south is our many options for huge beverages.

Naturally, I make my way to sit in the back of the lecture hall. I really hope I can blend in unnoticed, and perhaps get an occasional nap in if needed. The room is huge with rows of plain, brown tables and standard chairs. There's a solid, black podium at the front of the room for the professor and an oversized whiteboard placed behind it, for easy use.

I'm sure my massive Styrofoam cup is like a white beacon in front of me, amongst these Starbucks drinkers. All this coffee-smelling air is making me miss my best friend, London. Missing London makes me miss home.

God, I wish I could be in Texas.

Hopefully one day I can go back to my granddaddy's land. I better call London's brother, Elliot, to make sure everything's going okay with him taking care of the house and land. I keep forgetting with everything going on. I never expected moving a few states would be so draining and stressful.

I'm brought out of my thoughts by a bright smile and chipper voice, "Hi! Boy, I hope this class doesn't suck, you know? It's so hard having a class this early that requires me to think. I'm Avery, nice to meet you," she babbles as she slides into the chair next to me.

I guess I'm no longer alone back here in my hermit-like world. I should have known potential nap time was too good to be true. I don't enjoy early conversation, but this pretty girl looks like she may talk my ear off regardless.

"Hi, I'm Emily." I shoot her a small smile. "Nice to meet you too, Avery." I normally love meeting new people, I'm just sleepy and it kind of makes me a grouch.

"Have you had Mr. Pottsmooth before?" She slides into the chair next to me, dumping her bag on top of the desk. "I haven't but I heard he can be tough if you don't study hard. But I so need this class, so what can you do, right?" Avery pulls out a hot pink notebook and a bright blue pen to go with it. "Oh! I know-we can be study partners, maybe it'll make this class a little fun?" She gazes at me with a hopeful look and I attempt to return it with a friendly expression.

I really don't know what to respond to at this moment. She just asked me like ten questions and I'm not even halfway through my soda yet. She seems sweet though, maybe just nervous. Unless, perhaps Avery talks this much all of the time?

"No, I haven't had him before, either," I mumble and chew on my lip.

Saved! In walks Professor Humpty Dumpty by the looks of it. I can't help but snort a little to myself. He and his big belly are stuffed in a terry cloth track suit. I didn't even know they made those for men. Are they even allowed to wear that to work? I know this is college, but there has to be some type of dress code for instructors, surely.

Once that disaster of a lecture is over with, I'm cornered once again by Avery.

A cheeky smile graces her face as she talks way quicker than your average southerner, "Wow, definitely didn't see that one coming!" She gestures, talking with her hands, "Did you see what that man was wearing? And he talked monotone the whole class. I mean, who does that? Not raise your voice a decibel and talk through your nose the whole time." She starts giggling, thoroughly amused, and I have to chuckle along with her. Avery just has such a cheery bubble around her that pulls you in and she's kind of a silly mess.

"So Emily, I work at this great little coffee shop a few blocks away. It's called ‘A Sip of Heaven,' cheesy, I know. Anyhow, wanna go have a cup and talk about all these stupid requirements for this class?"

"Sorry Avery, but I have to get to my other class. Maybe some other time we can meet for some ice cream or something?"

That's if she's even really serious about us being friends. A few people to hang out with here might make it more bearable with the amount of homework it seems I'm going to have. I need to surround myself with at least a few female friends.

"OH MY GAWD! I love ice cream! Okay, that sounds great!" She grabs my phone quickly and my eyes go wide. Geez, I thought I was going to drop it and that's the last thing I need.

Avery calls her phone before I even realize what she's up to and hands it back when hers rings with some rock song. "Okay, friend, program my number since you have it now and I'll text you later so we can meet up."

Just as quickly as she swooped in, she's off, bouncing down the hallway. I think I might end up liking this girl a lot. If only we met after ten in the morning, I would have had much better conversation skills. Avery grins, waving happily as she makes her way down the large beige hallway and I wave back.

Thankfully, the rest of my day breezes through swiftly and with no drama. The lectures dragged a little, but that's pretty standard for the first classes. So far, Avery's the only person I've said more than a few words to. I didn't realize how lonely this would be, moving out here all alone, with no one knowing where I am. Well, minus London and her family.

I had to do it though. I had very little choice left if I wanted to be safe in the future. I'm going to keep on trekking through and just try to be grateful I have a chance to start fresh. I have to remind myself that I almost wasn't this lucky. I nearly wasn't able to get out. I thank my lucky stars daily for my momma watching over me and the good people that helped me.

