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“I’ll wait up.”
I pinched her chin, taking a scattered breath. “Have a bottle of wine cracked.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then you won’t like the punishment I’ll be forced to give you.”
She took a deep breath, her entire body shivering. When she exhaled, the tickle skipping across my face was enough to draw my hunger to the forefront.
The sendoff wasn’t anything that I’d ever expected or wanted, but I found it curiously appealing.
As she backed away, she allowed her gaze to fall all the way to the pavement. Then she turned away on purpose, dropping her head.
I wasn’t a morbid man. I’d never given a shit about death before. The thought had never crossed my mind before a single mission.
Until now.
This time, I had everything to lose.
* * *
Emily
An uneasiness had settled into my system the minute Diego had driven away from the storage facility. I knew it would stay with me for some time to come. Hell, maybe years at this point. He’d whisked me into Kostya’s house, soldiers surrounding the beachfront property. I remained standing on one of three massive decks in what had to be one of the most beautiful spots in the world. The sound of the rolling ocean waves was extraordinary and would have put me at ease if it wasn’t for the sense of anxiety lingering in the back of my mind.
Kostya would die tonight.
I wasn’t prone to premonitions or magic, but the innate knowing had nagged at me for hours. I’d also continuously tried to put together the pieces of the limited information Kostya had provided. Why would Volkov want his own son assassinated, and why play this strange game of cat and mouse? Something didn’t add up.
The breeze suddenly became chilly, as if the icy breath of a demon was filtering up from the bowels of hell. I half laughed at myself. Wouldn’t I be consumed in fire, not ice? I rubbed my eyes, backing against the building.
When I felt a presence I stiffened, sliding further into the shadows, finally realizing the stodgy lieutenant was standing just outside the doorway. “Diego.”
“You shouldn’t be out here. You’re exposed.”
“There’s barely any moon, no lights, and no houses in close proximity. Unless there’s a sailor out there with night vision goggles, I seriously doubt I have anything to worry about.”
He was staring at me. I could feel his heated gaze. The man had spoken all of three sentences to me. “I heard you were well trained. Your father an excellent teacher.”
A compliment. Maybe I was getting somewhere.
“Yes. He wanted me to be able to protect myself no matter the situation.”
He stood exactly where he was and even with the darkness, I could tell he was staring at me, trying to determine what I was made of.
“Diego. I know about the consortium. I also believe my father found out about it as well.”
Diego tipped his head, inching closer. “Meaning what?”
“We located a flash drive that belonged to my father. He wanted me to have it.”
“Yes, I’m aware.”
“Tell me you have it.” I moved closer to him.
“Why?”
“I need to see what’s on it.”
