Page 17 of Dangerous Promises

But nothing about this feels like life and death. These are Chet's men, sure. They're not Chet. They're not Alexei. Right now all they are is in my way. They don't view me as a threat and I don't plan on letting Alexei get away.

I raise my brow at Alexei, and a small exhale of breath is the only sign I get that he knows and accepts that I'm going to do something. He's not in charge of me, anyway.

I rush forward, pushing the one closest to me between the shoulders and sending him right to the floor. As he drops, the other two look behind them like distracted idiots, and Alexei takes the opportunity to attack.

While I wrestle the gun from the one I shoved he takes out the other two.

Trying not to watch Alexei is a hefty task. He takes out the one on the left first; shooting him in the head, and then goes to the one on the right; punching him in the throat and then snapping his neck. It only takes a matter of seconds and he's done.

By the time he makes it over to me I've made no progress, still wrestling the gun back and forth. Alexei kicks the man in the nose, allowing me enough time to get the upper hand. I stumble as I stand, pointing the gun at the man on the ground.

He sits up slowly and raises his hands in surrender, looking at me with annoyance rather than fear.

My finger hesitates over the trigger and as much as I want to pull it, I freeze. Something stops me and all I can do is stare. Wasting precious seconds that could allow him to get the upper hand again.

"What are you doing?" Alexei says. "Kill him."

I nod, knowing that's what I have to do. But each time my finger closes over the trigger I fail to act. There's something about holding a gun that feels so destructive. So much more destructive than what we've been doing.

I haven't held a gun in my hand since that day.

"Oh Jesus Christ," Alexei sighs, he lifts his gun and shoots the guy between the eyes without sparing it a second thought. I flinch as it goes off, something I never used to do. But now all I hear when a gun goes off is the sound ofhimgrunting and dropping to the ground.

Alexei looks at me like he thinks I'm very stupid. Which I certainly feel right about now. "And you seriously think you can beat me?" Alexei says, shaking his head as he walks deeper into the forest.

"Well. It's different with you."

"I'm touched."

I race to keep up with him, watching my footing as I jump and slide to step around the obstacles on the forest floor. Alexei's steps aren't hesitant like mine. He navigates the terrain with ease. Not a step or stumble in his place.

"Not like that," I say, rolling my eyes. "Killing you feels natural."

"Sure thing, princess," Alexei says, ignoring me as he drags the bodies to the edge of the cliff.

"You're not going to-"

Before I can finish my sentence, Alexei launches the first body over the cliff. I cringe as it sails down the hill before falling to a heap in the muddy woods below. I hesitate as to whether I should… help?

But that doesn't feel quite right. So I end up standing there like a third wheel fool as he disposes of the other two in the same manner. Once he's done Alexei wipes his hands of the dirt before looking back at me like he forgot I was even here.

"So," I say, lifting my chin and turning to him with my fists raised. "Let's finish this."

Alexei huffs out a laugh. "You cannot be serious."

"Dead," I say.

"You will be. But not today," he says, walking away. I rush towards him and shove him in the back. He goes stumbling a step but finds his footing, turning slowly around to face me with a furious look.

"Are you fucking with me? You want to fight here?"

I fail to see the problem.

"Here seems fine," I shrug.

"Do you have any idea where we are?"

I look around at the woods for the first time since the car dropped me off. It doesn't look familiar but I suppose it is weird that we'd run into Chet's men out here in what is seemingly the middle of nowhere.