Page 57 of Wyatt

Sorry, but he’d spent half his life tussling with people on the ice, getting sticks in the face, in the body, between his legs. And sure, he didn’t have padding, but—

The slam to his head felt like a brick, exploding against his temple. She must have picked up something from the street—a rock, maybe—but in a second, his world pitched, turned into slats of gray and black. He rolled off her, his vision churning.

Shouts and grunting near him, but he couldn’t make them out. His ears were ringing, and his head just might explode.

Screaming. He put his hands over his ears to keep it from piercing his brain, shredding it.

Then another shot.

And his vision faded to black.

Coco needed a moment to breathe. To piece together exactly how—what—had just happened.

To travel back three minutes to when Wyatt—Wyatt—appeared out of nowhere, as if he might be out for a morning stroll, in the middle of Belogorsk.

Hey, Coco.

Had he said that? It seemed like maybe, because he’d given her that signature lop-sided smile, a little apology in his whiskey-brown eyes, as if chagrined.

He always looked a little like he wanted to apologize to her.

At least lately.

Then she’d tracked past him to the woman behind him.

Natalya.From her father’s security force. She wasn’t dressed like an FSB officer, however, wearing a black T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and boots. The woman looked like she might be a—

“She’s here to kill you.” York’s voice, low and tight as he turned in front of her, literally putting his body between hers and Mikka’s.

What—? “She works for my father.”

“Why else would she be here?”

“I just need the jump drive, Katya. Then we can all go home.”

York met her eyes. “See? Why does she want that drive?”

Coco shook her head.

And that’s when Natalya drove everything home to a fine point.Give me the jump drive, and I give you your lover.

York blinked. His gaze went to Mikka. “Really?”

She opened her mouth, not exactly sure what she planned on saying when suddenly, “She doesn’t have it.”

Oh, no. Wyatt—stop talking—

“She gave it to me. And it was stolen from me at the hotel.”

Her breathing cut out then. All the emails, all the compiled evidence proving RJ’s innocence…

Breathe. She still had copies on her cloud storage—if it hadn’t been hacked.

“Natalya,” she said. “I don’t have what you want. But I can get it. Please—let him go—”

“Stop,” York said, turning his back to her, to protect her.

And probably he could, somehow, but he didn’t have to because Wyatt started acting like some kind of superhero. “Run!”

---