Page 1 of Taken by the Bratva (Bychkov Bratva #1)

Aria

“I’m sorry I can’t work the event with you tonight,”

Gia, my twin sister, says regretfully, her head peeking out of the blanket burrito she has herself wrapped in on the couch.

“It’s okay, G. I doubt the agency wants you working in a club when you’re on the verge of throwing up. It wouldn’t be a good look.”

“No, it wouldn’t.”

“Get some rest, don’t forget to drink water, and I’ll see you in the morning. I better not find you on the couch when I get back later, either. Make sure you go to bed.”

Gia rolls her eyes.

“Yes, mom. I’ll be in bed by ten. Have fun tonight, but be careful. I don’t like that I’m not there to watch your back.”

“You know I’ll have Sammy lurking at the bar, keeping an eye on me.”

“I know, but it’s not the same. He can’t see everything or go everywhere that we do. Just please be careful. You know men get handsy at the club jobs.”

“I promise I’ll be careful. I just hope the hosts don’t have us wearing bikinis or some bullshit like that.”

We had to do that a few times for launch parties at the beach and on yachts where the event planners hired models from our agency. We were always ogled by the men like we were hired to have sex with them instead of simply looking pretty while serving drinks.

“You never know. It’s a vodka launch party. You could be wearing a fur bikini. Remember Hannah talking about that ice bar she went to? That’s at Pozar. It’s in a literal freezer where everything is made of ice, and they give you fur coats and hats to wear before you go inside.”

“Shut up,”

I say on a laugh.

“I better not be in a damn ice bar all night, and I certainly better not be in a fur bikini.”

Gia and I were always told we should be models growing up, which pissed my overprotective brother and cousins off like no other.

But by the time we were eighteen, we needed freedom from the suffocating weight and presence of our family, so we got headshots done and went on casting calls at the major agencies in town.

We were quickly fielding offers, and ultimately chose to go with the agency that offered us an apartment with our contract.

Gia and I leapt at the opportunity to be out on our own, but of course, the only way our brother, Saverio, was going to let us move out and be on our own was if we each had our own personal bodyguards that would live down the hall from us and accompany us everywhere we went.

Especially since Sav was taking over running our family's club in Miami and wouldn’t be around if we needed him urgently.

For five years, we’ve had Sammy and Jonny as our shadows, and while we’ve managed to duck out on them a few times while abroad so we could have a little fun, we’ve also grown to not pay them any mind watching everything we do.

They only report to my brother if and when something major happens.

Other than that, they blend into the background and have always remained professional and distant.

We’re not friends with them, despite mine and Gia’s efforts over the years.

Of course, I thought Sav was just being his usual overprotective self, but after the incident, I was grateful and understood why he would be worried about his sisters alone in New York City and traveling the world.

Plus, after everything that’s happened over the recent years with my family, I understand my brother needing to make sure his sisters are safe.

We’re Carfanos, and with that comes a target on all our backs.

Gia and I don’t use our last name professionally for that exact reason.

We use Rossi, our mother’s maiden name, to avoid any spotlight being cast onto my very private family.

The Carfano name is synonymous with the criminal underworld of New York City.

As one of the five – now four – mafia families of the city, we’re the most powerful, well known, and well-off.

And that’s including the other syndicates in the city – Yakuza, Triads, Irish mob, Bratva, Armenian mob, Albanian mob, and whatever gangs are left to fight for their spots at the bottom.

That means my family is always trying to be knocked off the top of the pyramid, and while being a woman in the family means I’m not privy to everything that happens, I do know the major highlights.

There are times even I get scared knowing that it could be me and Gia that are targeted next if it’s discovered by the wrong people that we’re Carfanos.

I blow Gia a kiss before leaving and she settles back into the couch to continue her reality TV marathon.

I’m glad I won’t be here for that.

I absolutely hate reality TV, while Gia can’t get enough of it.

I’d rather watch a rom-com movie or rewatch my favorite sitcom shows for the twentieth time.

Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I meet my Sammy in the hallway outside of the apartment I share with Gia.

“How’s Gia?” he asks.

“She’ll be okay. She just needs some rest.”

Sammy nods and falls into step with me as we make our way down to the lobby and out to the waiting black town car. Whenever I have an event like tonight, Sammy hires us a car so he can remain at my side and not waste time finding parking and getting separated.

“What club is this job at tonight?”

Sammy asks.

“I don’t know if you told me.”

“Pozar.”

“Shit,”

he curses under his breath.

“What? Is there a problem?”

“Yes, that club is owned and operated by the bratva. Which means you were hired to work a party for the Bychkovs. I have to call Leo.”

“Is that really necessary? I don’t want to make a big deal out of this. It’s just another club event where some rich men hired models so they’ll sell more booze. They won’t know who I am, and I’m certainly not going to announce it. It’ll be fine.”

Leo is my cousin and the head of the family. He took over after his father and my other uncle were killed. He’s ruthless and feared by everyone outside of our family.

“I still need to tell him,”

he says, pulling out his phone.

“He may not want you going at all.”

