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Twenty minutes of blessed quiet, then she opens her mouth. “Can you tell me now what the hell is going on?”
I draw in a sharp breath, my fingers clenching the wheel until they bleach bone-white.
“Blyat. Some big-timemudak’s out for my blood.”
“And I’m what, collateral damage?”
“You’re leverage,” I growl. “They think they can use you to get to me.”
She scoffs, but I see the fear flicker in her eyes. “Great. Just fucking great.”
I crank the wheel, taking a sharp turn. Trees loom on both sides, their branches reaching out like gnarled fingers. A faint glow of lights appears ahead, growing brighter as we approach.
“D, I need to work,” she says, her body jerking as we hit a bump. I press the accelerator harder. “You get that, right? People depend on me.”
“I’ll handle it,” I snap. “You’re laying low. Unless you fancy being ‘gator food.”
“Fuck tha—”
I shut her up by yanking the wheel again, pulling into a private drive. High walls loom, topped with razor wire.
Wren’s gaze darts around. “Look, D, I need to tell my… family I’m not dead in a ditch.”
Her words hit me like a sucker punch.Fuck. I hadn’t thought about her family. Guilt claws at my gut, but I shove it down. Can’t afford that shit right now. I keep my eyes on the garageahead, jaw clenched tight. No response. Nothing to say that won’t make this worse.
I pull into the garage. The door slams shut behind us, the echo bouncing off concrete walls. The engine cuts out, leaving us in sudden silence.
Still in the car, I lean over her. She doesn’t flinch; just meets my eyes with a challenge in hers.
I pop open the glove box, the latch clicking loudly in the quiet. The gun gleams dully next to the stack of burner phones.
“Use this,” I growl, grabbing a phone. “One call. Make it count.”
She takes it coolly, her glare steady. “And then what? You keep me prisoner here?”
“Think of it as a vacation,krasotka. All expenses paid.”
“Fuck you,” she says, voice hard and controlled. “This is not a fucking joke.”
“Who says I’m joking?” I growl. “Listen. I’ll handle your work. Tell them you’re on leave.”
Her eyes flash. “You can’t just—”
“I can and I will,” I cut her off. “I’ll compensate you. Double whatever you’d make.”
She opens her mouth to argue, but I press on. “Your siblings. I’ll have someone watching them. They won’t know.”
That shuts her up. She blinks, processing. “You’d do that?”
I nod, jaw tight. “I’ll find themudakscoming after me. You’ll be safe here.”
She chews her lip, considering.
Blyat, that shouldn’t be so distracting.
Finally, she nods. “Fine. But I need to call Em.”
I gesture to the phone.
