Dancing For the Don

Drowsy and drunk

Elena’s pov

The heavy oak door clicks shut, cutting off the suffocating roar of the gala but offering zero relief. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, my chest heaves against my gown as I realize there is no escaping the devil waiting for me just outside.

I step out of the bathroom approaching him and see his eyes piercing into me like he was that captivated.

I wouldn’t blame though. I’m such a catch.

“ Is there Pee tricking down my face?”

“ what? No? “ He sighed looking around uncomfortably. “ What is wrong with you?”

“ What’s wrong with me is why you were staring.”

He chokes a glass of champagne from the island bar and hands it over to me almost spilling it.

“ Hey careful!” I snapped.

“ Just shut up and drink.”

I kissed my teeth then I started to sip.

I lean against the wrap-around bar, letting the crisp bite of my drink anchor me as I watch the glittering crowd whirl across the ballroom.

My gaze drifts to Nikolai, who stands a few feet away, exuding his usual dangerous charm while effortlessly commanding the room.

I wonder who that woman was. It’s not your style? What is his style then. Come to think of it this man just appeared out of nowhere and he’s surprisingly famous. Or do I just not know him?

Oh well. I’ve been bending my feet twirling ever since I was a child and cared about nothing else.

As I take another sip, a sudden, unnatural warmth floods my veins, making the entire space tilt violently. The music distorts into a heavy, suffocating thud, and my fingers lose their grip on the glass as a cold sweat breaks out across my skin.

Refusing to let the glass slip and ruin my dress, I quickly gulp down the rest of the burning liquid before setting the empty tumbler on the bar with a sharp click.

"I’m gonna go to the bathroom," I murmur to no one in particular, my voice sounding distant even to my own ears as I stumble away from the counter.

The floor completely drops out from under me on my second step, but before I can hit the marble, a pair of rock-solid arms catch me against a broad chest, smelling of expensive cologne and tobacco.

"Careful," Nikolai’s low, dark voice rumbles right against my ear.

“ Let go of me.”

“ It’s not my fault you’re such a lightweight.” I struggle to form words and his eyebrows furrow.

“ Elena ? You alright?” He taps my face gently. “Can you hear me?”

I say nothing. “ Let’s get you of here” he muttered and graps my whole body gently taking a step by step until we were out of the building.

The heavy thud of a car door opening echoes in the quiet, and the moment he lowers me onto the leather backseat, the last bit of my strength completely vanishes. The world goes entirely black.

Nikolai’s pov

Sorry Elena but I need my damn money.

I kept my hands steady on the steering wheel, my eyes scanning the dark streets of New York. Every few seconds, my gaze flicked to the passenger seat.

She’s completely out, her head tilted awkwardly against the leather, the dark red sequins of her gown catching the faint glow of the passing streetlights. She looked small like this, stripped of her sharp tongue and biting insults.

If it’s really with you. What the hell do I do to you? I don’t shoot the heads of normal naive people. But if you did steal my money you deserve to die.

And your fame isn’t making any of this easier.

I looked back at the road, checking my rearview mirror.

A motorcycle was keeping a consistent distance behind the hypercar. The rider wore a dark helmet and black clothes, blending into the shadows of the traffic.

I slowed my pace down a bit, testing the lane. The motorcycle slowed down too, matching my rhythm perfectly.

Ugh, I should’ve had Kobe drive. He’s clumsy he’d probably f**k it up.

My jaw tightened. I adjusted my grip on the wheel, preparing to take a sudden detour to confirm my suspicion.

Alright… you wanna play with me?

But before I could make a move, the motorcycle suddenly accelerated and took a sharp right turn down a side street, disappearing behind a brick building.

I watched the empty corner in my mirror, my brow furrowing.

Are you normal? Or a Moretti dumbass.

Either way, the underworld was moving, and I have to get Elena inside immediately.

I pulled the custom Bugatti up to her house, killing the headlights before the car even came to a full stop.

