Page 118 of Running Winter

"Yes," I answered flippantly, and Alexei pales significantly. "In a fashion."

"Whoa, you're a dead man walking," Alexei whispered, his hand grazing his chin thoughtfully.

Leigh lifted his eyes to Alexei, and I snapped my fingers, causing both men to look at me.

"Who I fuck is none of your business, Alexei, nor my fathers. Therefore, do not speak of my private affairs again."

My icy tone seemed to seep into Alexei's brain because he returned to his previous stance.

"Yes, Miss Raven. What would you like me to do with the girl?"

I looked up at him thoughtfully before glancing at Leigh.

"I will deal with her. Where is she?"

"In a trailer park, not far from the freeway," Alexei answered quickly, and I nod.

"Take me there."

Leigh panicked and grabbed my arm.

"Raven, she is psychotic. You don't understand who you're dealing with," he argued gruffly.

My lips stretched into a smile, and I reached up to kiss his lips briefly.

Alexei almost toppled over in his haste to turn around, but I was too busy gazing at Leigh to reassure Alexei.

"You and I need to get to know one another, Leigh. It is Hetty that doesn't know who she is dealing with. Your little slut should never have crossed me."

"Please, Raven," Leigh begged, gripping my arms as he gazed at me, pleading with me to listen to him. "Let me go to her. Please."

"No."

"Then I'm coming with you, and no, you're not arguing," Leigh said flatly, folding his arms across his chest.

We stared at each other defiantly until Alexei cleared his throat.

"Miss Raven?"

I moved my gaze from Leigh's and shook my head.

"He comes with me."

Twenty minutes later, the car pulled up outside a trailer park.

Alexei instructed me to stay close behind him as we made our way over to the trailer that held Henrietta Simmonds, the bitch who broke into my house, ruining a perfectly good fuck so that she could destroy my room.

Alexei moved back as we approached, and I rapped on the flimsy door. After some shuffling and groaning, a skinny girl answers the door with a cigarette hanging from her lips.

“I’m not buying shit—“

I grabbed her by the throat, pushing her back into the trailer, which reeked of dirty pussy and cheap alcohol.

When I slammed her head into the cupboard to our left, she reached out, attempting to claw at my face. She was surprisingly strong, but she was no match for me.

I reached under my dress, unhooking my blade from my thigh, as Alexei closed the door behind us.

"Hi," I breathed, my blade resting against her jugular as she finally stopped fighting me. "You know my name, and I know yours. So no introductions are needed."

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