65

RUSLAN

The tall one goes down like a toy soldier.

I might as well have flicked him down with my fingers. He tumbles over, face-first, into the ground without emitting so much as a gasp. His companion doesn’t even notice until his question goes unanswered.

“… Jannik? How do you wanna do this…? Jannik?”

I’m already halfway to him when he turns and notices that Jannik’s eating cement in a pool of his own blood. As soon as he sees me coming, he pales, twisting around while he fumbles for his gun.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” He freezes with his hands suspended in mid-air. “Hands up where I can see them.”

“W-who are you?”

“The better question is, who are you?”

“I-I-I…”

I roll my eyes. “He hired the very best, didn’t he?” I mutter under my breath.

Clearly, Adrik didn’t think he needed to send his best men to deal with a woman and three children. His fucking mistake. This poor bastard’s price to pay.

“Listen…”

“No, you listen,” I snarl. “You have five seconds to tell me who hired you or else you’re going to be drinking your own blood just like Jannik there.”

The conflict in his eyes is evident. His gaze darts between me and Jannik, Jannik and me. For a moment, it even veers up to the second floor of the motel.

What should he choose? Self-preservation or certain death?

The joke’s on him, though. He’s facing death either way. I just need to make him believe he has a way out.

“Four seconds.”

He licks his lips. “Listen, man. I’m not who you think I—”

“Three seconds.”

His right hand keeps twitching in place. He’s still got them raised but they’re creeping lower with every passing second.

Don’t be a fucking idiot.

“Two seconds.”

He chooses to be an idiot.

His hand swoops towards his gun but I’ve already taken aim. I pull the trigger and his strangled cry echoes across the empty lot. He grabs hold of his stump of a right wrist with his uninjured hand and holds it up to the light. It’s spouting blood in every direction.

Like I said—I’m a great fucking shot.

I sigh and let my weapon dangle by my side as I saunter closer. “I’m disappointed. I thought you looked like the smarter one. It’s why I chose to kill him instead of you.”

He’s still gawking at the bloody sewer where his hand once was. Even when his legs give out and he drops to his knees, he doesn’t look away. The only indication that he’s even aware I’m there is that he flinches away when I step up to him.

“I’m not a patient man. Nor am I a merciful one,” I growl. “But I’m willing to make an exception tonight—for your sake. Tell me who sent you.”

His eyes slide up to mine. They’re wide with disbelief but there’s a little anger creeping in, too. He scowls darkly. “Y-you’re gonna kill me anyway…”

I shrug. “Maybe I will. Maybe I won’t. If you tell me, there’s a chance you might get to live. You might as well play those odds tonight. It’s the most important gamble you’ll ever make.”

His skin is patchy and pale. It looks even worse with all the sweat and blood dripping down his face.

“I-I’ve got kids, man,” he tries.

I squat down in front of him and clutch his destroyed hand. His scream echoes into the empty, unforgiving night.

I look him right in the eye, my voice low and menacing. “Those are my kids up there. Those are my kids you’re after.”

Every muscle in his face is spasming uncontrollably. “I-I didn’t know that, man… fuck… please, please… Aaaarghhh!”

I squeeze his hand until his tears mix with the sweat. He begs for mercy but I’m fresh out tonight.

“An attempt was made on my boy this evening,” I explain to him conversationally, without letting go of his hand. “Those men refused to talk, too, just like you. Now, they’re dead. I gave them the same choice I’m giving you now. Time to choose better than they did.”

He clenches his teeth and I see blood mingling with his saliva. Lights approach from the distance.

That’ll be the clean-up crew. It’s up to this mudak whether their services are needed or not.

“If I talk, h-he’ll kill me…”

Honestly, it’s shocking to me that Adrik can inspire this kind of fear. I might have been impressed if I weren’t so damn furious.

“I will kill you,” I promise him. “And I’m much, much closer to you right now.”

If this idiot tenses any more, he’s going to pop his eyeballs right out.

“You have one second,” I inform him.

