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“What does that mean?” My heart is like a jackhammer in my chest, beating so hard I can feel the beats in my entire body. “You didn’t come back a second time. It was just Luka.”
“You were delusional,” she says, waving a hand near her temple to silently suggest I went crazy. “I’m not sure if it was the stress or dehydration or what, but you were going mad. We had to get you out of the house.”
I smack my lips together. They are so dry. My tongue feels like a piece of chalk in my mouth. Maybe I am dehydrated.
“But where is Luka?” I ask, looking into the third row of the SUV even though I know it is empty. “Where is Milaya?”
“She is with Luka at your house,” Rian says in a soothing tone. “Don’t worry. We are just taking you to get checked out. I offered to drive you so Milaya wouldn’t have to get out so late.”
I sit up and twist to the window. We are driving quickly—definitely on a highway—and the sides of the road are lined with thick trees. We aren’t even in the city.
“Are you taking me to the FBI headquarters?”
“No, a hospital,” she says. “You aren’t being arrested. We are just taking you to be seen by a doctor.”
In the middle of nowhere? Why wouldn’t they have taken me somewhere in the city? And why wouldn’t Luka have come with me?
Luka would have come with me. I know it.
Something is wrong here.
“Is Luka going to meet us there?” I pat my thighs, searching for my cell phone, but I’m wearing pajama shorts. No pockets. No purse. No phone.
“He is going to stay at the house with Milaya,” Rian says, sounding slightly more annoyed this time. “Don’t worry. We will just have you seen by someone, make sure everything is okay, and then we’ll take you right back home.”
Everything in my body is telling me something is very, very wrong.
My head feels heavy and my temples are pounding like I just woke up from the world’s worst hangover. But I wasn’t drinking the night before.
And as far as delusional fits go, I’ve never had one. No nervous breakdowns, even when I was kidnapped by my own father. If I could handle that, then certainly I can handle a raid by the FBI.
When I look over at Rian Morrison, she is smiling at me, but the expression doesn’t reach her eyes. There, I find only cold assessment. It is the agent in her, observing me, searching for any signs of what I’ll do next, of what I’m thinking.
Why Rian?
She made it clear in her conversation with Luka that she blames him for her brother’s death and wants revenge.
Is that was this is?
Because it certainly isn’t official.
If the FBI was going to take me into custody, there would be more people here. I would be handcuffed. I would have some memory of being arrested.
No, this is off the books, and I know if I don’t get out of here as soon as possible, something bad is going to happen.
Rian opens her mouth to say something else, but before she can, I haul my arm back and slam my fist into her mouth. Her top teeth cut into my knuckle and pain explodes through my wrist. I cry out but there is no time to slow down.
I have to fight.
I grab her ponytail and yank her head forward, trying to throw her off balance. The car jerks and skids on the road, and Rian is trying to yell things at the driver, but my blows are coming too fast.
Luka taught me to fight. At the time, I thought it was unnecessary. I had pepper spray in my purse and a rape whistle on my keychain. Plus, I had Luka and was under near-constant guard by a member of the Bratva. Why did I need to learn to defend myself?
Now, I’m glad he took the time to teach me.
I yank Rian forward and ram my knee upwards towards her face. She pulls back in time to avoid the full impact, but I still feel her nose crunch beneath my kneecap.
The back seat of the SUV is cramped and small, making it hard to move, but I throw my seat belt off and crawl onto the seat on my knees. I wrap an arm around Rian’s neck, using my other hand to swat her clawing fingers away.
