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“What the fuck are we going to do?” the other guy asked.
“Check every fucking train until we find that bitch,” Nikolay snarled through his teeth. “You take the other train. I will check this one.”
His partner nodded, gripping his gun and heading down the walkway.
My lungs strained, my fingers digging into Scarlet, preparing to run for our lives.
“Sir?” A man’s squeaky voice swung my head back toward Nikolay. “Do you have a ticket?” A conductor walked up to him, his ticket-puncher in his hand.
“Fuck off!” The Russian turned to him with billowing anger.
“If you don’t have a ticket, you can either purchase one or get off.” The conductor replied calmly and orderly.
Nikolay glared at him, and I could tell he was about a breath from killing him.
“Sir?” The little man held his ground, his nose rising higher. “Purchase a ticket, or please depart the train.”
Nikolay’s nose flared, his knuckles white on his gun, about to attack the conductor. Right then, a woman and a child climbed up the steps, backing him off. He had too many witnesses. With a snarl of swear words, Nikolay stomped off.
My lids shut briefly, my shoulders sagging with relief, and I exhaled a jagged breath.
“Oh my gods. That was close.” I felt more than heard her murmur against my chest, her body leaning into me, making me suddenly very aware of her. There was not an inch of space between us, her body pressed so hard against mine I could feel her knickers through her dress, her breasts rubbing against me, her hair tickling my skin.
Pushing her away just as the train lurched, I grabbed for her arm again, keeping her on her feet, my throat dry, adrenaline still pounding in my ears.
“Tickets?” The conductor came up to us.
Peering down at her and back out the window where the land started to rush by us, I shook my head.
Fuck me.
“Twoof the cheapest tickets to Romania, please.”
Chapter 3
Ash
I glanced over my shoulder at Scarlet as we made our way down the passage to where the old cattle car used to be. After the fae war, they turned a lot of them into third-class steerage. A place for those who had little means. With my pricey habits lately, my money was dwindling fast, and I had no problem tucking up in some straw for a night. It wasn’t as if I was sleeping, anyway.
“Where are we going?” Her words faltered as we stepped into the carriage, scanning over the windowless, drafty cart, smelling of straw, alcohol, body odor, and piss. A dozen men and a few women grouped in sections over the hay, talking or trying to sleep.
Scarlet’s eyes slightly widened, her nose scrunching and a frown hinting at her lips as we stepped further in. She tried to hide it, swallowing, making her expression go blank. But not before I could see the shock, exposing her social class.
I would bet she’d never been subjected to this kind of situation before, nor these people. The lowest of characters and class rode back here, dodgy and either running from the law, poverty, or themselves.
The men’s eyes took her in, stopping to gawk where her creamy skin was exposed, her dress barely covering her. Stepping in front of her, I lowered my lids on them in a threat before I turned around, shuffling her off to a corner.
“Gods dammit,” I muttered. “Can you not be a problem for just a moment?” Their notice of her pissed me off. She wasn’t even supposed to be here, and now I felt like I had to babysit. “You are seriously a pain in my ass,” I grumbled. “The next stop, I will tie you to the next train heading west.”
Her lids narrowed. “How many times have I told you I can’t go back there?”
“And you have yet to tell mewhy.” I gritted my teeth, walking her into the wall of the car, my anger billowing over her. “And can we talk about why the hell you have Nikolay the Bloody, a leader in the Russian Mafia, after you?”
She started to open her mouth.
“And if you say they want a pair of earrings or some money, I will open that up.” I nodded to the sliding wooden door. “And toss you out.” I leaned in further. “I know it’s more than that. Nikolay is infamous. Unless you owe him for drugs or stole from him, I call bullshit.”
She squeezed her folded arms tighter around herself.
