Page 4 of Fierce Pursuit

Her sister had been murdered. Wouldn't it have been natural for her to seek my protection?

At first, I thought it was because of her confusion and grief. Then I blamed myself for keeping my distance from her all these years. As the months dragged on and she refused all attempts at communication, it became apparent this wasn't just grief…it was fear.

She feared me.

She wasn't just running…she was running fromme.

It was obvious she blamed me for her sister's death, but that was no excuse for putting herself in danger. With Solovyov out to reclaim whatever it was Veronika stole, and convinced Marina was in possession of it, her best chance of survival was by my side.

She was mine to protect now.

She'd thought she could escape.

She'd thought wrong.

I'd never give up the chase.

Months later,I found her.

After hunting her across continents, through Moscow's stone-cold streets, Finland's endless nights, Sweden's stark forests, and finally the sprawling concrete jungle of the United States, I found her hiding in a dingy hole-in-the-wall diner in Chicago.

My fingers drummed against the sticky tabletop, the rhythm matching the pounding in my skull. Each passing second was sandpaper against my nerves.

Every cell in my body wanted to storm into the kitchen and drag her out.

Pin her against the wall. Make her understand that she was never truly free of me.

But I knew I shouldn't, not unless it was absolutely necessary.

The last thing I needed was to draw attention to myself with a scene.

I had not informed my cousin, Gregor Ivanov, that I was in the United States.

I was in his territory without permission, the ultimate disrespect to a mafia boss.

The fact that we were cousins wouldn't matter. Blood didn't trump business, not in our world.

If I caused problems for him, problems that could blow back on the family, he'd kill me, simple as that. Family feuds had been started over less.

Veronika had already caused me enough humiliation with her indiscretions, her weakness. The last thing Ineeded was to let everyone know I couldn't control her little sister either.

No. Marina was my responsibility. Now that I had her cornered, I would get us both back to Moscow before Gregor was the wiser.

I replayed Veronika's last words in my mind, her dying plea like a curse. The weight of it pressed down on my chest. Suffocating. Unbearable. I never loved my wife, but her death was on my hands. Another debt to be paid.

Where the hell was Marina? What was taking her so long to appear for her work shift?

She had been cunning over the last few months, slipping past security, avoiding airports, using trains and cargo ships where identification checks were lax. I had chased her through dead ends and false leads, tracking whispers and ghosts.

She was good. Too good.

And it infuriated me.

But now, she was within reach. I could almost smell her, that distinctive scent of vanilla and rebellion that had haunted me for years.

I would finally learn what Veronika had stolen from Solovyov that was so important.

And I would keep Marina safe.

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