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Timur’s voice is soft but laced with venom. “So maybe you can’t say who hired you because if you tell, those you love will die.”
Marco nods, never taking his eyes off Timur, and I shove my gun into its holster. “Vlad, this is pointless. You wanna waste this know-nothing loser, or shall I?”
“Be my guest, brat.”
I reach into my jacket and withdraw my pistol as I turn. The sound rings off the walls as I fire, and Marco’s words cut off abruptly, dissolving into a wet gargle as he slumps backward, the blown-out back of his head lolling like he’s drunk.
Timur grins. “Good job, tovarishch. Now, to business. There’s a wedding happening in,” he checks his watch, “seven hours. Hadn’t you better be heading back? I want a couple of hours downtime before I put on my tux.”
Vlad picks up his jacket. “Agreed. You’re right; this shit will wait. For now.”
26
Lilyana
My girls sleep on the floor of my room, worn out from the night’s events. I can’t rest; I see that faceless man reaching for me every time I close my eyes—the man who drives the car with no license plate.
I should tell Arman. Where is he now? And Vlad? They headed off into the night bearing a bloody and broken man, and I doubt their quarry will see the sunrise. Minutes creep by, and my anxiety creeps, too, inching closer until I feel its icy grip around my throat.
There was a trap, an ambush. It’s my fault. I should have told Arman about the car that followed me.
I can’t breathe. My airway is closing, and I gasp, my hands scrabbling at the sheets.
What did Arman say to you? Hear his voice. Count in your head. Breathe. Ground yourself, baby girl.
It’s the damnedest thing. Arman told me what to do, I did it, and I kept it together. He is having the same effect on me now and isn’t even here.
I breathe through my nose and hold for a beat, squeezing my fists around the duvet. As I exhale, I release the tension, and my throat eases as though following suit. A few more cycles, and I’m past the worst; my mouth is dry, and I’m shaky, but I got a hold of myself. By myself.
My phone is on the nightstand beside me, and I fire off a quick message to Arman. A moment later, I hear his message tone coming from somewhere outside the room.
The door to the suite opens, and I almost jump out of my skin. Arman is standing there, looking gloriously disheveled. In the dim light, I see blood on his knuckles. He leans on the doorframe and brings his finger to his lips.
“Sssh, baby girl. Are you alright?”
I’m suddenly aware of my haystack hair and girlish nightshirt and feel ridiculous. If I’d known he was going to come to my room, I’d have made an effort to look sexy.
“I felt terrible, but it soon wore off, so I guess it was just fear and alcohol. The guy didn’t hurt me.”
“I sure as fuck hurt him.” Arman comes in and closes the door gingerly, looking around. “Shit. The girls all stayed with you then?”
“It was meant to be a pajama party.” I pull my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around them. “Who was the man who tried to snatch me?”
He shrugs. “He wouldn’t tell us who hired him, so I shot the useless asshole.”
“Arman, listen; someone followed me the other day when I was walking near Juilliard. It was the same car as I saw tonight.”
Arman frowns. “You should have told me, for fuck’s sake. I could have been looking for it.”
“It has no plates,” I reply. “I couldn’t have told you the make—it was just another big black car. None of you mob guys drive anything distinctive.”
“The owner is dead, so it doesn’t matter now. Don’t worry—Timur and I talked it over. I’m staying by your side from now on; he’ll get right on this. We’re certain Aldo Moretti is trying to get back at me for humiliating him, but we must collate the evidence before we bring it to the top brass. We can avoid a war if Timur can pull it out of the bag.”
Arman sits on the edge of the bed. His dark eyes pick up the light and almost seem to glow, but mostly, he’s a shadow.
“You’d go to war for me?” I ask.
“I went to war for you every day.” He takes my hand. “With myself. You’re a woman who could bring entire nations to their knees. What chance do I have? I fought my desire for you, but I’m a man, not an army.”