Stepping out into the cool night air, I looked up at the place. The entire exterior was painted a deep, dark red with sharp black trims, It looked dramatic.

Violent, even. Not the kind of place you expect a delicate ballet dancer to live in.

Damn Elena what exactly are you?!

I reached into the passenger seat, lifting her into my arms after grabbing her keys from her purse.

She was completely dead weight, her head resting against my shoulder while the drug kept her under.

I kicked the front door open after opening stepping inside, and stopped dead in my tracks.

The white walls inside were a stark contrast, but almost everything else in this house was bleeding red.

Red furniture, red carpets, red curtains.

“ What the hell is her obsession with this color? It looked like a crime scene waiting to happen. I could not figure her out. Is it a ballerina thing, or is she just crazy?”

I gently placed her down on the velvet sheets, watching her groan softly in her sleep as her long legs tangled in the red fabric of her gown.

I stood over her for a second, my eyes narrowing as I looked around the room. The playful ballerina mask was completely gone now. It was time to find out what her father left behind.

I left Elena on the bed and immediately went to work, systematically tearing the room apart.

I ripped through her dresser drawers, tossed aside piles of silk clothes, and emptied every jewelry box on her vanity. Nothing f**k!

I moved to the walls, running my calloused fingers along the wooden panels and tapping the heavy frames of the dark paintings, searching for a hollow click or a hidden latch that might lead to a secret safe or passage.

Your father didn't become a billionaire by keeping his assets in plain sight, but the complete lack of paper trail is driving me f*****g crazy.

A faint, unnatural shadow shifted against the red light leaking from the hallway, cutting my search short.

My body went completely rigid as a floorboard gave a microscopic creak near the doorframe. I didn't breathe, stepping back into the heavy crimson shadows of the bedroom just as a dark figure stepped inside, a silenced pistol raised toward the bed.

Before the intruder could even register the empty space where I had just been standing, I lunged forward from his blind spot, gripping his throat with one hand to choke out his scream while my other hand slammed into his wrist to disarm him.

“ I’m not in a good mood right now as you can see.” He grounded choking with my hands still gripping his throat.

“ f**k off!”

I punched him with my ring leaving blood spilling over the floor and my face, his jaw shifted, his face now asymmetrical.

“ Adeline sent you didn’t she?”

“ None of your business.” He tried to fight back , i directed my fist filled with rings towards his left eye. He shouted in pain and immediately covered his mouth.

“ Shhhh” I removed my palm moving very close to me with his bloody breath hovering mine “Don’t wake up the pretty ballerina.”

I slammed the intruder's head against the hardwood floor, knocking him out instantly before he could make a single sound. I stood over him, my breath even as I looked down at the dark blood pooling on the clean floor.

Grabbing a towel from her bathroom, I wiped down the stains until the floor was spotless, making sure Elena wouldn't suspect a thing when she woke up.

Motherfucker. How dare you interrupt my mission.

I dragged his limp body down the stairs, stuffed him into the trunk of the Bugatti, and drove straight to my underground headquarters beneath my mansion.

The basement was cold, lit by a single flickering bulb that cut through the damp darkness.

I dragged the Moretti soldier out of the trunk and chained him to a chair, not even bothering to wait for him to fully wake up.

Kobe stood there ready to take instructions.

“ Kobe give me my gun.”

I pressed the cold barrel of my pistol directly against his forehead, my expression completely deadpan.

One clean shot echoed through the empty concrete room, ending his life in a second. I wiped my hands with a towel handed to me by Kobe.

I pulled out of a piece of paper from my desk and gave it to Kobe.

“ Write this: You drop off your trash, I return it.

Next time you send a boy into my territory, I won't just kill him. I'll send him back to you in pieces.

Stay away from Elena.” I closed my eyes taking a deep breath. “ Mail this to the Moretti household first thing in the morning. Get out.”