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“I have to be somewhere today,” I say weakly. “Please let me go.”
“That’s not an option,” Andrei replies without looking at me. “Not anymore.”
Andrei’s leg relaxes and his knee rests against mine. When I’m not looking at him, I feel his gaze on the side of my face. It takes a lot of energy, but I refuse to make eye contact. His gaze feels more dangerous than his gun.
All sorts of thoughts go through my head. I’m in an armored jeep with blacked-out windows, speeding recklessly through town with two men who I know have guns because I’ve seen them. Andrei is the most dangerous man I’ve ever met.
A million scenarios run through my head, and each one is worse than the last.
“I have no money,” I state clearly, breaking the solid silence. “And neither does my family.”
He frowns. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m just saying,” I say. “You’re not getting anything by kidnapping me.”
“I’m the only one who can keep you safe.” His dark eyes are unreadable.
I stare at him in disbelief. “I was perfectly safe until I met you!”
Andrei doesn’t answer me.
I plead with the driver. “I have to be somewhere important. You have to stop the car.”
He ignores me too.
My foot starts to tap uncontrollably, aware that my rambling is probably more annoying than convincing. “I need to go to the hospital and pick up my father. And somewhere in between everything, I have to pick up my sister. And if I don’t show up at my gig, I won’t be paid.”
“If money is an issue, I can make that concern go away.” His voice is so polished, as if it could smooth away all my problems.
Well …
No, Paige!I’m not taking handouts from the Russian Mafia! My father taught me better than that.
I glare at Andrei. Right now, he is the problem. “What about my family? They need me. They’ll be worried when I don’t show up.”
I wait, but he doesn’t answer, and I shrink down into the seat. I start to speak, but he places a warning hand on my shaking knee. I shut my mouth and stare at his graceful hand, surprised that a killer has a gentle touch. “What is your father’s name?” he asks.
I open my mouth to answer when something runs through me.He’s Russian Mafia, Paige. Don’t tell him anything he doesn’t need to know.
“That’s none of your business,” I answer quickly.
I hold still and wait for the inevitable explosion, but Andrei doesn’t react. The Rover doesn’t stop, and we continue moving in awkward silence. I bite my lip hard to keep from crying. I’m sure that’s what this sexy psycho wants. He wants to torment me by ruining the shit life that I have.
I shove his hand off my knee, and Andrei scowls as if I shouldn’t have done that. Looking straight ahead, my tears burn my throat as I conceal my true emotions. He might shoot me if I don’t play it cool. They might shoot me anyway.
“They’ll wonder where I am,” my voice is low, “if I don’t pick them up. They’ll wonder where I am. My sister can’t get my father home from the hospital on her own. When I don’t show up, they’ll worry. And then they’ll call the cops.”
The driver sighs loudly to show his annoyance. “I don’t see the other car,” he says in English. “Maybe we can drop her off.”
“No,” replies Andrei abruptly. “She comes with us. End of discussion.”
I sit up on the edge of the seat, crestfallen. My voice is breathless. “Please … I won’t say a …”
Something hits the back of the Rover, making a sickening rattle. And then something else, as if the car is being pelted with hail. I turn and see the rear window is cracked but not broken.
It’s not hail. It’s bullets.
Andrei pushes me down onto the seat as he shouts at the driver in Russian. I don’t need to understand him to know what he’s saying.Faster!
