Page 28 of Bratva King

Its front tire disintegrated. Rubber exploded across the asphalt. The SUV fishtailed, and its driver fought desperately to regain control, but he failed. The vehicle spun sideways, slammed through a roadside barrier, then crashed broadside into a traffic light with an earsplitting boom.

Steel screamed, glass erupted, and the traffic signal toppled onto the pavement in a shower of sparks. There was momentary silence, except for the rain. Natalia watched for a few more seconds before lowering the pistol.

“All clear."

Alexei realized he hadn't breathed, so he let out the air in a slow rush.

The driver spoke through the partition. "Sir?"

"Don't stop."

The limousine continued toward the estate. Neither of them spoke for several minutes. Rain washed away the dust coating the shattered rear window. Alexei stared into the darkness. His heart still pounded with a mix of anxiety and fury.

Three attempts before, and now this. Whoever wanted him dead possessed considerable resources.

"This is getting ridiculous.” His voice sounded colder than he'd intended.

Natalia quietly nodded. "It is."

"They're escalating.” Alexei rubbed a hand over his face. He finally looked at Natalia. She'd already reloaded her pistol calmly, as though none of this had happened.

"I'm asking again,” Alexei began. She didn't meet his eyes. "Who hired you?"

The rain filled the space between them.

“Natalia, just answer me.”

She looked out the broken window instead. "I can't tell you."

His patience snapped. "For God's sake, why?"

She remained quiet.

He felt frustration rising. “Why won’t you tell me? You nearly died because of whoever this is."

"I can't break the code."

Alexei laughed bitterly. “What code?”

"The one Emil taught me. Never reveal your clients’ names to anyone.” She swallowed. “If I did that, word spreads, and no one would hire or trust me to do a job again.”

He stared. "You're worried about future employment?"

"I'm worried about surviving."

"You don't work for them anymore,” he reminded her. “You’re mine now.”

He was about to say she worked for him now, but those three words slipped out dangerously instead. Alexei silently counted to ten in his head before speaking again.

"You still intend to return?” Alexei asked.

"If things don’t pan out between us,” she said with a shrug.

“That won’t happen,” he told her.

"You can't promise that."

"I can,” he said with more force than he intended.