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I can’t let that happen.
I grip my umbrella so hard my knuckles feel like they’re going to split. The wind attempts to pull it out of my hands, but I fight with it as I hurry toward the group of outliers.
Who are they, and why are they here?
My boots slide in a patch of mud, nearly sending me toppling over onto the ground, but I manage to catch myself and continue onward. The group of men are so still that, for a moment, I think they might actually be statues.
But then there’s that glint of red again as the leader’s hand moves, and I know I have to get to them before they turn away.
I hold up my hand, waving at them as I close in on their position. They give no response, and dread fills my belly.
What if these men are dangerous? They’re certainly not the types of people you’d see walking down the street in the middle of a sunny day. They’re night lurkers, the type that slink around alleys and enter clubs with cigarettes still burning in their hands. I can practically taste the smoke in the air already.
The wind ushers me toward them, but I fight it this time, slowing down and attempting to make contact again. I wave my hand, and a pair of vivid green eyes slide into focus.
The man in the front of the group is larger than the others, his shoulders so broad that they pull at the seams on either end of his sopping wet coat. Lightning strikes in the sky behind him, illuminating the atmosphere with a brilliant white light and casting a long shadow toward me.
His eyes have a hold on me, and even though I slide toward him on the wet grass like I’m being dragged across it. I’m already his captive, and he hasn’t even put a finger on me.
As the distance between us closes, the man’s eyes flicker away from me, and he turns slightly. A car rolls down the street a few yards behind his group, wiper blades flicking water off the glass on the way down and the way up, but I’m certain the driver still can’t see the road ahead of him.
The large man with the green eyes looks toward me, his eyes dancing across my trembling body as the car comes to a stop behind him. There’s a moment of stillness, even in the pouring rain, and my stomach drops.
Suddenly, I know I’m in danger, although I don’t know why.
My boots dig into the loose soil, water soaking through the thin leather already. I’m ready to bolt, but his reaction time is much faster than mine. He knows I’m about to flee…
So, he pounces.
2
Lily
I’m not a screamer. Bugs don’t bother me, and if a bee flies into my face when I’m out for a walk, I don’t lose my shit over it.
But this gigantic man hurdling toward me, combined with the fresh agony of losing someone so close to me, causes me to release such a visceral scream that it makes my own ears ring.
As loud as that is, however, it’s nothing compared to what comes next.
“Stay down!” the man bellows as he runs into me, making a surprisingly gentle impact for how fast he’s moving.
An explosion of sound follows, lights flashing like fireworks from the car behind us. We’re thrust into pure chaos, and only then do I understand the true danger I’m in as bullets hit the ground around us.
My attacker quickly turns to a hero, carrying me a few yards to the left and tossing me behind a hefty concrete gravestone. Chunks fly off, almost lost in the torrential downpour as they scatter around us.
He uses his body to shield me, covering me completely and guarding me from the bullets and rain. His protective reaction is distinct and immediate, with no hesitation whatsoever, and I’m struck by how natural it feels.
It’s in this moment that I know that he’s just as much the danger as he is my ticket to safety. While a fire can warm you, it can also burn you until there’s nothing left but ashes.
For now, I revel in his warmth, my reluctance toward him dissolving as his capable hands find my shoulders and squeeze them. “Stay low. They will pass,” he says, his voice thickened by the same Russian accent Dimitri has.
Now, I’m certain they’re linked.
If I could only get a look at the ring on his finger, I’d know just how close they are. If it’s the same as Dimitri’s, I’ve hit the jackpot of information.
My body shakes, both with fear and anticipation of learning the truth.
“Stay here, Lily. Don’t move,” the man grumbles as the bullets stop. He climbs off me, pressing his hand into my shoulder to keep me on the soggy ground.
