Page 4 of Bratva King

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I can pay more than whoever hired you.”

"I don’t betray my employers that easily,” she said, flicking her gaze to his face. Was she studying him, and if so, what did she see?

Alexei thought back to her first shot and realized that there had been no urgency in it, no follow-up round despite the fact she was clearly skilled. A strange realization settled into place.

"You intended to miss,” he said, deciding to sound out his theory.

Momentary silence, then she smiled. "I wondered how long it'd take for you to figure that out.”

Alexei stared at her, frowning. Was killing him not the objective? Did someone perhaps hire her to send a message? Could it be she was hired to take him out, but decided not to at the last minute because she'd made a personal decision?

None of the explanations satisfied him. Questions multiplied instead of disappearing. Who was she? Who trained her? Who employed someone capable of outrunning him across rooftops? Why intentionally miss? Most importantly, why reveal she'd done it?

"You've become considerably more interesting,” Alexei finally said.

"So have you."

The words lingered between them.

Neither sounded flirtatious. They were merely two predators assessing each other. Alexei almost regretted pointing the gun at her.

"I should kill you,” he told her.

"You haven’t, and you’ve already had a few opportunities,” she reminded him.

She wasn't wrong. He should've fired the instant he'd cornered her, but instead he was talking to her like they were on some sort of casual date.

"You'll keep wondering," she said softly.

"About what?"

"Why I missed."

Before he could answer, she moved, and a flash exploded against the concrete. White smoke followed, and Alexei fired instinctively. The suppressed shot vanished into the cloud. By the time visibility returned, she was gone.

The adjacent rooftop access door swung lazily in the wind, and it was empty.

Alexei lowered his weapon, then he laughed. It was a strange sound, because he couldn’t recall the last time he chuckled like this. She'd escaped. Most men would've considered that failure, but Alexei considered it fascinating. He touched the tiny cut across his throat. There was barely enough blood to stain his fingertips.

A deliberate reminder that she could have killed him, but she hadn’t. His headache had disappeared completely. As he looked across the sleeping city, one thought echoed louder than every unanswered question. Whoever she was, he intended to find her.

Chapter Two

Natalia's heart hammered against her ribs as she slipped through the maze of back alleys, every instinct screaming at her to keep moving. She didn't stop until she'd crossed three streets, doubled back twice, and cut through an abandoned warehouse with half its roof missing.

Years of training had carved paranoia into muscle memory. Every reflective shop window became a mirror, parked cars became potential cover, and each shadow held the possibility of pursuit.

Alexei Volkov wasn't a fool. If he'd decided to have her followed, she needed to know before she led anyone back.

Only when she was satisfied the streets remained empty behind her did the adrenaline begin to seep from her bloodstream, leaving behind an unpleasant heaviness in her limbs. The district she returned to was forgotten by the rest of the city.

Boarded-up storefronts leaned against one another, and graffiti covered cracked brick walls. A flickering streetlamp buzzed overhead, illuminating puddles of filthy rainwater that never seemed to dry.

The apartment building she'd rented for the past two days fit the neighborhood perfectly. Half the windows were broken. The stairwell smelled of damp concrete, stale cigarettes, and mold. It was perfect, because no respectable person came here. More importantly, no one asked questions.

She climbed the narrow staircase, avoiding the loose third step she'd discovered on the first day, before unlocking the door to the tiny flat. The deadbolt clicked into place behind her. Then she waited, but there was only blissful silence.

She moved through the apartment automatically, checking each room despite knowing no one could possibly be hiding inside. Bathroom. The bedrooms and even the closets were empty.