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His tall, muscular physique and deep, raspy tone of voice sent a wave of heat through me just thinking about it. Even in the car, Igor’s strong masculine scent lingered, it almost felt like he was sitting next to me. Yes, he was a dominant but handsome man in every way.
I stared at the long road ahead of me and rubbed my forehead. Maybe I was just too good at psychology. Being a criminal mastermind might have been a better way to go. A familiar song was playing on the radio, and I hummed along to the tune, remembering the moment I had escaped through the bathroom window. And now I was in the car with a hat, black sunglasses shielding my eyes, and a coat as a disguise that got me through the main gate of Igor’s estate.
I drove past dense canopies of trees on either side of the road, the rays of the late afternoon sun reflecting off the windshield. My heartbeat seemed to have slowed down, but I felt like a thousand ants were crawling inside me and my sweaty palms were still gripping the steering wheel tightly. I hoped to get home soon and be back to the way I was, before Connor, Igor, and everything else that had happened. I missed life at college, with Vanessa and I missed my mother.
Then the shrill ringing of my cell phone broke through my thought bubble. My heart skipped a beat, I swallowed the lump in my throat and hesitated. With trembling hands, I picked it up, and there, on the other end of the line, was Igor's voice.
“You can't escape me, Grace. You don’t bloody know who you're messing with,” he shouted. “This isn’t a freaking game anymore, you're playing with fire, and you have no fucking idea! I’ll find you, Grace. I fucking swear I will!”
The thunderous voice and the weight of his threat pressed down on me, and a cold shiver ran down my spine. I was scared to the bone, but I had to keep up a brave front. I couldn't afford to be put off by his threatening words.
“If I escaped twice, I could do it again. There is nothing you can do to stop me. You can’t lock me up. Never!”
I knew it sounded like I had it all planned out, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out where I was going. With every mile I passed, uncertainty and fear crept closer.
“What if you're six feet underground? How are you going to escape then?” He snarled.
“So, this is what you want to do to me?” I was shaking and somehow felt crushed.
“No! God damn it, Grace! But right now, I need you to pull over and wait for me,” he said firmly.
As the winding road seemed to have no end, his words had almost convinced me. But all hope was not yet lost, as I saw a cluster of lights only about half a mile ahead. I sped into town; it was eerily quiet as I passed a few deserted alleyways.
Then, without warning, two vehicles came to an abrupt halt in front of my car, forcing me to slam on the brakes. Panic ran through me as I stared at the cars that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
My stomach lurched and I began to tremble. “Igor, did you send these men?”
He was silent for a second, before he said, “What men?”
I could not respond to Igor anymore. These strange men stared at me through the windshield and silently admonished me to put the phone down. And I obeyed without arguing.
They had me surrounded and I didn’t want any more trouble than I was already in. The men who got out of the cars looked different from anyone I'd ever met before and a wave of panic came
over me. They exuded an aura of intimidation that was even more chilling than that of the Bratva men.
Their faces were hard and their glares stone cold. They looked like men who had eaten other people’s happiness for breakfast. One of the men gestured for me to get out of my car, I was frozen with fear and had no choice.
When I emerged, the men mirrored my actions, their presence menacing and oppressive.
In the middle of the group, one man in particular stood out, taking a step forward. He was tall and had dark eyes and brown hair. He was quite handsome and had very striking features, but I couldn’t get past the crazy look in his eyes.
“Hey, beauty,” he smiled, baring white teeth. “Who do we have here?”
I tried to keep my snarky comments to myself, but whenever I was scared, I tended to let my tongue loose. “What do you want from me, asshole?”
The handsome stranger seemed amused. “Ah, such a smart mouth, eh? Well, let’s see how smart you are when I tell you who I am,” he chuckled. “I'm here to introduce myself.”
I scoffed, scanned my surroundings, and pointed at the fleet of cars that blocked mine.
“This is how you introduce yourself?” I chuckled and intentionally stalled, I knew Igor wouldn’t be too far behind. Now, I wanted him to find me.
“I guess so. Different strokes for different folks, am I right?” His self-assurance and smugness irked me. He thought he was a tough guy, but he had nothing on Igor’s presence. It was like the calm, before the storm that wreaked havoc.
“You know, I really should be on my way now. I was kind of in a hurry before you...”
His men stepped forward, but he lifted a hand to stop them. He cocked his head to the side, his menacing look replaced with a wry smile.
“My name is Aiden Farrel,” he said, and the revelation of his name sent a shockwave through me.
