“Fuck.” My eyes widened in shock as I watched the truck smash into their vehicle.
The crash was grotesque—glass shattered, metal compressed as the car somersaulted down the road. My heart sank when I glanced back at the horrible accident I’d just caused. There was no way they were surviving that.
A cold shiver ran down my spine as I combed my fingers through my hair. My pulse was racing, and panic had settled in my heaving chest.
Before I could do anything else, an incoming vehicle ran into the side of my car. I yelped, struggling to grab the wheel as the car spun out of control. Literally.
The sound of screeching tires filled the air, mingling with the smell of gas and burnt rubber. While my car was spinning, my head smashed into the glass window, broken shards cutting through my skin.
Finally, I regained control and brought it to a halt in the middle of the road. My head was bleeding, heavy, and throbbing. I winced at the pain, wondering what had just happened.
The sound of a revving engine caught my attention, and when I lifted my head, I saw another black SUV speeding toward me. It was identical to the one that crashed earlier.
I assumed it was the same car that almost knocked me off the road. Alert, I turned the key multiple times, but the stupid thing wouldn’t start.
“Fuck!” I muttered, struggling to start the engine. “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon….” The words tumbled out in a frantic rush.
I glanced up, and the car was closing in on me. Fast. “Start, goddammit!” I slammed my hand on the steering wheel.
The engine roared to life.
I set the vehicle in reverse and, with a dangerous swerve, turned down another street. They fired their guns at me as they chased after my car.
How many of these guys were there, for Christ’s sake?
I still couldn’t believe this high-speed chase was happening. The whole thing seemed like a scene from a Hollywood action movie. My heart was pounding so loudly against my ribs I thought it was about to explode.
A van shot out of nowhere, blocking the end of the street. Three masked men jumped out, their rifles aimed at me. My eyes widened in fear when they opened fire. I ducked, the bullets smashing through my windshield.
Confused and disoriented, I lost control for a moment, and the car ran into a streetlamp. The impact created a dent in the pole, forcing it to bend forward. The bulb burst into violent sparks, making the light flicker.
Thanks to the seatbelt and the airbag that exploded in my face, I wasn’t dead. Yet. My head was still spinning when someone yanked my door open and grabbed me by the hair.
“Get over here!”
I was dragged out of the car and thrown to the ground as armed men surrounded me.
“Put a bullet in her skull, and let’s get out of here,” one said in accented English.
“The bitch killed Sergei and the others,” another replied, unsheathing a blade. “She doesn’t deserve a quick death.”
He leaned in and grabbed me by the neck, the blade glinting in his hand. “I’m gonna enjoy this.”
“Drop the knife if you like your head where it is,” a familiar voice came from the shadows, calm and commanding.
They turned toward the speaker, his measured footsteps echoing off the walls. And from the darkness, a figure emerged.
It was Nial.
The second they realized who they were dealing with, they backed away without protest. He didn’t say another word, but his presence was enough to send them running.
The guy holding me by the neck was the first to take off, fear etched in his gaze. He mumbled something under his breath in Russian as he bolted toward his car.
Engines roared to life, and both vehicles zoomed off, leaving me on the ground. My heart was still pounding, my brainnot yet registering the crazy things that happened to me tonight alone.
But when I met his gaze as he towered over me like that, all that pent-up rage came rushing back in. My face twisted into a frown, a mix of hatred and adrenaline coursing through my blood.
“Wanna tell me what you’re doing getting involved in Bratva business?” he asked, exuding that familiar sense of calm.
