Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 92160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92160 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 461(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
He turns and cocks his head to the side.
“How do you feel? All right?” He watches me carefully. “My boss wanted to bring you in today. Had another job for you. Maybe you need a little time off.”
I can tell he’s trying to be nice, but questioning my ability to do my job is not the way.
“I’m fine,” I tell him, shaking my head.
“You said you saw paint on the wall?”
“Yes.”
He shrugs a big shoulder. “What did it say?”
I swallow hard before answering.
“Mine.”
His eyebrows shoot up, and he purses his lips.
“Well, it wasn’t one of us,” he says quickly.
Too quickly.
It hurts.
“I know.”
“Listen, take a little time off. Get out of Dodge for a while, yeah? We weren’t meeting this weekend anyway.”
I nod. That actually sounds like a good idea. When things are going haywire, I don’t like staying in one place too long. I never did.
The cool thing about Dublin is how easy it is to leave. In six hours, I could be in America, Iceland, Greenland, or Paris.
“Good idea.”
He gives me a brotherly pat on the shoulder.
“That’s a lass. Go take care of yourself. We’ll have work for you when you come back.”
Then he’s gone.
And I’m alone in my apartment. Back with my crazy thoughts and fucking stalker.
I snatch my phone off the nightstand. I need to get to the airport and book a flight.
Paris is quick and easy. Too many tourists. No one will suspect I’m there. And it’s fun to get dressed up.
I can do this.
I need cash. Once I get a ticket, I’ll have a way out.
I quickly pack my bag, but when I find my blonde wig hanging exactly where I thought I left it, I hesitate.
Maybe he’s right.
Maybe I have gone bonkers.
I eye the prescription bottle sitting next to my bed, then shove it into the bottom of my bag.
Cash is the easiest way to move. I have a small stash in my safe, and I’ll take that with me.
I open the safe.
It’s empty.
No.
Impossible.
I have to get out of here.
I grab my purse, shove my hand inside for the ATM card, and walk downstairs. Right across from the little convenience store is an ATM.
I need a way out.
I swipe my card.
Red. DECLINED.
I try again. I refuse to believe this is happening.
DECLINED.
I never used it. Never even touched it.
I open the banking app, and a notification flashes in red: Your account has been flagged for fraudulent activity.
I go still as a cold sweat prickles over my skin.
My breath comes too fast.
Every option I had…
Gone.
I have no cash.
I lift my chin and make a decision. I have a second burner phone, and I am not helpless.
I try a different site, something untraceable, something that will let me buy a ticket now, but the damn page won’t load.
A text pings through.
I don’t want to read it, but I have to, god.
What if it’s O’Rourke or one of his men?
An unknown number.
Unknown
Mine.
My phone nearly slips through my fingers.
I need a cab, a train—something.
A car slows at the curb, and a driver leans out the window.
“Need a ride?”
I can’t see who it is in the car, but nothing about this is familiar.
I tell myself I’m imagining ghosts everywhere I go.
“Yes, I need a ride. Thank you.”
The man’s wrist rests against the steering wheel.
“Come in. It’s open,” he says.
He doesn’t have an Irish accent.
My stomach lurches.
“Well? Are you coming in?”
He leans over, and I swear I see something Russian tattooed on his hand.
“I-I forgot something,” I mumble, forcing a smile.
I turn, walking fast, and duck into the first dark alley I see.
Streetlights flicker overhead.
The pavement feels too quiet.
Everything feels wrong.
I try to shake myself to see if I’m asleep or awake, but I’m definitely awake.
My eyes burn too much.
My stomach churns with hunger. When was the last time I ate?
The car idles at the alley’s entrance.
What the actual fuck?
I reach into my coat, and my fingers close around a small blade.
I know even now that it’s too small, too useless, but maybe if I—
A shadow moves behind me.
I spin, my heart stuttering.
A hand clamps over my mouth.
Beautiful, furious, unforgettable, stormy gray eyes meet mine.
A voice murmurs in my ear.
“Mine.”
Chapter 5
MATVEI
I’ve got her. Here, with me, so close I can touch the sweet scent of her skin and feel her living pulse under my fingers.
Mine.
She didn’t see me coming. I thought she’d be better than that. I understand though. She was terrified. I got under her skin—just like I wanted to.
It’s about fucking time.
She fucked over my family.
She ran from my cousin, put us in a state of turmoil, and set us up to be betrayed. And yes, my brother made use of that time. He fucked us over even worse.
But she deserves to be punished.
Waltzing around, traversing the planet like she didn’t screw over the biggest Bratva group this side of the Atlantic.