In the two seconds before I disappeared inside, we locked eyes. Even in the dim lighting, I could clearly see their color, iridescent emerald like the Aegean Sea. Both perfectly framed with long, whiskey-hued eyelashes skimming his cheeks.
I’d met only one man in my life with eye color so bold and so provocative, enough my muscles were tense.
What struck me first was that his jaw hadn’t seen a razor in two days, maybe longer. His face was a study in contrasts with a strong jaw, perfectly chiseled from solid granite. Soft, pink lips perfect for kissing.
The hard pulsing of electricity was intense, pulling at me in a way that shuttered the acts of violence.
But there was more.
A knowing. A need.
A dark craving.
Just like before. Just like when I’d allowed myself to let go.
Only that wasn’t possible, so I shut down the tickling sensations.
And ran for my life.
CHAPTER 8
Kirill
What in the hell?
I’d had many people try to convince me there was such a thing as coincidences in life. Perhaps there were in innocuous lives that didn’t rely on pinpoint information or where violence was an everyday part of life. But not in my world.
I literally skidded to a stop, stunned at the sight of the woman standing in front of me. However, not because of her eternal beauty, as she stood there in baggy scrubs and tennis shoes, her hair pulled into a high ponytail. Or by the way she’d faced a goddamn gunman who’d shot at her only to reply by nailing him with a gurney, enough to knock his ass out.
Thecoup de grâcewas when she’d been of clear enough mind to drop onto the floor, snatching the weapon. Now I was no expert, but I’d yet to meet a single health professional who was a crack shot.
Maybe I was wrong. This was New York. There was no doubt women were encouraged to take self-defense classes and to keep mace in their purses. That I understood, but what I’d seen in the stunning woman indicated a behavior taught in experiences instead of a classroom.
I rushed forward, narrowly missing being shot in the head only by dropping behind the gurney. But I didn’t stop there, firing off four shots from between the metal legs.
My fucking aim was off, but both went down. One would find it difficult to walk again without needing crutches, but the fucker was down. Right now, the only thing on my mind and the only connection I had to what the hell was going on was the woman.
Because she wasn’t just any woman.
She was the lovely temptress from the plane. There’d been a reason I’d been drawn here, the cat and mouse game taking an entirely different turn. The only one that made sense was Vivian.
And I’d be damned if I would allow her to get away.
Just as I made the move to follow her, the original asshole who’d dared taunt me into the chase reared up from his unconscious state, lunging toward me. The single glint of the blade was presented a second before I felt the searing anguish as the knife was driven into my shoulder.
With my teeth gritted, I smashed my weapon against the asshole’s head, jerking up then stomping his hand until I heard bones cracking in his wrist and fingers. He howled in response, the last sound he made before I put a bullet between his eyes.
The pain was blinding enough that when I stood, stars washed across my field of vision. Fuck. This was one huge mess thatwould need to be torched. Only I was in no position to do so. First the woman.
Fuck, the wound hurt like hell.
After allowing a furious hiss through clenched teeth, I dragged the motherfucker into the stairwell to try to stall for time before he was noticed.
Afterwards, I took gasping breaths while I listened for footsteps. Either she’d made it to another floor or had stopped when hearing the noise made from the rattle of the door.
I remained silent, and it only took a few seconds before she made herself known. She was going down.
Blood had already soaked through my shirt, the slice not only hitting muscle but if I knew my anatomy, the tip of the blade had nicked the bone. Bleeding out wasn’t an option.
