The door of my room flies open.
“Jesus fuck, Dad!” I jump in my chair. “Don’t you know how to knock?”
With his eyes narrowed at me and rage etched into his features, the almighty Roman Petrov strolls in. His cane makes a slight tick sound on the hardwood floor as he approaches with quick steps and leans in close to my face.
“You are grounded,” he says through his teeth.
“I’m not a child. You can’t grou— What are you doing? No! Leave my laptop alone! Dad!”
“NASA?” He puts my laptop under his arm and yanks the power cord out of the wall. “Fucking NASA!?”
Oh, shit. “How did you find out?”
“I cornered Felix and he spilled the beans.”
I gape. Felix is Uncle Sergei’s friend from way back when Dad’s brother was working for the military, but the old goose is more like an adopted family member. There isn’t a system he can’t crack, and everything I know about cyber sleuthing, I learned from him. He’s also over ninety years old, but he would never admit it. For the past decade, he’s been telling everyone that he hasn’t even hit eighty. I can’t believe Grandpa Felix would rat me out!
“I was just fooling around, Dad. I didn’t do anything. I swear. I just went in and out.”
“Oh? So you just . . . made a little digital visit to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration?”
“Kind of?” I offer him a remorseful smile.
A menacing growl leaves his throat. “I told you, Vasilisa. I told you a thousand times—you cannot hack into government systems! That’s fucking illegal!”
I lift an eyebrow. “You do remember that you’re the leader of one of the largest criminal organizations in this part of the world, don’t you?”
“Yes. And I don’t want my daughter to have anything to do with any unlawful shit.”
“Well, if you’d let me help with the family business, I wouldn’t have to waste my skills looking for kicks elsewhere,” I snap.
“No part of Bratva’s business is legitimate, Vasilisa. And I don’t want you anywhere near it.”
“You won’t even let me help Ivan handle customs documents. It took him two nights in the downstairs office to finally get everything sorted out.”
“I will not have my daughter forging import manifests for contraband!”
Contraband. I roll my eyes. As if I don’t know that Bratva mostly deals in drugs. I’m so sick of being treated like an ignorant kid.
“You take Alexei to meetings with your partners!”
“Your brother is going to take over the Bratva leadership when I step down. He needs to be prepared.”
I shake my head. “You’re such a hypocrite, Dad.”
“The criminal underworld is not a place for a woman, Vasilisa. You’re going to finish your studies. Get a regular job. Find a nice guy to date. An accountant, maybe.”
I sigh. Overprotective doesn’t even come close to describing my father. Once, he almost strangled someone I was dating when he saw us kissing in front of the perimeter gate, just because the guy had a shaved head and pierced eyebrow.
“I graduated last Friday, in case you forgot.”
“And you’re getting your master’s degree next.”
“I don’t want to do my master’s, Dad! I want to work. For you.”
“Not happening.” He points an accusing finger at me. “And this hacking shit ends now, Vasilisa. You’re not going to do it again. Promise me!”
“Fine.”
“Promise me.”
“I promise. I won’t hack into government databases of any kind, ever again.”
“And?”
I roll my eyes. “Or anywhere else.”
“Good.” He leans over and drops a kiss on the top of my head. “You know how much I love you, don’t you?”
“Yes. I love you, too. Can I have my laptop back now? I need to start applying for that ‘regular’ job you want me to get.”
“Nope.”
“Dad, it’s not fair—” I sniff the air. “What’s that smell?”
My door bangs open again, and the scent of something burning permeates the room.
“Dad!” Yulia, my younger sister rushes inside. “Igor set the new microwave on fire.”
