Page 32 of Mafia Handbook

Milena shivered as she felt the temperature drop, knowing it was more than the increase in elevation the past several hours of hiking had brought them. She’d tried not to slow them down, but the hurried pace she’d kept up so far was no match for Bash’s long legs.

“Need a break, Sweetness?”

“N—” Milena began her denial as the first fat raindrop landed on her face. Shifting her gaze to his, the fear from earlier returned as the sky opened up and began pouring.

“Babe, I’m gonna need you to run,” Bash tossed over his shoulder. They were still a good hour from The Cliffs, but with the plummeting temperatures and blinding rain, he had to find a place for them to hunker down until the storm blew over.

Milena didn’t bother with a response, using the surge of adrenaline pulsing through her body to propel her feet as she chased after Bash. She’d read about how quickly hypothermia could set in, especially given how completely drenched she was.

Bash wanted to kick his own ass for not driving faster or spending too much time dealing with the two bastards at the truck stop. He should have expected the weather to deteriorate, based on the handful of times he’d been here in the past.

“Not much further!” He shouted over the torrential downpour, even the thick evergreens doing little to keep the rain off them.

Milena squinted, barely making out the dilapidated structure at the far reach of her vision. Ducking under the branches threatening to cause her harm, Milena pushed harder as the boards of what now appeared to be a barn came into view.

Bash hoped, based on the lack of smoke rising from a campfire, the structure was uninhabited. This wouldn’t be the first time he, or one of his team, interrupted a squatter on their property.

Fatigued muscles cried out in protest as Milena ran over the threshold, her lungs stinging from overuse as she struggled to catch her breath. With her hands resting on her thighs, Milena scanned the area around her.

Shrugging out of his jacket, Bash frowned as he looked at the angry clouds blanketing the sky. “We’re here for the night. By the looks of this storm, it will be nightfall before it moves on. I hope you’re not…” his words died on his tongue as he turned around to find Milena kneeling down, nursing the early stages of a campfire.

Feeling his gaze on her, Milena shifted her attention to Bash, gifting him a genuine smile.

“How did you?” Bash waved his hand toward the fire.

“Know how to build a fire?” Pride leaking out from her in the form of a smile.

“Yes.”

“Well,” Milena began, dusting off her hands as she stood to her full height. “About a year ago, after my bank account had been hacked for the dozenth time, I made the decision to look into living off the grid. Since then, I’ve read every article I could find, watched countless videos and began saving to purchase supplies and land.” Shrugging out of her coat, Milena laid the soaked material over an old bucket. “Until today, all the skills I learned have been in principle. I can’t take credit for the supplies.” Pointing to the stack of cut wood and kindling. “I did, however, supply the spark.” Holding up the lighter.

Dipping his head down, “You never cease to amaze me, Beautiful.”

Shrugging out of his coat, Bash surveyed the room. The roof had seen better days, but he felt confident it would hold up, at least for the night.

“How did you know this place existed?”

Dropping to bent knee, Bash added several logs to the fire. “I spent a night or two here.” He offered vaguely; he couldn’t wait to get to The Cliffs tomorrow where he would bring Milena into his world. Gripping the hem of his shirt, Bash pulled it over his head, laying it atop the stack of logs beside the fire.

“Better get out of those wet clothes, Sweetness, this weather is going to get worse before it gets better.” Glancing up, Bash smiled as he caught her staring at him.

Milena’s breath caught as she took in the marred skin on his shoulder, her fingers acting of their own accord as she reached out to touch the bubbled skin.

Bash held his tongue, anticipation eating at him as her fingers drifted along his shoulder.

“What happened to you?”

Finding her curiosity lacking judgement, Bash felt the perfect moment to let her in presenting itself. “Friendly fire,” twisting his torso to the right to give her full view of the entrance wound. “We were doing an offload after a mission. I had bent over to adjust my boot when the guy behind me fired his weapon. Had I been standing; it would have killed me.”

“Is it hard working with him now?”

Taking her hand in his, Bash moved her fingers to the tattoo on his right forearm. “The accident happened while I was a SEAL, not with the guys I work with now.”

“You were a SEAL?”

Nodding slowly, “I was.”

Licking his lips, Bash dropped Milena’s hand, palming her cheek as he searched her eyes for the slightest hint of hesitation before crashing his mouth to hers.

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