“That’s ridiculous. Gia already had to call out, and the agency will not like it if we both back out last minute like this.”

Sammy ignores me and dials Leo.

“Hey, Boss, I’m in the car with Aria and I just learned the event she’s working tonight is at Pozar.”

.

“Yes, I know.”

.

“No, Gia isn’t feeling well so she’s staying home. It’s just Aria and I.”

.

“Okay, I’ll call Jonny down.” .

“Yes, Boss, got it. I’ll keep you posted.”

He hangs up and I glare at him.

“I need both of you now? Isn’t that going to be a little obvious?”

“No, we know what we’re doing, and it’s a chance to get eyes in there.”

I sigh and roll my eyes while he calls Jonny and tells him he needs to be ready and down here in five minutes.

After tonight, I need a day.

Just a single day where I can be by myself somewhere.

Anywhere.

No Sammy.

No Jonny.

No one from my family.

Just me in a coffee shop reading a book.

Just me in a museum, looking at pretty art in peace.

Just me on a wine tour upstate.

Just me at the beach, walking along the water while the waves gently crash ashore. Maybe I can rent a house in Montauk for a weekend soon. It’ll be private and quiet, and I’ll finally be able to breathe and relax.

Jonny joins us exactly five minutes later and I ignore him and Sammy quietly discussing their plan for tonight, and instead stare out the window, watching the city.

I’ve learned to go with the flow of things, even when I don’t want to.

It’s easier, and I already know arguing, complaining, or being a brat won’t get me anywhere or change the outcome.

An order was given by Leo, so I simply sit back and stay quiet.

I’m getting tired of this.

My life, my career, the path I’m on.

I don’t know.

I’ve watched so many of my cousins fall in love, and when we have family dinners, and I see the love and passion in their eyes when they look at their significant other, it’s a punch to the gut every time.

Gia and I have traveled around the world for the past five years, and while we’ve had an incredible time, met incredible people, saw places we used to dream about, and made memories to last us a lifetime, I’m tired.

We’ve made more money than we need, and that’s on top of the substantial money our brother deposits into our accounts every month.

I’m tired of only being home a handful of days a month.

I’m tired of having to always worry about my body and how it’ll look through a lens or on a runway.

I’m tired of feeling alone.

Gia’s my best friend, and I love working with her, but I want more.

I want love.

I want passion.

I want to be needed.

I want to be utterly obsessed and possessed, and be the center of a man’s world.

I need that.

I don’t want mediocre and I don’t want a comfortable love.

I want a crazy, over the top, once in two lifetimes, there’s no one else but you, kind of love.

The kind of love I see my cousins have found.

It's kind of hard to find that when I’ve had the constant shadow of my henchman lurking over me and my family is ready to push any man away who dares come near me.

When we pull up to the club, Sammy and Jonny give me the same speech I’ve heard a thousand times.

They’ll stay by the bar so I’ll know where to find them if I need them, they’ll keep their distance, but eyes alert, and if anything goes wrong behind the scenes, I should press the panic button on my phone that my tech wizard cousin, Stefano, installed.

It alerts Sammy and Jonny right away that either Gia or myself is in trouble and they can track our phones to wherever we are.

Blah, blah, blah, and all the safety measures we have.

The new part comes when they talk about the Russians.

“This is Bychkov territory, Aria. We’ve worked hard to keep you and Gia under the radar all these years, but we’ve yet to work an event where we’ll be surrounded by another organization, and on their territory. If you feel uncomfortable or unsafe in any way, at any time, even if anyone just looks at you too long or in a weird way, you need to tell us, and we’ll make a quiet exit. Your life and safety are more important than any job, Aria.”

“Yes, I know. That was Saverio and my father’s condition to pursuing this career five years ago.”

“Glad you remember.”

“I need to get in there,”

I tell them, and they both nod.

We climb out of the car and approach the security guards at the door.

“Aria Rossi from Willow Tree Modeling Agency, and we’re her personal security,”

Sammy informs them.

The two security guards raise their eyebrows but don’t ask any questions as they check the list, then nod.

“We see. Go on in.”

We step through the doors and, holy shit, this is club is cool.

It looks like it used to be an old bank before it was converted into a club, with tall fluted columns spaced out around the room to hold up the upper floors, and shiny marble floors and stair cases that make the place look grand. The top two floors have thick marble railings around the edges in the middle, allowing for a direct view from the bottom floor up to the peaked ceiling of the third floor.

Across the main dance floor, I see the massive freezer door that leads to the ice bar Gia was talking about, with a large closet beside it housing the fur coats, hats, scarves, and gloves that they have for people to wear.

“Hey, Aria, I’m glad you’re not sick, too,”

Kelsey, one of our agency’s event managers, says as soon as she sees me.

“I’ll show you where the girls are getting ready and go over where you’ll be and what you’re doing.”

“Great.”

Kelsey leads me over to a back room and I look over my shoulder to see Sammy and Jonny taking in every inch of the club before I enter the staff room. There’s a wall of lockers, a few small tables with chairs in the middle, vanities with lighted mirrors along one wall, and a restroom off to the side.

