“What the hell happened?” I wonder aloud, scanning the room. Bodies clad in black surround me. “Fuck!” I killed all of them. I went on a rampage and couldn’t stop.
Lolling my head to the side, I don’t recognize the man next to me. I peer to the body on the other side. They’re the devil’s men. “Where is Alexei?”
“He’s dead,” Nickolas’s voice interjects my wondering.
Craning to where the sound emits, I sigh in liberation. He’s alive. My eyes widen. “What do you mean he’s dead? Did I kill him?”
“Yeah, you did,” he replies with ease.
I tilt my head at him. He doesn’t look injured at all. In fact, he looks like he’s had time to shower and shave. “What’s going on? Where’s Eddie?”
Nickolas walks towards me with his index finger pressed to his lips. His eyes lift to the wall and stay there. With reluctance, I follow his gaze. Blood splatter runs down the wall nearest me. My stomach jolts momentarily as I take it in. It’s quite pretty, actually. It’d make for expensive modern art.
“Whose blood is that?” I pray to whatever god out there that it’s not Eddie’s.
“You know, more than one enemy would pay a hefty sum for Petrovich blood. I’m amazed you managed to spill it,” Nickolas states without looking at me.
I glance to my hands. They’re drenched in blood as are my clothes. The nauseating smell of warm body fluid seeps into my nose, and I want to be sick. I don’t stick around after the deed is done. It’s my mantra. I slice then jet before someone sees me. This is all so different. Murdering Alexei feels a bit like stabbing myself. The events of the afternoon flood into my subconscious. Someone stopped me. They knocked me out with the butt of a gun.
I roll up to my feet one slow movement at a time then grip my hands into fists. “Where the fucking hell is Eddie?”
Nickolas turns on his heels and reviews my body before answering. “Eddie is safe.” His eyes turn spirited. “For now.”
Lunging toward Nickolas, I’m surprised when he lets me approach. He doesn’t look worried in the least of what I’ll do.
“I could kill you right now,” I threaten as we stand toe-to-toe.
He takes my hand in his and gives it a squeeze. “No, you couldn’t, but I’m glad you’re the same fighting beauty who captivates me. You’d be boring otherwise.”
“What is this all about?” I ask, done with his antics. “Tell me where Eddie is or I’ll—”
“You’ll what? Tell the skhodka on me?” His lethal tone makes the blood on my hands thicken like a vice. “I am the skhodka now, Mishka.”
“Then, I’ll tell the agency,” I attempt, the singular option in my thoughts.
He strokes the side of my face with gentleness. “I’m afraid I can’t let you. I ensured them you killed Alexei.” He nods towards the slump I can assume is my late fiancé. “And I kept my word.”
None of this makes sense so I filter through my time with Nickolas. He never mentioned being a double-agent, but then again, neither did I. My one concern is the person caught betwixt our criminal lives. He doesn’t deserve this form of amusement. “Give me Eddie.”
“I could,” Nickolas leads. “But, he’ll never want you again. He saw what you did,” he notifies with a sly grin. “I must say, it thrilled me, but it made him sick. I’ll put him out of his misery before too long.”
“What? No!” My mind whirs at the possibility of a deceased Eddie. It paralyses my bones and tempts the cool blade at the small of my back.
Nickolas places his hand over my lips. “Hush, my love. He’s sleeping it off in his quaint apartment across town. He won’t remember much.”
My body relaxes against him then stiffens. “Why are you doing this? I thought we had a plan to get rid of the skhodka.”
His face remains indifferent. “We still do, but I don’t like the riffraff involved in Russian affairs.”
“Alexei brought Eddie into this, not me.”
“Oh, I know, but I’m going to borrow the same leverage your now departed fiancé used on you.”
I should’ve seen this coming. Dammit, why did I let my guard down? “What do you want from me?”
Nickolas pulls me into the crook of his arm. Even now, I want to rip his clothes off and make satisfying love to him. Even though, he’s going to blackmail me, I’m stupid when it comes to men. Particularly, the ones who get under my skin.