“I ca—”

I pull the trigger, cutting off his refusal prematurely. The bullet lodges itself in his heart and his eyes go glassy almost instantly. I push him onto the asphalt and get to my feet with disgust.

“Piece of shit,” I mutter.

When I look up towards door number four, I catch sight of Emma’s face at the window. She’s staring down at me, the horrified whites of her eyes visible even from here.

Headlights pull into the half-empty lot, drowning out Emma’s silhouette with their glare. Kirill leaps out and jogs over to me.

“Dammit. Looks like I missed all the fun.”

I use the seat of my pants to wipe off the sticky blood on my hand. “Fucker refused to talk.”

Kirill raises his eyebrows. “Same as the kidnappers. Who knew Adrik was capable of running such a tight ship, huh?”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“Unless…?”

I arch an eyebrow. “Unless what?”

“Unless we’re not dealing with Adrik at all?” Kirill suggests. “Maybe this is someone else entirely.”

“No one else has it out for me like Adrik does. No one else knows as much as Adrik does. There’ve been too many coincidences where he’s concerned.” I gesture for the clean-up crew. “Get them both out of here before someone notices. I’m going to go get Emma and the kids.”

“What’s the plan?”

“The plan is simple: keep them safe until we figure out who’s moving against me.”

Kirill doesn’t push me for details. He stays behind to supervise the clean-up while I head up the stairs to room number four.

Before I can knock, she opens the door and steps out into the open passage. “You just killed two men,” she blurts.

I can understand her panic. She’s only ever been acquainted with the CEO of Bane Corp. The no-nonsense businessman in crisp Tom Ford suits who gets what he wants through cutthroat deals and the subtle art of persuasion.

She’s never really come face to face with the other side of who I am. The ruthless pahkan who gets what he wants through brute force, sheer will, and—on particularly messy nights like this one—blood. Lots of it.

I keep my voice soft and calm. “They were here to hurt you and the children. They would have taken the kids and used them as bait. They would have done the same and worse to you. That’s why they had to die.”

She shivers and rubs at her forearms. “Why does anyone have to die?”

There’s something about her innocent questions that I find endearing. I can see the harsh reality of my world through her eyes and it only makes me more determined to keep her and the children safe from it.

I may not like her right now. That’s okay.

I don’t have to like her to protect her.

“Because this is the underworld, Emma. And violence is the one language we all speak fluently. Now, come—we have to go.”

She blanches. “G-go? Where?”

“Back to one of my penthouses for now. Until I find a more permanent location for all of you.”

“You want us to come with you?”

“It’s not safe for you on your own right now.”

Her gaze flashes past me. “I-I’ll leave town. No one will be able to find us. I won’t be your problem. It’s a win-win.”

She takes a step back, as though she’s desperate to start putting distance between us immediately.

What is that in her eyes? Is that fucking distrust? After all I’ve done?

I’m pissed off all over again. Where the fuck does she get off not trusting me? I’m not the one who blew up our contract with her fucking double dealing. I’m not the rat. I’m not the snake.

“You don’t know this world, Emma. You don’t understand the men in it. They’re relentless. They won’t stop coming after you. Not until I stop them. But that requires time.”

The more I talk, the more terrified she seems. “Ruslan—”

“Those children will never be safe until I handle this situation. Do you really want to subject them to a life on the run? Looking over your shoulder at every turn? Wondering if the man in the corner is looking at you or looking past you? Wondering if every smile and act of kindness comes with bloody strings attached?”

She swallows hard, her eyes glistening with tears.

“I have the resources to protect them, Emma. Let me.” Her mouth falls open; she hesitates. So I go in for the kill. “This is my fault. Those men are after you and the kids because of me. Give me a month to fix it. Give me a month to make the world safe for them again. Then you and I can forget each other ever existed.”

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. For a moment, I wonder if she’s praying, and if so, what exactly she’s praying for. Then she opens her eyes again and looks at me. “Okay.”

I nod and follow her into the room to get the kids.

It strikes me, as I hoist a snoring Reagan into my arms, that this might possibly be the worst decision of my life. And still…

I wouldn’t take it back for anything.