Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 535(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 535(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
This woman had worked some magic on me. Ever since she walked into my life, I’d been making mistakes, losing money, jeopardizing deals, all because...what? Because she was beautiful? Because I wanted to fuck her? And now things had gotten so bad, I was taking it out on Valentin, on my baby brother?!
I grabbed him and pulled him into a tight, tight hug. “I’m sorry, brother,” I told him, my voice rough with emotion. “I’m sorry.” I closed my eyes. How could I get mad at him? The one I’d sworn I’d always protect...because I’d failed to protect him when he needed it most.
I released him, took a deep breath, and started walking towards my car. The emotion had hardened into rock inside me, blocking out any doubts. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“What are you going to do?” asked Valentin.
“What I should have done back in the casino.”
I was going to kill Alison Brooks.
15
GENNADIY
Except I couldn’t find her.
After I’d dropped off Valentin and changed my clothes—my suit was so badly soaked with filth, I had to throw it away—I drove back to the garage. The area was still swarming with cops, but Alison was nowhere to be seen.
By now, dawn was breaking, the sun weak and barely visible behind thick gray clouds. I drove around town for a while, waiting for Alison to show up and start following me: she was never out of my hair for long. But she didn’t show. Radimir called again. He was calling every ten minutes, wanting to know how one of our most important businesses had been taken down. But I wasn’t picking up. I didn’t want to speak to him until I could tell him she was dead.
I made sure to drive past some traffic cameras, so she could pick me up that way if she was searching. When that didn’t work, I drove right past the FBI headquarters. I’m here! Come and get me!
Nothing. I thumped the steering wheel in frustration. How was I going to kill her if I couldn’t find her? Where the hell is she?
Was it possible that...she had the day off? But she was like me; she never took time off. And why would she choose to go on vacation today, the morning after a major bust?
The gray clouds had spread across the entire sky, now, and a heavy, cold rain started to fall. I spent the entire morning searching. Is this what it’s like to be her, looking for me?
And then, out of nowhere, I saw her. If she’d always used unmarked cars, like a normal FBI agent, I’d have had no chance. But thanks to all those nights when she’d followed me on her bike, I spotted its cherry-red bodywork instantly. She was turning into...a churchyard?
I parked on the street and sat there uncertainly, fingering the unregistered gun I’d brought. Was she here for a service? A wedding? I climbed out for a closer look and saw her disappearing into the church, still in her biker gear. Chyort! I couldn’t follow her in there, or she’d see me immediately.
I got back into my car to wait, checking the time every few minutes. How does she do this all day?
After an hour, the doors of the church opened, and people started coming out. I sat up in my seat, my fingers curling around the gun. Now all I had to do was follow her somewhere quiet and—
Wait. Everyone was in black.
Alison emerged. Except...she didn’t look like Alison. She must have changed in the toilets because she was in a simple black dress that fell almost to her ankles. And she didn’t prowl like she normally did; she walked with small steps, head down.
I got out of my car and moved to the edge of the church’s graveyard, watching through a set of iron railings. The gun was still in my hand under my jacket, but the resolve, cold and hard as granite in my chest...it ached. Alison and the other mourners followed the coffin to the grave site. She passed within ten feet of me, with no idea I was there.
I skulked to the other end of the graveyard, found a gate, and slipped inside. Then I crept towards the funeral, using a copse of trees for cover. The rain was hissing down, and Alison was getting soaked, but she didn’t seem to notice. She was staring at the coffin as it was lowered into the ground. The rain was sluicing down her cheeks, so I couldn’t be sure, but...is she crying?!
I felt a hairline crack open up in that hard resolve. I squeezed the gun’s grip. Don’t be stupid.
The service ended, and the other mourners walked away, leaving only Alison standing by the grave. She still hadn’t seen me.
I looked around. It was perfect. We were all alone, there were no cameras, and the rain would keep everyone inside and help mask the sound of the shot. Hell, the grave hadn’t been filled in yet: I could roll Alison’s body into it, shovel the dirt on top, and no one might ever find her.