Page 108 of Fierce Pursuit

Men like him got off on fear. Veronika gave him fear. It was a game for them I would not play.

I refused to give him that satisfaction. Not because it would save my life, but out of sheer stubbornness.

“Your sister took something from my employer. I want it back.”

“You have it. Your men took the money back,” I said. “And you took her life as payment.”

“You are not as pretty as she was,” he said, reaching out and running his thumb down my face. “Veronika was a rare beauty. She was as cold as Russian winters, and as fair as fresh-fallen snow. There was something about her that made a man ache to fuck some heat into her.”

I jerked away from him, pressing my back against the window.

“Do not play dumb with me,” he sneered. “She found out about the hit on the Ivanov family ordered by Solovyov. It was the perfect plan. In fact, your sisterhelped me perfect it. Her coldness was far more than just skin deep. She wanted her husband dead; she wanted a war that would kill the remaining Ivanovs as well as get rid of Solovyov.”

She helped plan a hit on Kostya?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, wishing he would shut the fuck up.

I may not know anything now, but if he told me, then I knew that my life was entirely forfeit.

The car was creeping through the New York streets and a part of me was still looking for Kostya. Still hoping that he would come out of nowhere, pull me out of this car, and kill the monster that had killed my sister.

Maybe if she was avenged, I could let go of my guilt for coveting her husband.

“I think you lie,” Oleg said. “Veronika told you everything, so she must have told you this. That is why you ran here. You ran to safety.”

I looked past his head out the window as the car sped up. We were getting onto the highway heading out of the city and panic clawed at my throat.

“You’re not as beautiful as Veronika. Tell me, will your cunt squeeze as hard as hers did with a blade to your throat?”

I closed my eyes in fear and disgust as cold dread seeped over me.

Kostya would never be able to find me, not in time.

My death would haunt him, just like my sister’s.

CHAPTER 30

KOSTYA

“Stitch faster,” I demanded, my patience wearing thin.

“Stop moving,” Mikhail shot back, his steady hand piercing my skin with the needle and thread again and again.

Normally I didn’t have a problem sitting still to be patched up.

It was strange, but in most circumstances, I savored these moments. Being forced to sit while someone doctored my wounds gave me an opportunity to plan my retribution.

I ran every contingency in my head, prepared myself for every possible outcome.

Not this time.

This time, sitting here with Mikhail stitching me back together was just wasting time.

With each moment I sat here, doing nothing, Marina was in danger.

She got further from me with every passing second and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.

Through the glass walls, I could see Gregor on his phone, pacing back and forth, threatening the police commissioner to ensure he covered for the shoot-out.

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