I wasn't expecting Avery to text me right away, but she did. She invited me out to eat and I have to say I'm pretty excited to meet her for dinner. I can handle being on my own the majority of the time but there is nothing worse than eating by yourself.

I hadn't even made it in the door of my apartment after classes without having three new text messages from her. Maybe I won't end up being too lonely after all, at least I hope not. Her cheery persona seems to just rub off and makes you want to surround yourself with that type of person. On top of that, I didn't have much to remember from my first set of classes either. I'd say it was a good morning.

I don't have very much money to splurge on going out, but because of Granddaddy's life insurance he set up before he was taken from me, I'm able to eat out and not completely penny-pinch. Once I turned eighteen, I was able to access my momma's life insurance policy. My granddad never spent a cent, always saying it should be for when I was starting my own life without him. Thank God for his stubbornness and future planning or I wouldn't be here in Tennessee right now.

Avery invited me to a bar and grill called ‘The Flamingo Grill.' I had never heard of it but promised to meet her. Wherever doesn't matter as long as it's close to my apartment. I'm not looking to get lost just yet. This city is overwhelming as it is.

My granddaddy's teal, 1965 Ford F-100 pickup truck he left me when he passed doesn't have GPS. She drives like a dream and I couldn't imagine driving something other than this beauty. This girl might be a classic, but thankfully, in this heat, her air conditioner works like she's brand new.

I didn't realize Tennessee was going to be more humid than Texas when I packed up and moved out here. Hello muggy afternoon. I know it could be plenty worse; at least I have the right clothes. I could be stuck up north, freezing my tush off.

I take extra care sorting through my tiny closet, picking out which sundress and boots I'm planning on wearing this evening. For my usual attire, I'll just throw on the first one I come across. I want to look nice today; I have no idea what the dress code is for this place. Shoot, in Texas a sundress and boots works wherever you go, so that is pretty much what my closet is full of.

Sifting through the many colors, I pick a pale yellow that's one of my favorites. It falls over me perfectly and it still looks new enough to wear out to eat in. The dress stops above my knees tastefully and my brown cowboy boots that have a pretty ‘choker' on each, completes my outfit nicely.

I throw on some Clinique Lash Doubling mascara in black. Then twist a few curls in my long, dirty blonde hair with my curling iron, and boom! I'm all set. I may not be runway ready, but this will work for dinner.

As it turns out, The Flamingo is not that hard to find with its giant pink fake bird on the roof. Avery's sweet face is out front waiting for me when I pull into the lot. I park away from other vehicles. I can't have my baby girl getting scratched up from other people's negligence. Granddaddy would be turning in his grave if he saw me park too close.

"Hey, girl!" I holler and wave at Avery as soon as I open my door.

I give her a big smile as I walk toward her, weaving in between cars. There are two other rows of cars parked in front of my truck in the large parking lot. The place looks pretty busy as most of the spots are filled. Hopefully, a lot of the vehicles belong to employees; I would hate it if there's a wait to be seated.

Avery meets me as soon as I step on the sidewalk near the front entrance. "Hey, Emily! Geez, you look so cute! I love your dress!" She grabs my hand while talking super fast, all excited like.

We make our way closer to the entrance and she leans in to talk lower for my ears only, "I hope you don't mind, but I ran into a couple of guys from one of my classes and they asked if we wanted to sit together. They are totally hot so of course I told them yes. I hope you don't mind. Girl, you are gonna be happy when you see these fine men!" She flashes me a brilliant smile after and I roll my eyes.

"Okay, Avery, but I'm not looking to meet any guys. I'm just here to concentrate on school."

I am so not ready for another relationship. My life is way too complicated right now as it is. I know college guys are going to be after one thing anyhow and I'm for sure not looking for a hook up.

"Emily, you have to relax a little or you'll get burned out and we have barely bitten into this semester." She chastises me as we head towards two really good-looking guys, waiting inside by the hostess station. "Okay, here we are! Miss Emily, this is Cameron Wentworth and Luka Masterson." She gestures towards them with her hand as if she's presenting some sort of prize.

I flash them a nervous little grin and wave my hand like a dork. Cameron is cute in that rich preppy jock style.

Clearing my throat, I mumble, "Hi, Cameron, nice to meet you."

