Page 52 of Fierce Pursuit

This was my chance.

Now or never.

My fight-or-flight kicked in.

I bolted out of my seat and over the woman beside me, a rabbit scared out of its warren. Pumping my arms andlegs as hard as I could, I slammed my hand on the button to jump between carriages.

His footsteps thundered behind me.

The rush of cold air between the train carriages took my breath away, but I pushed through.

In the next carriage, people were still settling in and stowing their baggage.

Thank God I was small and could maneuver around them far easier than Kostya’s bulk.

Even if people jumped out of his way, it would still slow him down.

The rush of wind hit me in the face as I opened the next door, at the far end of the carriage, my cheeks stinging from the cold air.

The doors closed behind me just as I risked a look over my shoulder.

I would run out of carriages soon.

Maybe I could alert the train official?

No. I didn’t know who he worked for. Or if he was equipped to deal with someone like Kostya.

I kept moving through the carriages one at a time, slowing just enough so it looked to the casual observer as if I were rushing to the bathroom instead of running from a Russian killer.

What happened when I got to the end of the train? Should I jump off the back like they did in the movies? Did people actually do that in real life and survive?

And then…disaster.

A woman trying to control her toddler who was running amok, and a stroller with an infant, blocked my way. There was no way to push past them.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry. Can I get through?” I asked, trying to mask the panic in my voice.

“I’m doing the best I can,” the woman snapped at me.

I saw the instant regret on her face, and normally I would assure her it was fine, but I could feel him getting closer.

Time was running out.

Then…the door whooshed open behind me.

My back stiffened; the hair on my neck rose.

My voice was barely more than a squeak trying to escape my throat, which was closing in panic. “Ma’am, please, I really need to?—”

“Wait,” she bit out again before muttering something under her breath as she took the infant out of the stroller.

Just as I stepped forward, trying to push around her, Kostya’s arm wrapped painfully around my waist from behind, squeezing tight enough to steal my breath and make my ribs ache.

“There you are, darling.” His grip tightened, pressing me back against his solid chest. His voice a dark promise, low and smooth in my ear. “Time to finish what we started.”

CHAPTER 13

KOSTYA

---