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I stopped. An odd sensation was running down my spine, and it wasn’t the wind. My eyes narrowed as I observed our surroundings. It wasn’t something I could pinpoint, yet I knew for a fact that someone was watching us. Watching me.
It wasn’t Davorin.
When he was tailing me, the chills always came with a little excitement. It was like an adrenaline rush, like being on a roller coaster, a sensation so great I couldn’t shake it off.
This one was different, and as I turned around, my eye caught a flash of movement.
I turned to Tiana. “Would you mind going inside without me? I’ll be there shortly—I just need to make a phone call.”
Her eyebrows narrowed, and her hair fell over her face. “Are you okay?”
Tiana’s concerned voice pissed me off. She had good intentions, but she was stalling, and that wasn’t good. I didn’t have a lot of time before whoever was following me disappeared, because they must’ve known I was onto them.
I forced a smile. “I’m fine. Go, and I’ll be there soon.”
With a last reluctant glance, she walked past me, and I watched her until she stepped into the bakery. Although she turned around twice to see where I was, there were a lot of people on the streets, and I managed to escape her sight easily.
I pulled out my phone and called Aleksei. It took him longer to pick up than usual, which meant that he was still pissed off with me.
“Are you still angry with me?” I asked as soon as the call went through, a wide grin on my face.
I changed direction and slowly walked back the way Tiana and I had come.
“Angry, Ekaterina?” he repeated, his disbelief evident in his voice. “Of course I’m fucking angry. Not only did you kick Ilya out and leave yourself unprotected, you also allowed Davorin to walk out with five million dollars without getting the job done.”
I chuckled at my dramatic brother. “He’ll call me soon, and everything will work out in your favor.”
Aleksei was silent for a moment. “You trust him?”
“Let’s be clear—I trust no one but myself,” I fired back. “However, I know that he’ll come to me soon. I offered him a deal he couldn’t refuse.”
His voice dropped an octave, and a grunt slipped out. “How soon is soon, Ekaterina? It’s been a week, and no one has seen him or heard from him.”
Not strictly true. I’d received another dice, along with a gorgeous diamond necklace I never intended to wear. I preferred gold, perhaps even pearls if the jewelry was fashioned correctly, but diamonds weren’t my best friends.
I’d spent the entire night after my last encounter with him second-guessing my decision. Then, once I’d received his latest gift, my mind had turned to questioning the meaning of the dice. This latest one had been turned to the number six, and it irked me that I didn’t understand what it meant.
In the end, I gathered all the dice I currently had, took them to one of the best jewelry shops in the city, and had them turned into a bracelet.
“I said soon.” He was getting on my nerves. “And as soon as he does, you’ll be the second person to know.”
“The second?”
“Of course Dominik will know first.”
I laughed when he hung up on me. He acted like a child sometimes, and to be frank, I might’ve forgiven him for what he did in the past, but it didn’t mean that he didn’t d. Dominik had broken me out of my chains, as much as it was possible, and suffered the consequences. Aleksei, on the other hand, had turned a blind eye to everything that was happening, and only stepped in after Dominik did.
I put my phone back in my coat pocket and pulled out a weapon. I hadn’t brought a gun with me, so a small knife was going to have to suffice.
A few feet in front of me were two building with a small alley between them. I could see someone hiding in it. Whilst I’d been on the phone with Aleksei, I’d acted oblivious to my surroundings yet had been tracking every move they’d made. From the figure, it was obviously a woman, her hair tucked under a beanie, her face hidden behind big dark sunglasses.
Not suspicious at all.
With a slow breath, I started walking towards where she was hiding. The element of surprise was the only thing on my side, as I didn’t know who she was, or how dangerous she was. The worst part was that I didn’t know her motive either.
“Why are you following me?” I stepped into the small space between the two buildings where she was half-concealed behind a dumpster.
She took a fearful step back, but now I was closer, I recognized her immediately and glanced at the shoulder I’d hit, seemingly all better now.
