AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Misha.” Hayden drew a ragged breath, biting his lip as more tears streaked down his face. “Plea—”
The gun went off.
Half of Hayden’s face exploded, flinging blood and brain matter all over me. His body slumped to the floor, his mangled face landing with asplaton the cement.
I closed my eyes and exhaled a slow breath, willing the ringing in my ears to die down before it generated another headache. Dimitri could have at least used a suppressor, the fucking asshole.
Retrieving the handkerchief from my suit pocket, I dabbed the blood off of my face before opening my eyes again. “As I said, I don’t have time for this bullshit. And now I have to go home and change. I’ll be sure to send you the bill for my new suit.”
Without missing a beat, I turned once more to leave.
The gun cocked behind me again but it was Sergei’s voice who spoke. “Let him go.”
I wished I could have seen the look of disappointment on Dimitri’s face as I left that room alive. Making a hasty retreat from the building, I practically dove into the backseat of the Escalade and smacked Anton’s shoulder with one hand while I yanked at the knot in my tie with the other, trying to loosen it so I could claw open the button underneath. “Penthouse! Now!”
“Are you ok? What happened?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder now and again as he sped away. “Is that blood?!”
“Dimitri knows. And now Sergei knows. They just shot Hayden.”
“Oh shit… What are we going to do?”
“‘We’ aren’t doing anything.” With my stomach in knots, I pulled my cell phone out and called the one person I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, who could help me fix this. The one person no one would see coming.
“I need you,” I said as soon as the other line picked up.
“What happened?” Sasha asked, unease laced through each word.
“How fast can you get to Chicago?”
He paused for a moment. “I’m on the next flight.” He disconnected and I exhaled another shaky breath, willing my heart rate to slow down now that the immediate danger had passed.
“Boss, let us help,” Anton said, meeting my gaze in the rearview mirror. “If they take you out, none of us are safe.”
“If I fail, none of you are safe, anyway. You should be preparing for a fast exit, not worrying about what happens to me.”
Anton ignored me. “How did they find out?”
“The goddamn newspaper,” I answered glumly. “How could I have been so fucking stupid? I should have left the second I saw reporters there.” My eyes sank shut and I let my head fall back against the headrest. It was bad enough that Dimitri saw it. Had Moscow, too? Had my face already been picked up by a facial recognition program? Was there someone in Yasenevo planning a hit at that very moment?
Anton’s voice brought me back to Chicago and my more immediate problem. “A newspaper?”
“From the drive-by with Marek’s brother. Well, that was the only thing Dimitri showed me. I’m sure he has more but nothing concrete. That asshole has spies everywhere.”
“So do you,” he reminded me.
“It’s not the same. And now I’ve lost Sergei’s trust. It’s only a matter of time before the order comes down to take me out, proof or no proof.”
“We’re not going to let that happen.”
A fleeting smile flashed over my face. I appreciated his loyalty and his faith in our abilities but now that I was no longer in Sergei’s good graces, it was only a matter of time before my life ran its course.
39
MAREK
I wasin the kitchen with the kids when Misha barreled through the penthouse door. He took one look at us, held his finger to his lips, and hurried down the hallway to his bedroom. By the time Bri turned her head to look at him, the only thing visible was Misha’s backside and not the splatter of blood all over the front of his suit.
“Hey, can you stir this for me?” I asked, shoving the wooden spoon into her hand. “I gotta ask Misha something.”
