Page 9 of Run, Little Rabbit (Blood & Bonds #1)

Chapter Eight

Echo

T hat’s it. I officially hate this place. It’s too good. How the fuck could the Volkovs create somewhere classy and cool?

I expected this place to be some seedy, gaudy dive bar, and instead they’ve paired black walls with gold accents to create something sumptuous and sexy.

Fucking assholes.

I don’t even really know why I hate them. I only know that if you cut me open, it would be seared on my bones.

Fuck the Volkovs .

It’s down to bad blood or some shit that dictates mine and my family’s hatred for them.

Although I don’t really know how far back the hatred goes.

I just know it’s always been there. Perhaps it’s a feud that now only exists because no one knows any different.

I mean, has anyone actually sat down in a room and talked it out?

Or do we just hate them on principle? Who even knows anymore, and honestly, it’s not even a top priority for me.

I’ve already got way too much on my plate to think about some mediaeval feud.

I can’t even say I’ve ever met the Volkovs— thanks to Daddy —but I hear that they’re ruthless, brutal and merciless.

And hot. Like they stepped off the cover of a magazine and into my dreams, hot.

I’ve seen pictures of them, and I know what they look like, which I know is Dad’s idea of keeping me safe. If I know what they look like, I won’t go near them.

Ha! Like that’s ever going to work. Chaos and bad decisions are my middle names. It’s like putting a big red button in front of me and telling me not to push it.

You know I’m gonna push that fucker just to watch the fucking fireworks.

So, if I meet a Volkov, you know for damn sure I’m going to have some fun.

“You should be dancing!” Verity shouts as she collapses in the seat next to me. She’s the perfect pampered princess. Everything I try to be on the surface.

Verity comes from old money, and she isn’t afraid to show it. Tonight, she’s dressed in a diamond-encrusted leather dress that barely covers her tits and ass. It’s all straps that interlink to cover her nipples and pussy, but that’s about it.

Don’t get me wrong, she looks stunning. Dark smoky eyes, masses of bleached blonde waves and long blood-red nails.

She’s got guys and girls drooling over her, but she’s already promised to some society prince who will no doubt deny her any kind of affair until she’s pushed out some heirs.

It’s so archaic, it makes me sick. I might not like Verity, but I do pity her situation.

I’m just grateful my dad hasn’t sold me off to some high-rolling noble.

Besides, I’d like to see him fucking try.

“Come on, Echo!” she groans by my ear. “Dance with me.”

The last thing I want to do is dance, but I’ve been sitting here nursing my champagne for too long.

“Okay, okay,” I say as I peel myself out of the velvet booth.

She squeals and grabs my hand, a huge smile pulling at her ruby red lips.

As soon as I get on the dance floor, the song shifts into the next one, and it’s some monstrous electronic beat that sounds more like machines fucking than actual music.

It takes serious effort to work up some enthusiasm to get my body moving to this ‘music’.

I mean, is it even music if a computer’s done all the work?

The noise pounds around my skull like nails on a chalkboard, and I thank God when I feel my phone buzz against my boob.

I always shove it there when I’m on a night out.

I’ve got a bag—a gorgeous little clutch to go with my dress that’s covered in sequins—but with the life I lead, I need to know when my phone goes off.

Shoving it down my bra seems sensible. Easy access, right?

I shimmy up to Verity and shout by her ear. “Just getting a drink. Do you want one?”

Her eyes are bright, and her skin is damp from all the dancing. Combined with all the body glitter she’s got across her shoulders and over her breasts, she looks like she’s shimmering in the strobe lights. “Yeah! I’ll come find you in a bit!”

I nod and wiggle my fingers in some semblance of a wave, then head to find a quiet spot to check my message.

I pull out my phone and see a message from Kai.

Kai:

Call me. NOW.

Whelp. That sounds ominous. Kai doesn’t usually send such short messages, so shit must have really hit the fan if he’s sending me orders. And in capital letters too.

It’s way too loud to have a conversation in here, so I head towards the toilets, but there are still too many people around. Why do so many people need the frickin’ loo at the same time?

Me:

Two mins. Just finding a quiet spot.

Kai:

Fine. Be quick.

Jeez. I can’t remember the last time he was this impatient. I clock the ‘staff only’ door and head that way.

I have to stand on my tiptoes to look through the little round window.

I’m like five foot nothing, and I’m pretty sure I stopped growing at age twelve.

It’s handy in some ways because people tend to underestimate me, but then it’s moments like this when I can’t see through a fucking window that are just a pain in the ass.

I can’t see anyone beyond the door, so I sneak into the corridor and wander quietly down it to find somewhere I can have a quiet minute.

I am surprised there’s not more security down here.

Considering this place is run by the Volkovs, I thought it would be crawling with goons.

It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and adrenaline has my senses kicking into high alert.

Do the Volkovs think they’re so untouchable that they don’t need anyone watching their backs?

Maybe I should have a cheeky wander to see if I can find out anything interesting. I stroll further down the corridor, looking for an office or something. Knowing my luck, I’ve probably found the corridor with all the supply closets.