"Hey, Emily, you too." He shoots me his bright white smile that I'm sure gets all the girls excited. I've seen his kind before and avoid them like the plague. I remember the jock types in high school, always floating around messing with as many girls as possible.

I look over to Luka and it's like a punch to the gut. He's freaking beautiful, like should be posing in a magazine type of good-looking. "Umm... Hi, Luka," I choke out.

Thank f**k I didn't stutter, sweet Jesus. I hope to God my mouth is shut right now and I'm not gawking like an i***t. I'm met with the most striking hazel eyes when I look up and I have to look up, this man is pushing six-foot-two or six-foot-three.

"Hey, Emily, please call me Tate." His voice is smooth and rich like honey. The kind of voice that vibrates through your bones and wraps you up to make you feel warm inside. I love his name. You don't hear ‘Tate' often. It suits him.

He reaches for my hand and when he touches me, I feel squiggles in my belly. I gasp in an almost silent breath. I hope he doesn't notice my reaction to him. This is the type of man that could steal me, own me, and eventually break me. I'm already too broken as it is.

The tall, thin hostess leads us to our booth after a few brief moments of her collecting menus and wrapped silverware for us. I happily follow her through the main entrance and around the bar. We got lucky not having to wait. I know some restaurants around colleges have an hour or so wait time. I almost want to slip her a five for breaking up the awkward first impression, I'm sure I gave. However, I doubt she noticed since she was busy gawking at the guys.

We each slide in and she passes the menus to us, giving a spiel about our server and daily specials. The booth isn't too large, but we aren't exactly crammed in either. We have just enough room to feel the warmth of the person next to us. The tables are a shiny oak surrounded by rich, red leather covered booths.

Once we all settle in, I feel like a big nerd just staring. I can't help it though. Men shouldn't be allowed to be this good-looking. It's not fair to the female population; we already have to grow up realizing we can't all be princesses, and then life throws genes like this at us.

Tate is nicely built. He doesn't have that steroid bulk build like some of the men around campus I saw today, but he's in great shape. He has really short, dark brown hair. I could easily run my fingers through it. You know if I was looking to do that sort of thing, but I'm not. I can still daydream though. Gosh, I bet it's really soft.

Cameron is pretty cute himself. He's a few inches shorter than Tate but still easily towers over Avery and me. He's blessed with sandy blond hair, longer than Tate's and each time he grins, his chocolate brown eyes sparkle. The two of them together probably have to push the girls off each other with a stick.

Glancing at Tate, I attempt for some easy conversation, "Hey Tate, it sounds like you have a little bit of an accent. What is it?"

His eyes shine playfully as he gazes at me, "That's rich, coming from a sweet southern thing. You've got quite the twang yourself, sweetie."

I don't know if he is being a condescending d**k to me or just taking the attention from my question to his comment. Regardless, I huff and keep quiet. I generally keep to myself until I know someone well anyhow. I just can't help myself from talking to him, it's like he sucks up all of the attention. This is good though, if I'm angry at him at least I won't be picturing his abs every time he speaks to me.

Thankfully, the server approaches to take our orders. Avery and Cameron dominate most of the conversation, so I can just sit back and watch Tate. It feels like I'm in a fuzzy dream, as my body hums with nerves. I don't want to stick my foot in my mouth and I don't want to reveal much. I have to lie low and keep to myself. I need to be careful about too many people getting to know me. I hate having to make all new friends.

"Excuse me for a moment," I mumble, sliding out of the booth and heading for the bathroom. It'll give me a few moments to catch my bearings and pull myself together.

I come back from the restroom feeling a little more confident from the sporadic pep talk I gave myself in the women's stall to see Tate laughing. God, he is handsome. His laugh is deep and his eyes flicker with humor, it's like a vacuum pulling me to him. I can't help but wonder if I could make him smile and laugh that way.

I concentrate on eating my oversized baked potato that's loaded to the brim with butter, sour cream, cheese, and bacon. It's delicious and I shovel it down quickly. With Granddad you learned to eat swiftly or you went hungry. He was in the military when he was young and has always been a fast eater.

I'm brought out of my brain freeze from my virgin Pina Colada I was busily sucking down by Avery's chipper voice, "Hey Emily, you ready to go?" She leans into me and bumps me with her elbow lightly, "These two kind gentlemen refuse to let us pay for our meals. Isn't that sweet?"

Avery is looking way too happy about this. Personally, I don't want to owe anybody anything, but this time I'm just going to act like it doesn't bother me. I leave the cool, sweet trance I was in with my beverage and smirk at the guys.

