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“Yougotit.”
I clicked off the cell, knowing that the highway patrol and the local sheriff would be on their way in minutes. The engine roared beneath my seat as Tanner pushed the truck. Aiden ripped off his cravat and took off his jacket before he distributed the ammo. I filled my tux’s pockets with as many magazines I couldcarry.
“Why come all the way out here to take her?” Aiden asked the question I’d beenmulling.
“He’s got a stake in the big game if he’s got her.” Tanner kept his stare on the road, his foot on the accelerator, and his hands on the wheel. “I’d bet money he thinks he can flush Ulysses out of the shadows if he keeps her alive. He’s come to kill Ulysses and take his revenge before he disappears again. The Calamity side of Dimayev is a ruthless son of a bitch who actively practices payback. It’s a matter of pride to him. He kills his victimsslowly.”
I clenched until my teeth hurt. Calamity was a cruel bastard, but Ulysses also had a brutal, ruthless, vengeful aspect—me. And I was coming out of the shadows…to killCalamity.
Chapter33
Nina
I opened my eyes and found three men staring down on me. The number was right, but the faces were all wrong. My cheek throbbed. The memory of the blow clarified the severity of my situation. Things got worse when I discovered that my hands were firmly tied at my back. I tested the zip ties. The plastic bit into my flesh but didn’t budge. A shiver of fear spread outward from my abdomen.Think,Nina.
I made an effort to take in my surroundings. There were more than three men in the car, two in the front, three in the back, and two in the middle seat, counting Dimayev. All were armed with compact machine guns, except Dimayev. The ground purred beneath me. I was in a big, luxury Suburban. I lay on the rubber mat, surrounded by plush leather and polished paneling. Dimayev’s pale blue gaze beamed downonme.
“The bitch is awake.” His face split into a mocking sneer. “Sorry I had to crash the party. You looked like you were having fun—smiling, dancing,fucking.”
So he and his men had been watching me, stalking me for at least part of the night. They’d somehow dodged the governor’s tight security, infiltrated the party and then hidden among the crowd until it was time to strike. Lots of questions in my mind. Maybe, if I listened carefully, I could get someanswers.
I tried to sit up, but Dimayev’s foot stomped on my chest and kept me down. “Stay,” he said as if I were a dog. “Get used to lying flat on your back. Once we get out of here, you’re going to spend a lot of time like that, only your legs are going to bewideopen.”
My stomach revolted, but I wasn’t going to show my fear. My mouth was as dry as a husk and yet I forced myself to speak. “How did you manage to escape? How did you infiltrate the weddingparty?”
Dimayev’s smile iced my already chilled bones. “Suffice it to say that money buyseverything.”
Bribery, sure. He had enough money stashed to buy whatever hewanted.
“Word is you hacked my TV,” he said in his smooth, elegant accent. “Where I come from, women have a place and theyknowit.”
It took all I had, but I flashed my teeth. “You mean to say that after all these years living in the USA you haven’t gotten used to the free-thinking Americanchick?”
“A man like me can pretend for a while,” Dimayev said. “But he can nevercompromise.”
Women were utilitarian objects to Dimayev. When they failed to do what he wanted, he had no use for them. “Is that why you got rid ofHannah?”
“Hannah and her attack dog, Lina,” he said. “They tried to defy me. Soon enough, you will join them.Inhell.”
The hair on my arms stood on end. Dimayev’s confession was meant to scare me—and it did—but it wouldn’t do anybody any good unless I survived to tell thetruth.
I braced on my elbows, trying to get a better look out of the window and spotted another Suburban on our tail. The windows were tinted, but under the beams of a passing car, I counted several heads. Jesus. Dimayev had brought a small army. Escaping him wasn’t going tobeeasy.
“Start talking.” Dimayev revealed the reason he hadn’t killed me yet. “I want everything you’ve got on Ulysses. I’m going to destroy the bastard, and you’re going to tellmehow.”
He was deluded if he thought I was going to spill. “You’ll never get toUlysses.”
“I’ll admit my chances were low…until I got you. I have effective methods to get the information out of you, and believe me, I’ll really enjoyusingthem.”
Torture. Calamity was known for his bloody scenes, which he loved to post on social media. I gagged, remembering the pics. Fear squeezed my throat. Dimayev was going to use me to destroy the guys. I was putting the entire projectatrisk.
No, it wasn’t going to happen. I sucked in some air and forced it into my lungs.Hack yourself out of this one, Nina.I needed to override Dimayev’s code withmyown.
The Suburban slowed down as we went over abridge.
“The bridge’s blocked,” the driver reported, shielding his face against an onslaught of red and blue lights. “Someone’s tipped theauthorities.”
“Turn around, quickly,” Dimayev ordered, and the vehicle went into a skidding U-turn, followed by the second Suburban. “We’ll take a different route to theairport.”