“I want us to take over the East Coast project.” I frown, so he continues, “For the agency. If you combine our knowledge of the skhodka with running the business, the agency will have their body count before summer.” He tucks my hair behind my shoulder. “Then you and I can gallivant away in the sunset.”
His proposition makes sense. Once we demolish the Russian facet on the East Coast, we’ll need to disappear. Russia has a grip in every coast, but it’d be so much easier to vanish if we had a U.S. agency on our side. “And Eddie?”
Nickolas presses his lips together. “Let me put it this way, your fling won’t survive if you refuse.”
I figured as much. Typical extortion courtesy of any man I like. “What about Alexei? I killed the beloved son of Moscow. The counsel won’t appreciate my deed even if it was warranted.”
He taps his brow with his index finger. “Good point. I’ll need to travel to Moscow and explain the mishap.”
“I can’t stay here. I have a target on my back,” I remind with haste. I want to live more than I want to overthrow my employer.
“I’ll take you to one of our sleeper towns for your safety. Once I smooth things over in the homeland, they’ll be thrilled Alena Vald’s daughter is taking over the program.”
“And you’ll keep Eddie out of this?”
He nods to his bodyguard, Brock. I never learned his last name. It doesn’t matter anyways. “No doubt, the military cop will look for you. Despite watching you murder a horde of bad guys, he wanted to know that you were safe. Apparently, he thinks you’re one of the good women of this world.”
Nickolas pecks my cheek. “I agree on that plane, but he doesn’t deserve you.” His voice lowers. “He can’t handle you.”
I don’t like the thought of keeping Eddie in the dark, but it’s for his own protection. Goddamn it, Eddie! You’re always getting in my way.
“We’ll make certain you’re well hidden,” adds Nickolas while I mull. “Once Eddie stops looking, I’ll get you and we’ll finish the skhodka for good.”
I toss him an unsure glance. When Eddie gets set on something, he’s like a dog with a bone. He’ll protect his interests at all costs. As much as I don’t want to involve him, I already did.
“And we will be together?”
“Mishka, we’re two of a kind,” Nickolas reminds in my ear. “We can rule the skhodka and destroy it at the same time. Only you and I know what it means.”
I do. Nickolas’s family was murdered when they tried to overtake the Petrovich blood. This vendetta is as personal as my own. We’re quite the pair.
I fix my eyes on the bodies I dropped without a second care. “Keep Harper alive and we have a deal,” I reply, keeping my view on the bloodied forms. If Eddie is out of harm’s way, it doesn’t matter what happens to me.
“You’ve made the right decision,” he promises, sealing our agreement with a kiss.
Call it morbid, call it disgusting, but kissing Nickolas while surrounded by the cooling body of my abusive fiancé turns me on.
“I know,” I manage, breaking free. I’ll end up with him and Moscow will love it. Until we destroy their American veins, that is.
“Now, where are you taking me?” I question, not bothering to stop my visual exploration of him.
Nickolas smiles and keeps me in his arm as we walk. “Colorado. We have a quaint town in the mountains. The townspeople won’t suspect anything. Half of them are part of our organization and the other half has been paid to stay quiet.”
I’m not surprised at this news. The Russian government always has locations storing
sleeper agents. Mountainous terrain fits perfect for such a purpose. Well-hidden and icy to keep hearts frozen.
“Fine. Let’s go before I change my mind.” I lean down and pick up one of my bloody daggers. The funny thing is I never expected to use it on the man I once claimed to love.
***
Two days later, I sit uncomfortably in an aging pickup truck as it rolls through Colorado’s mountains. Nickolas was kind enough to come with me. He made it clear the twenty times he said so. Our drive was supposed to be fun. Right. Because driving across country with the man who says he loves you and yet is blackmailing you sounds so fucking exciting. After driving my heart out, I’m sandwiched between Nickolas and a Good Samaritan who was on his way to Buena Verde when he saw our broken-down car.
Nickolas insisted I drive my car to the hideaway city instead of flying. It’d make the journey seem legitimate, and I can’t disagree. If my car is found bashed up in the Rockies during a blizzard, people won’t find it until the spring and then assume I froze to death.