I pull my phone out and dial Kai. The phone barely rings before he’s saying my name.

“Echo. We’ve got a problem.”

“Figured. What’s up?”

“What’s up? Don’t give me that shit. Are you in that fucking Volkov club?” He seethes, his voice a sharp whisper.

“This is what you rang me for? Fucking hell, Kai, I thought it was serious.”

“It is serious. If your father knew—”

“Have you told him?”

He scoffs. “Of course I haven’t. I like my head where it is.”

Thank fuck for that. That was a drama I didn’t want to deal with.

My dad was a handful at the best of times, but pissed off Rory Quinn was a fucking nightmare.

I’ve seen guys lose fingers, teeth, and hands.

One guy had his tongue removed for talking back.

Safe to say, I try to stay on my dad’s good side.

“I have Veon with me.” Somewhere. I left him stalking the boundary of the club, but he’s got tabs on my phone, and he knows exactly where I am at all times. It’s one of the things I like about Veon. He trusted me and trusted the fact that I can take care of myself.

Unlike Kai.

“What if one of the Volkov lot finds out who you are? You’re going to need more than Veon.”

Tension pulls at my shoulders at his words. I know Kai’s concern is coming from a good place, but it still annoys me. “Well, I best stay away from those pesky Volkovs, then.”

Kai lets out a frustrated sigh. “Echo, come home. I know—”

A door opens further down the corridor, and I quickly glance around for somewhere to hide. Kai is still ranting down my ear, but I’m no longer paying attention.

“Sorry, Kai, got to go.”

“No, wait—”

I hang up and head around the corner, slamming into something firm.

And warm.

Something that unfortunately feels like a man’s chest.

Fuck.

I bring my gaze upwards, taking in the pressed white shirt, black silk tie, wisps of a tattoo crawling up the side of his neck and the grim set of a strong jaw. Half his face is hidden behind a black leather mask, but his eyes are dark behind the slits.

“You shouldn’t be back here.” His voice is deep and smoky, a rasp that I can feel against my skin.

“I was just looking for the bathroom,” I say with as much sugar as I can muster, but the guy doesn’t fall for it.

He slowly tracks his gaze down the length of my body, and I feel it like a physical thing.

It’s angry and dark, a caress that sends a shiver dancing along my spine.

He looks wicked with that mask covering half his face.

I have no idea who he is, and I can’t quite tell who is behind that strip of leather.

He must work for the Volkovs, and judging by the expensive Italian loafers on his feet, he’s pretty high up in the hierarchy. Maybe even on the top table.

“And let me guess. You missed the words ‘Staff Only’ on the door in your desperation to pee?”

“How did you know?” I say with a grin. I take a step forward to try and move past him in my ‘search’ for the loo. “Is it this way?”

His hand shoots out and wraps around my arm, just above my elbow. “You need to leave.”

He did not just put his hands on me without my permission. I yank my arm out of his grasp and step up into his personal space. I don’t care who this guy is; that is a definite no-no. Can you believe the fucking audacity of this asshole?

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” I ask as the guy stares down at me, a snarl twisting his pretty mouth. He looks pissed.

Beyond pissed.

He growls—legit growls— at me. “Leave.”

I scoff. I cross my arms and cock a hip. “I don’t think so. Not without an apology.”

His dark eyes narrow, and he sweeps them down my form again, assessing me like an insect under a microscope. I know I’m not much to look at, but I do know how to throw a punch, which this guy is going to motherfuckin’ feel if he doesn’t apologise.

Am I being irrational? Probably, but the chat with Kai pissed me off. Being in Volkov territory all evening has had me on edge, and I’m so tightly wound up, I either need to kill something or fuck someone.

The masked man growls again, and the sound rumbles against my soul.

Who knows, maybe I’ll be lucky enough to fuck this guy before I kill him.

“An apology?” he says with a snort. “You’re the one who’s wandered where you shouldn’t. For all I know, you could be a spy sent back here to snoop. If anything, you should be apologising to me.”

Craning my neck back, I look up at him through my eyelashes, fluttering them like a grade-A hooker. “But I just got lost. It was so dark, and I got turned around.”

He wraps his hand around my jaw before I take another breath. Fuck, he moves fast. “We both know that’s a crock of shit.”

His hand is rough against my skin, and I can tell he’s a man that does his own dirty work. God, that thought’s hot. Have those hands taken a life?

“What are you going to do about it?” I know I’m goading him, but that need for chaos and anarchy is taking charge.

“Oh, princess, you don’t want to challenge me.”

A breathy laugh leaves my lips. This guy has no idea who he’s messing with. It’s almost adorable that he even thinks he stands a chance against me. “You’ve got that wrong, sugar. There’s more to me than meets the eye.”

He laughs disbelievingly, and it unleashes an unexpected wave of anger in me. It’s sudden and potent, and a satisfying crunching sound fills the air, followed by a sharp pain in my knuckles. I haven’t even registered what I’ve done until I see the murderous glare in his eyes.

And the blood.

So much blood.

Oops.