Page 16 of Dangerous Promises

"Huh? What was that? Thought you liked it rough," she says, taunting in my ear. I can hear the smile in her voice.

I drop my other hand and reach for the seat recliner, twisting the knob in my hand. We fall backward and Sage cries out as theseat crushes her. I dive from the car, clutching at my throat as I spill out onto the dirt on my hands and knees.

By the time I stand up, Sage has left the car too, limping and sporting a fresh cut on her forehead.

"What the fuck!" I yell, rubbing at my bruised throat.

Sage says nothing, her emerald green eyes filled with hatred as she blows the hair from her face and dabs at the cut on her head.

"You almost killed me," I say, quiet calm returning as annoyance takes over.

"Was kind of the point," she says, lifting her chin in defiance.

I take one step towards her, reaching for my knife.

The clicking of a gun stops me in my tracks. But it's not her.

No, it's much worse.

We're surrounded.

Chapter

Six

Sage

Ialmost fucking had him. Garotte around his neck. Pulling with every bit of strength that I have. It's the best I've ever been at getting the jump on him. He was surprised. Underprepared. So close to losing his last breath to me.

Seeing Alexei stop in his tracks and hearing the click of a gun isn't enough to distract me.

So close. I don't want to run back to my estate. I want to finish this now.

I growl and take a step towards him.

"Sage," he warns. I finally stop and take stock.

Alexei is down on one knee, knife held loosely in his hand and watching me with a different kind of intensity. There's a gun pointed to his head and two more trained on him from further away.

Three men with circular tattoos on their temples.

Flashes of my childhood trauma come screaming back to me and I'm assaulted with terrible memories. Screams. Flesh beingstripped from my skin. Men with similar tattoos there to watch it all.

Chet's men.

How the fuck have we managed to run into Chet's men?

"You're outnumbered," one man says. "Put it down."

Alexei's hand tightens on his knife.

"Hey!" one of them yells, shaking his gun. "I said stop. Put it down now. If you want to live."

Alexei doesn't let go of the knife, but he stands slowly, holding his hands in surrender in what is obviously false compliance.

The men move towards him on tiny unsure steps, their eyes flitting back and forth between Alexei and where he holds his weapon.

I narrow my eyes. They're distracted. I could surely surprise them. Get the jump on one of them at least. Alexei's jaw goes tight as I look back at him. He must see what's written on my face because he gives me an exasperated look and then a tiny shake of his head.