There’s a group of around fifteen girls from the agency that are in various stages of getting ready, and they all turn to smile and say hello when I walk in.

“Aria, I have you on the VIP floor with Sasha and Carrie, taking care of the owners and their guests.”

Fuck, that means I’ll no doubt be in the presence of the Bychkovs.

I plaster a smile on and nod.

“Great. I was worried I might be in the ice bar.”

“No.”

She smirks, shaking her head. Then, lowering her voice, she tells me secretly.

“I have the new girls in there. They get to wear some fabulous fur, though. Now,”

she says louder.

“your dress is hung up on the rack there with your name, and once you have that on, you’ll get your accessories.”

“Accessories?”

I question, wondering why she looks so excited about that.

“The people who own the vodka label also own this club, plus a jewelry business. Which is why the vodka is called Almaz. It means diamond in Russian,”

she tells me.

“They brought in the most gorgeous pieces for all of you to wear tonight. I’m jealous.”

“Seriously? Can I see? Please?”

I ask eagerly.

“I suppose you can have first pick.”

Kelsey winks.

“My VIP girls should have the best sets on anyway.”

She walks me over to a table in the corner where a gorgeous woman is standing with two large black cases in front of her.

“Alina, this is Aria. She’ll be one of the girls working the VIP area tonight, so I want her to have first pick on her accessories.”

Alina studies me for a second too long for my liking and then nods.

“They’ll like her.”

Great, just what I need to hear.

“And while you can choose whatever pieces you’d like, may I make a suggestion?”

“Sure.”

She opens one of the cases and I’m immediately giddy at seeing all the diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and canary gems sparkling back at me. Alina bypasses all of those and reaches into a well-disguised side compartment, pulling out a necklace that has my jaw dropping in awe.

“Oh,”

I breathe. “Wow.”

The necklace is a choker style, about an inch wide, made up of three rows of diamonds. That alone would be beautiful to wear, but hanging from the front is a large, teardrop shaped, blood red ruby that will sit nestled in the hollow of my throat when on.

“This is a special piece, and I think it’ll look lovely on you.”

I unzip my spandex workout jacket and place it in my tote bag before letting her help me fasten the necklace around my neck.

“Krasivy,”

she says in Russian.

“Beautiful. And here are the matching earrings.”

She hands me diamond stud earrings with the same teardrop shaped rubies hanging from them.

“Plus this bracelet.”

“Are you sure I should wear all of them?”

“Da. It is a set. My boss wants his pieces on display for the guests tonight. You are all walking advertisements.”

“As we usually are when working.”

I smile, slipping the cuff bracelet around my wrist. It’s a crisscross lattice style of diamonds with blood red rubies at each cross point in the pattern.

“This set is gorgeous,”

I say reverently, running my fingers over the bracelet.

“It’s perfect for you,”

she tells me.

“I need you to sign this.”

She pulls a piece of paper from a folder and places it on the table with a pen.

“It’s a standard contract that says the jewelry is owned by Almaz Enterprises and you are wearing the pieces strictly on loan for the night. If they are not returned in the same condition as given, then you will be held responsible for reimbursement or legal action will be taken.”

“Of course.”

I pick up the pen and sign the document.

“I promise I’ll take good care of them.”

Kelsey guides me over to the clothing rack and hands me the garment bag with my name on it.

“This is the dress you’ll be wearing. You can do your hair and makeup however you choose. The client didn’t specify on that.”

“Perfect. Thanks, Kelsey.”

“Once you’re ready, get with Sasha and Carrie and I’ll take you three up to the VIP floor to go over the rules.”

Yeah, I can imagine there are rules.

“No problem.”

I give her a tight smile and take a seat at an empty vanity.

I unzip the garment bag and see that I’m not wearing a skimpy little bikini, thank goodness, but I will be wrapped in a tight strapless white leather mini dress with a white ostrich feather trim along the top. It’s actually pretty cute, and I know exactly how I want to do my hair and makeup now.

Swiping a deep red lipstick across my lips that matches the rubies adorning me, I finish off the sultry and fierce look I was going for with a slicked back high pony to show off the necklace and earrings.

I shimmy into the skintight dress and ask Sasha to help me zip it up. “Damn,”

I huff.

“It’s going to be hard to move in this all night. There’s no give.”

“I know.”

She rolls her eyes.

“Men and their need to keep us restrained.”

“What?” I laugh.

She lifts one shoulder in a shrug.

“You know how men can be.”

“Can you help me zip up too?”

Carrie asks, shuffling over to us. Sasha helps her, and Carrie, with her ever-present smile, says.

“I feel like I’m having my own Pretty Woman moment.”

“Carrie, we can’t keep the jewelry, and trust me when I say none of the men who hired us are your Richard Gere.”

“We’re also not hookers,”

Sasha deadpans, and Carrie shrugs with a grin.

“Whatever. I feel extra pretty is all. Let’s go find Kelsey so she can show us where we’re working.”