So far, the plan is working. I drove my piece of shit car to Colorado before the thing crapped out. If Eddie is as dogmatic as everyone thinks, my car is an important piece of the puzzle for him to find missing.
Lucky or unlucky for me, I’m still debating, the stranger beside me found us and offered a ride. The sound of my limited luggage rolling around in the truck bed as we take turns pisses me off. Not that I have valuables in my bags. I barely have clothes, let alone prized possessions in the bag packed faster than cooling coffee.
Before escorting me to his condo, Nickolas shoved random outfits in the luggage. I managed to check-in with the agency before leaving. They all but smothered me in kisses through the phone for playing my part so well. They like the whole idea of Nickolas and me joining forces. We’ll both stay alive if they have any say.
Nickolas snoozes beside me, so I sneak a glance to the man switching radio stations like it’s his favorite hobby. He’s not bad looking. His midnight black hair is slightly overgrown and his beard screams crazy mountain man, but his silvery blue eyes more than make up for his shortcomings.
Dylan Kain is the name he offered us. I don’t know whether to believe it’s his given name or if he’s one of Nickolas’s pawns. Either way, he knows about the sinister influence on Buena Verde. He must if he lives there.
The miles roll by with awkward silence in the cab. This man barely uttered a syllable since liberating us from our snowy fate. I kind of wish he would’ve kept driving and let us turn into icicles. My new lot in life is riddled with Russian backing, so I don’t have much to lose.
“Do you have family in Verde or are you coming for the holidays, Miss Harper?” Dylan asks, breaking the hush.
Yes, I used Eddie’s name. Get over it. I couldn’t think of any other name, and I sure as hell wasn’t using my very Cyrillic surname. It would bring unwanted attention to my situation. I’m supposed to be flying under the radar.
I smirk recalling when I used the last name this morning. Nickolas gave me the shittiest glare. I swear his head was going to pop off. It serves him right for bringing Eddie into this. I would’ve gone along with his plan without the needed coercion. I like Nickolas, and I respect Eddie enough to let him live his life without me.
I peer at Dylan, awaiting my answer. He glances between the snowy windshield and me, curiosity written on his raised brow. What is my reason for visiting? I can’t very well tell him I’m running from the one man I love because I killed the man I supposedly loved and now a man who I sort of love is blackmailing me. Plus, my hidden agenda keeping me a part of this is the sole reason I continue the charade. Geez, it sounds terrific.
I cross my arms over my chest. “I’m looking for a fresh start. I heard Verde has what I need.”
Dylan’s eyebrow cocks up higher. “Well, I suppose Verde could be the place for you.” He drums his gloved fingers on the steering wheel. “In fact, we’re in need of a librarian. Well, a librarian who also runs the bookshop. Verde is small so it’s an all in one stop kind of shop.” He turns off the highway and onto a side road. “Would that be something you’re interested in doing?”
The idea of hiding away in stacks of books is tempting. There’s nothing I enjoy more than assassination by knife except reading by the fireplace while snuggling in a cozy Sherpa blanket. God, I sound like a domesticated woman. It’s the truth, though. Nickolas believes I’m only a killing connoisseur, and I have nothing to prove the opposite.
Keeping busy will keep me sane. I hope. I doubt the residents of Buena Verde will look kindly on a stranger up and killing people because she’s bored.
“It sounds feasible, thanks.” I study Dylan’s profile. I can’t tell much about his features. They’re well hidden by his bushy beard. “Do you know who I contact about it? I’ll need a place to stay too.”
Dylan offers me a sideways look. His eyes seem dark by the dim lighting, but when the dome light flicks on, I see them otherwise. Damn. I’ve seen ones like his before, but for the life of me, I can’t place them. For all I know, I killed a man with the same shade.
“That’d be me. I own the library building,” Nickolas pipes up from his spot.
“Oh,” I stop myself there. Of course, it’s him. Why wouldn’t it be? I clear my throat. “Then I assume I have the job.”
I turn in my seat to face Dylan. Fuck, he looks familiar. Maybe from another life. I pride myself in remembering people’s faces and names. I can look at a book of mugshots and identify them to perfection a month later, but I can’t pinpoint this Dylan character. How frustrating.