"Yep, I'm ready. And thank you, this is so kind of you to treat us to dinner. We owe you guys." I regret the words instantly. Dumb ass. I scold myself and shake my head a little. Just great, these guys probably think I'm a nut job.

"Well, speaking of owing, how about you give me your number? I might have trouble in a few of my classes and need your help someday." Tate's eyes gleam mischievously and I have to bite back my groan. Geez, did I not just say I didn't want to owe anybody anything? I guess this is better than a date or him wanting me to wash his car or something. Plus, I can always block his number if I need to.

Shrugging I say irritably, "Sure, if it's for help, then no problem, but I'm no booty call," I say in my snarkiest voice possible. Maybe he'll change his mind.

Cameron laughs and chortles out, ribbing Tate, "Oh, boom! Man, she put you in your place!"

Cameron looks like he just won the lottery and I'm his new best friend. I roll my eyes and turn my head away. Why do men have to act like jackasses sometimes?

"Shut your face Cameron, and no Emily, I am very aware you are not the type of girl to be just a random booty call. Trust me, I have plenty of females for just that purpose. Babe, you would know if you were going to be my booty call." He appears sincere and I don't know if that's a compliment or not, but at least we're on the same page.

We all trade numbers; Avery and Cameron way more enthusiastic than Tate and me. I think he may finally be getting it that I am not interested in him. It's probably a shock to his system, but I've had my fill of men to last awhile.

Avery and I thank the boys again for dinner. My southern manners drilled into me, almost makes it impossible for me to be mean to people. They insist on walking us to our vehicles. I agree grouchily. I may appear bitchy to them but it's on purpose. I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression and some men just don't get it when things are spelled out plain as day.

Avery doesn't have a vehicle so Cameron offers to give her a ride in his little Porsche. If I would have known that before I would have offered for us to ride here together. It would be nice to have someone who knows where exactly they are going. Judging by the look radiating on her face, I know I am going to hear all about it later. She is practically glowing.

"Thanks for inviting me, Avery; I'll see you in class," I hug Avery and then high-five Cameron. "Bye, Cameron."

"Anytime, sweet cheeks, text me later!" She calls as they walk off. Avery is probably going to bounce out of her shoes; she's vibrating with so much excitement. Yep, definitely going to hear about that!

I quickly head to my truck parked all by its lonesome. It's a little spooky out here at nighttime, even with the night air whispering with the songs playing from the restaurant's outdoor speakers.

The air has cooled slightly but still feels thick. The bugs make crazy sounds, providing the illusion of the country, when in fact it's a busy city.

We make it to my truck and a sense of comfort washes over me, just from being near something so familiar. "Thank you for walking me to my truck, Tate," I murmur gratefully.

I look around and take in my surroundings. The parking lot isn't packed, but there are quite a few cars. I'm always scanning for a certain face. I'm glad I don't have to walk to the truck by myself, I'd probably freak myself out and drop my keys.

"Hey, no problem. Wow! Nice ride, never pictured you in something like this."

"It was my granddad's. He built it all himself and gave it to me."

I smile fondly at her blue-green shimmer from the street lamps. I would trade this truck in a heartbeat, just to have him back. I miss him every single day. My chest always gets tight when I think of him, the man who took care of me for so long. Now I'm left without him, to make it on my own.

"Lucky girl. Hey, I meant what I said back there. I know you're not a booty call. You are way too sweet and beautiful to be mistaken as trashy." He gazes at me seriously. "Would you mind if I text you later though?" I stare at him for a beat and I think he looks like he's being pretty sincere, so why not.

"Okay, you can text me," I reply without hesitation. "Good night, Tate." I smile slightly and look up into his hazel eyes.

I'm such a wimp. I put up no fight whatsoever. At this point, he could ask for a back rub and I'd probably ask if he wanted lotion too. I'm sure this is how he starts with all females. He comes off as just wanting to be friends and then swoops in when they're least expecting it.

"Good night, Krasaaveetsa. (Beauty)"

He leans in to me and gives me a small hug. He smells so good; crisp and clean. His body is warm, and even in the small amount of contact we make I can feel him. He presses his full lips softly to my forehead and I melt.

For the first time in forever, I feel safe.

***

Russkaya Mafiya

Copyright © 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

by Sapphire Knight

Editing by Mitzi Carroll

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author.

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