“You forget I can make you disappear with a snap of my fingers.”
“And yet you haven’t.”
Silence.
By now, I’d already invaded her space and could feel her warm breath against my skin. The gentle rise and fall of her chest and the defiance in her eyes fanned the flames of my desires. This woman was determined to come with me and didn’t mind the consequences.
I wasn’t sure whether she was being bold or just stupid, but I liked it. I liked the crazy, spunky part of her.
“Just let me tag along,” she added. “What’s the worst thing that could happen?”
I let out a quiet scoff. “You have no idea.”
“Then I guess I’ll find out.”
I wiped a palm across my face, hating the fact that I was even considering this madness. The line between prisoner and captor was starting to blur. And it was seemingly out of my control.
Against my better judgment, I decided to grant her wish.
“Fine,” I said. “You’re coming with us. But it’s your funeral.”
Her lips curved into a humorless smirk, and she tapped my arm. “Don’t forget to bring me flowers.”
I watched her turn around and walk out of my study, leaving me perplexed by the hard bargain she just struck. The woman was smart—too smart for her age. And that did something to me that I wasn’t ready to admit yet.
Downstairs, she was present when I briefed the men in Russian. She stood at a corner, watching, listening, and observing. While speaking, I caught suspicious glances in her direction, a testament to my men’s disapproval of her presence.
They didn’t like the idea of me bringing the prisoner to a gunfight. However, none of them was bold enough to confront me about it. None except Boris.
“Gear up, and let’s move out,” I concluded, dismissing the armed men.
Boris stepped up to me, his eyes pinned on the woman in the corner of the room. “What’s she doing here, Boss?” he whispered, as if hoping for a different answer to what he already knew.
“She has a death wish,” I replied. “I’m merely granting it.” Not much talk. No unnecessary explanations.
On our way to the compound, she sat with me in the back while Boris took the wheel. Every so often, he’d steal covert glances at us in the rearview mirror. He didn’t trust her. I didn’t either.
The silence in the car’s cabin was deafening. Until I broke it.
“You should’ve just stayed home.”
She shot me a quick look. “And miss out on all the fun? Yeah, I’m good.”
“Fun?” I twisted my lips into a smirk. “I hope you enjoy yourself when the guns start blazing.”
She locked her jaw, attempting to conceal the glint of panic in her eyes.
We had barely parked the vehicles in the compound when the first explosion went off. The impact flipped a nearby car upside down, sending dust into the air.
“Get down!” I yelled, reaching to grab her hand.
The second her body hit the seat, rapid gunfire filled the atmosphere, and the entire compound was plunged into chaos. Men bellowed, shooting and taking shelter from pelting bullets. Glass shattered, cars exploded, and bodies dropped like flies.
She lay on the seat, shaking, with both hands clamped over her ears.
“Stay here—and don’t move.” I reached for my gun and fired twice out the window.
Two armed men dropped dead outside.
