Mia grabbed her bag, waved casually at me, and quickly left the café. I watched her figure disappear around the corner, one weight lifting from my heart.
I took a deep breath, trying to appear normal. I slowly stood, picked up my bag, and walked toward the register.
Just as I was about to push open the glass door, I instinctively glanced across the street again.
That black SUV still sat there, but the two people inside had clearly moved—one was holding a phone, saying something while pointing in my direction.
Shit.
I shoved the door open. Bright sunlight outside made me squint. Sasha leaned against the café's exterior wall, cigarette in hand, but when he saw my expression, those sharp gray-blue eyes instantly went alert.
"That black SUV across the street." I walked to his side, pretending to adjust my bag's zipper, voice very low. "They've been watching me for at least twenty minutes."
Sasha's movement paused. He didn't immediately turn to look but naturally crushed his cigarette, placing one hand on my shoulder as if chatting casually. But I could feel every muscle in his body tensing instantly.
"How many?"
"Two. Couldn't see their faces, but they haven't gotten out. Engine's been running."
Sasha was silent for a second, then spoke in an extremely calm but commanding tone. "Move. Now. Stay with me. Don't run, don't look back, keep a normal pace."
He put his arm around my shoulder, leading me toward the black Bentley parked at the corner. I could feel my heart pounding wildly, my palms sweating.
When we were still about thirty feetfrom the car—
A piercing engine roar suddenly exploded behind us!
"Get down!"
Sasha shoved me hard. I fell onto the sidewalk planter.
The next second, that black SUV charged onto the sidewalk like a crazed beast, barreling straight toward where we'd just been standing!
The wheels crushed a roadside trash can, the metal barrel flying through the air, tumbling several times before smashing into the café's glass window with a deafening shatter.
Surrounding pedestrians screamed and scattered.
I sat sprawled on the ground, ears ringing, brain blank. My elbow and knees seemed scraped, but adrenaline kept me from feeling it.
Sasha rolled to the side at the last moment, barely dodging the crazed vehicle. But his landing was rough—he slammed hard into a lamppost with a muffled grunt.
The SUV spun its wheel at the end of the street, tires screeching and smoking with burnt rubber, then accelerated madly, disappearing around the corner.
Everything happened so fast—less than ten seconds.
I sat on the ground, mind blank, my whole body shaking uncontrollably. If Sasha had been even a fraction of a second slower, I'd already be a mangled corpse.
"Ms. Cole!"
Sasha staggered up, half his suit sleeve torn, a cut bleeding at his temple. But he completely ignored his injuries, rushing to my side in a few strides and kneeling.
"Ms. Cole, are you hurt?"
"I... I'm fine..." My voice shook badly, barely audible even to myself. "Just some scrapes..."
Sasha's gaze swept over me quickly. Confirming no fatal injuries, he stood abruptly, pulling a phone from inside his suit jacket and dialing rapidly.
"Pakhan." His voice was ice-cold. "Ms. Cole was attacked. Fifth Street and Madison Avenue intersection. Black Chevrolet SUV, plates unclear, two unidentified attackers, fled the scene."