“Sure. You can use the upstairs apartment to live in too,” Nickolas replies as the truck pulls onto a brightly lit street. “I have to keep you entertained while I’m off saving your ass.”
Ignoring the intentional jab, my eyes focus to the lights lining the snowy cobblestone. This must be Buena Verde. It’s a cute town, though it’s nearly midnight. I’ll have plenty of time to explore it later. For now, all I desire is a comfortable bed. Okay, any bed that’s not a jail cell will suffice.
My mind drifts to the man I left in Virginia. I wouldn’t mind cuddling up with Eddie right about now, but that option is gone. I hope he moves on. The longer he holds out hope, the longer I’m stuck in this mountain town.
The truck pulls up to a large, brick building and Dylan throws it into park. “This is the place. I’ll get you settled in.”
He jumps out followed by Nickolas then me. Our guide doesn’t act like a mobster, but then again, he shouldn’t. I can sense he’s not your typical red-blooded American. Someone you would never suspect of being a spy, which makes him perfect.
Nickolas grabs my bags then trudges behind Dylan as he attains the front door. The keys jingle as Dylan unlocks it, and I silently urge him to hurry. It’s freezing outside. At last, the handle turns and I step out of the snow and into the building. It’s freezing inside. Super. I doubt any one’s been here in months.
“Sorry about the cold. I’ll get the fire going upstairs for you and turn the heater on. We haven’t needed to open the library since the fall, so it’s been sitting alone for a bit.” Dylan explains, flipping on the lights. He points to the stairs. “The apartment is up the stairs and to the left. It’s not much, but it’ll do the job.”
I survey the massive room. Dozens of bookshelves line the interior and hundreds more books are scattered along in disarray. Dust coats everything my eyes meet. The place needs organization and cleaning. It’ll give me something to do until Nickolas smooths this over.
I start towards the winding staircase. “I’m sure it’s fine.” He doesn’t follow me. At least not right away. He tinkers with the thermometer then takes the stairs two at a time. When he reaches the top, he produces a different key and opens the apartment door.
A gust of stale air hits me along with frigid temperatures. “I take it this hasn’t been used in a while either.”
Dylan chuckles and flicks on the lights. “No. It’s been a
while.” He moves past me, turning on lights as he goes. “No one has lived here since spring, so everything should be relatively clean. It may need dusting, but the appliances should work. I’ll swing by and check everything in the morning.” He sets the key on the counter and Nickolas places my bags on the couch.
Dust floating in the air catches my eyes. Liveable perhaps, but not clean. “No problem. I’ll tidy it up.”
The man nods then moves to the fireplace. I didn’t notice it at first glance. It makes sense to have one along with the furnace when you live in the mountains. He stoops down and stacks wood in the pit then strikes a match. The fire doesn’t take. He tosses kindling in the mix and it roars to life within moments.
“I don’t think there’s any food in the fridge. I wouldn’t eat it if there is.” He chuckles then points out the window. “The diner across the street serves breakfast all day. It’s the best and only one in town. Do you want to meet there around nine tomorrow morning?”
I nod as my stomach rumbles at the thought of food. I haven’t eaten since last night. “Sure.”
He moves to the front door and lingers there awkwardly. Oh, shit. Manners, right. “Thanks for the ride.” I glance around the room. “And the place to stay. I’d be a frozen, homeless person without your help.”
He opens the door and smiles. “Happy to help a stranded traveler. See you in the morning, Rory.”
I watch him leave. I can’t help it. His movements are fluid and bespeak ruggedness. My first instinct is to give him a bear hug, but I doubt he would be receptive to body contact. Why are all the men in my life attractive? I can’t find some ugly guy and marry him, no I have to find the hottest guy and screw him until I pass out.
It’s then that I remember Nickolas. He’s surprisingly silent as he watches from the kitchen nook. His lips are curved in a half smile. Damn, I don’t want to know his thoughts.
I plop onto the couch and a puff of dust tickles my nose as I study Nickolas. Even though we traveled a thousand plus miles, I want to tackle him. I revert to the solitary emotion I know best: lust.
Assassin by Day Page 8
