Love Beyond Boundaries

Chapter 2 A Dangerous Game

"Liz, wait!" Lenka shouted.

I heard her quick footsteps coming closer and turned around.

"I need to go home," I sighed, stopping.

"Are you crying?" my friend asked in surprise, studying my face closely. "Did my dad hurt you?"

"No," I wiped away a tear that had rolled down my cheek. "It is just the wind."

Lenka placed her hands on my shoulders and looked straight into my eyes.

"What did he say to you?" she asked seriously. "He scolded me and went upstairs. He said he was going to set you straight too."

"He did," I swallowed, remembering how tightly her father had held my neck. "He scolded me."

"That is all?" my friend looked confused. "Then why do you look so gloomy? It is not a big deal…"

She did not finish the sentence.

I saw Vladimir step out of the house and walk toward us. The moment our eyes met, goosebumps spread across my skin. It felt like he could see right through me. He did not take his stern gaze off me until he came very close.

"Lenka, go inside," he ordered, not even looking at his daughter.

"Dad, what about Liz?" she protested. "Let her stay with us. I get it, you are angry and all that…"

"I will take her home," Vladimir cut her off. Then he nodded toward the gate and looked at me in a way that made me feel smaller and smaller. "Go to the car."

"Please," Lenka insisted. "Let her stay with us."

The man turned to her, and she shrank instantly. She lowered her eyes and pressed her lips together.

"Bye," she whispered to me. "Text me when you get home."

I nodded. But I was no longer sure I would. Right now, I was not sure about anything at all. I did not know what the right thing to do was. I decided to think about it later and followed Vladimir obediently toward the gate.

Of course, I could have called a taxi. But how could I refuse him? I could not even bring myself to say a single word against him. So I stayed silent and walked toward the black Audi.

Vladimir opened the passenger door for me, and I sat down on the leather seat. He walked around the car, got in beside me, and soon we pulled away from the house.

I stared out the window, focusing on the night streets and the flashing streetlights. The smell of cigarette smoke tickled my nose, and the cool air slipping through the half-open window brushed softly against my face.

"Did you understand what I said?" the man's voice reached me after a while.

I turned toward him, letting my gaze slide briefly over his sharp cheekbones and slightly furrowed brows.

"I did," I muttered quietly, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Be a good girl," he went on, taking a drag from his cigarette and letting out pale gray smoke, "or I will not go easy on you."

"What does that mean?" I finally snapped. I could not take his attacks anymore. "Are you threatening me?"

"I am warning you," the man shot me a careless glance. "My daughter will not associate with girls like you."

"What kind of person are you?" I exploded. "How dare you? You do not even know me, yet you judge me."

It hurt deeply. I had never even been with a man, yet he had already labeled me as trash.

"I judge by your lifestyle, girl," he said, taking one last drag before flicking the cigarette out the window like a bright orange spark. "That is enough for me."

'What a jerk.'

His precious Lenka was always the one starting everything. We never did anything bad. We were just having fun, like many girls our age. We could not spend our whole lives buried in lectures and textbooks. Yes, Lenka went too far sometimes, but I was always there, keeping things under control. Vladimir would never listen to that.

"You come from a troubled family," the man continued calmly, watching the road. "You live on the outskirts, in some questionable area. You latched onto my daughter. Do you think I do not know why?"

"And why is that?" I narrowed my eyes. "You think I am friends with her for profit? For your money?"

"Smart girl," Vladimir scoffed.

"You are wrong, do you hear me?" I said angrily. "One day you will be ashamed of your words."

He only laughed. I saw his broad shoulders shake under the velvet-black jacket. Of course, to someone like him, I was nothing but a pitiful bug without a voice. He did not care. He would never feel ashamed. That bastard probably did not even know what shame was.

"You did not ask for my address," I said darkly, tapping my foot in frustration.

"I know it without asking," Vladimir replied calmly.

That made me bristle again. I even parted my lips in shock. It seemed Lenka's father had connections everywhere if he could dig up information on a stranger so easily.

"I see," I muttered sarcastically. "You must have a whole file on me. You probably even know what toothpaste I use."

Vladimir threw me a dark look and smirked. "Do not get bold, girl."

"And what will you do to me?" I raised an eyebrow. Goosebumps crawled over my skin. I knew I was walking on thin ice. This man radiated danger just by existing.

But there was no point in being nice anymore. He already saw me as trash. That meant I did not owe him any obedience. Especially after he threw me out of his house and said all those things.

"That depends on how much you anger me," he answered.

I bit my lip and turned away.

'To hell with him.'

I would just stay quiet. I would get home, take a shower, and go to sleep. By morning, I hoped things would be clearer. I needed to think carefully about how I would see my friend from now on. I was not going to lose Lenka because of her strict father.

At last, we pulled up to my building. Yes, I lived on the edge of the city, but my yard had always felt cozy to me.

I had no intention of saying goodbye to Vladimir. He did not deserve that much. I reached silently for the door handle, eager to get inside.

"Think a hundred times before you disobey me," the man's cold voice pierced straight through me.

I turned back. Once again, I met those eyes that drew me into a dark forest, their seriousness heavy with gloom.

"I will decide for myself what to do," I answered defiantly.

'Seriously though, what could he do to me? He is not going to kill me.'

Vladimir gave a cruel smirk and shook his head. Then, suddenly, he pulled me so close that I caught his minty breath with my lips and froze, all thoughts vanishing at once.

"You will curse the day you come near my daughter again," he said softly, with a threat. His fingers dug painfully into my forearm. "Girl, behave yourself."

"Go to hell, Vladimir Andreevich," I blurted out and jerked my arm.

"What did you say?" he tilted his head, disbelief in his voice. "I know your mother did not raise you properly. Maybe I should fix that."

The way Vladimir looked at me made me instantly regret my words.

"Let go," I hissed.

"Watch your mouth." He pronounced each word clearly. Then his gaze dropped to my lips, and my heart began to pound twice as fast. "Or I will bite it off. Do you understand me?"

I stayed silent. My breathing faltered. I could not even move.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME OR NOT?" he suddenly raised his voice, and I flinched.

"I understand," I breathed out.

Only then did he release me and smirk. That smile of his was truly devilish.

"Good luck then. I hope we never meet again."

"I hope so too," my voice trembled. "I hope I never see you again."

With that, I shot out of the car, running toward my building in a desperate attempt to get as far away from that monster as possible. Lenka probably had no idea what her father could really be like.

I slammed the heavy entrance door shut behind me, leaned my back against it, closed my eyes, and let out a shaky breath.

The most important thing was that I was almost home. It would be fine. Everything would settle down. I would forget both this night and Vladimir, as if it had all been a bad dream.

'Let him go to hell.'