Hidden Monsters (Volkov Bratva #4)(14)

Laughing, he stopped, but he still held onto her. “You were a lot more fun the last time you were here.”

Yeah, when she was high. “I’m just here to buy, not to get in bed with you.”

That got a little bit of the arrogance out of his eyes. “Yeah? And what makes you think I’m going to sell to you?”

She pulled out a wad of cash. “Because I have the money.”

Snow plucked the bills from her hand, counting through them before pocketing the cash. Disappearing back into the bathroom—where his supply was undoubtedly—he was back there for a couple of minutes before reappearing with a small baggie.

She attempted to grab it when he held it out for her, but he pulled his hand back when she got close.

“You know, I’m willing to accept another form of payment. You can keep your money.”

Alex forced a tight smile, grabbing the baggie before he could move his hand again. “No thanks. I have plenty of money.”

Though plenty was a bit of a stretch since she was living off her savings. Of course, Mishca had money and the only thing she had to do was ask, but if he knew what the money was for, he’d cut her off before she even asked.

“Hey.” He grabbed her arm before she could exit the room, jerking her back almost painfully. “Next time you come here, check your f*cking attitude.”

Snatching her arm free, she didn’t bother offering a response as she left as quickly as she came.

____

The beauty of a penthouse apartment, especially one in this particular building, was that there were no neighbors, so when she blasted music at two in the morning—or later since it was pitch black outside—there was no one to call and complain to management. Not that one could really complain since the owner of said building lived in this penthouse, but while he and his wife were out of the country, Alex made good use of it.

When Luka had first called her and told her of Mishca’s request, she hadn’t taken him up on it, preferring the sanctity of her own space. But after a night of drinking by herself and running out of her own supply, she figured it wouldn’t hurt to raid her brother’s supply. Leaving Snow’s compound, she’d had ten pills—apparently at twenty-five dollars a pop—but now she was down to seven and it hadn’t even been four hours yet. At this rate, she was definitely going to be back like he’d said. She needed to pace herself better.

Bass bled through the speakers, a lyrical voice singing of broken promises and desperate dreams, and Alex was on her way to feeling great. Not just because the music was intoxicating and she particularly enjoyed this song, but because of Snow’s magic pills that were working their way through her system. She had tried many things in her life, but they were nothing like this. The high she was on was something that she couldn’t adequately describe, no matter how hard she racked her brain for a description.

But that had been a little over four hours ago when she had taken them, and now she wanted to keep this feeling going for as long as possible, and the only thing that stood a chance next to those pills was alcohol, and lots of it.

Guzzling down the last couple of ounces of vodka, Alex tossed the bottle in the sink, hunting through Mishca’s liquor cabinet for something better, knowing he kept an impressive stock. But that wasn’t what she wanted, not really. After her last visit with Snow, she wanted to avoid him and the truth he’d been saying. How arrogantly she had walked away from him because in the past, she had been able to ignore the urges and use when she felt like it.

And despite the combination of alcohol and the pills, she still wasn’t as high as she wanted.

Alex fingered the Mercedes’ keys, turning the USB-like device over in her hands. If there was a single materialistic object that her brother loved, it was his car. He took immaculate care of it, making sure it got detailed at least twice a month, and if he knew she was even thinking about driving it, he would shut the idea down.

But…he was out of the country and what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

As fast as the elevator would carry her, she went down to the parking deck, occasionally pressing the unlock key until she spotted the twin lights flashing in the darkness. Climbing in, she fitted the key, smiling when it purred to life.

Back when she was fourteen, Mishca had taught her how to drive during one of her trips back to the States, but with her schedule, she still didn’t have a license, which only made the thrill of this that much sweeter.

She easily steered the car out onto the street, weaving through traffic as she headed for the bridge. She didn’t know where she was going, only that she wanted to get out of the city and go as far as the car would allow her…or at least until she needed to stop for gas.

Rolling the windows down, she laughed as the cold air hit her face, whipping her hair back behind her. She, at least, did keep both hands on the wheel, blinking constantly to clear her vision as she narrowly avoided colliding with a parked car. But luckily, the further out of the city she drove, the fewer cars there were populating the street, and when she took a turn off the interstate on one of the exits she glanced at before taking, there was hardly a car in sight.

With her hand on the gearshift, the wind whipping her hair back, Alex laughed, the sound drowned out by the roar of the engine. Even as the needle continued to creep up on the speedometer, she only pressed her foot harder on the gas, feeling the transmission shift.