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“He followed me to a coffee shop. I didn’t know who he was at first. He’s changed tremendously. But seeing the photograph on the television makes me one hundred percent certain. Sergei gave me a picture of you and me in a file with a damn bow, then said it was a gift from someone for the most beautiful woman in the shop. Then he walked away. When I looked, I realized there was a note attached.”
“What did it say?”
I laughed. “It pretty much repeated what he’d told me more than once in court all those years ago, that he was going to enjoy taking his time with me. But he did say this time it was personal.”
“Because of me.”
“I’ll never forget that cold look in his eyes, as if I was looking straight through him. No soul. No sense of humanity.”
“He’s a hired mercenary, Stephanie. They are trained to kill their emotions,” Alexei said quietly.
“Like you?”
“Very much like me. What were you wearing?”
“If you’re asking whether or not he could have seen the tattoo, yes. I know he did. You think that’s what set him off, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. With Sergei being funded and provided soldiers, he’s even deadlier than he was before.”
“And we can’t go to the police.”
“We could, Stephanie. Not all officers of the law in New York are on the take whether from my organization or any other. However, they’ll be far too busy trying to keep the city out of crisis mode if Pavel Volkov follows through with his plans.”
“Then we’re going to die.”
I couldn’t seem to stop shaking. Who could I believe any longer? Certainly not myself.
The beautiful moment of passion had moved past within minutes after he’d filled me with his seed. It was too dangerous, too… intimate. I’d felt him changing again, shoving aside his desire for me given everything we were going through. Even though I felt protected by him, I was more terrified than I’d been just an hour before. The ticking timebomb was counting down.
“What about the money?” I asked, as if I couldn’t care less what happened to it.
“I’ve instructed one of my men to try and have it withdrawn.”
“For what purpose?”
“To allow you time to determine whether you want to turn Gregory in.”
I wasn’t expecting his answer. “You’re not going to kill him?”
“Gregory Hampton is the least of my worries at this point, Stephanie. You were used by him, and you have the right to handle it the way you believe it should.”
“Thank you for that. I honestly don’t know what I want to do.” The truth was I wanted to crucify the man. Gregory didn’t deserve any less.
We both heard a noise and Alexei immediately headed in the direction of the sound, bending his arms as he held the weapon in both hands. When the front door was opened, Alexei placed the barrel against the man’s head.
The visitor snarled and Alexei immediately huffed. “You should have called, Kirill.”
“Yeah, well, I thought you’d want to know my team managed to track down the same assholes who attacked you. I figured you might want to be involved in their… eradication. And you were shot.” As the brutal-looking man turned his attention in my direction, he chose his words carefully.
Alexei rolled his hand through his hair, darting a look in my direction. “I’ve fine. I need to take her somewhere safe.”
Kirill’s expression became twisted. “I’ll have one of my men take her to the condo. Candy’s there.”
“That will do for now.” He walked toward me and as had happened before, I suddenly felt very small. “You can trust my men. Where you’re going you will be safe.”
“What about you? You’re hunting these men? They’ll kill you.” I couldn’t believe he was going to attack them.
He stroked his knuckles across my cheek, an entirely different smile crossing his face. “I’m tougher than I look.”
