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He acted tough, and there was no doubt in my mind that he’d tear someone to pieces if they deserved it, but he was a kitten around me. A big, bossy kitten. What I wouldn’t give to be wrapped up in his strong arms again.
Oh, damn it. I had been falling in love with him all this time, but kept pushing those feelings down and covering them up with my anger that he was in the Bratva. But did that really matter anymore when we were both about to breathe our final breaths? He was a good guy who sometimes did bad things, and I’d take one Lev over a thousand of Hardy, who was a bad guy who sometimes did good things.
That far-off future I thought I was fighting for didn’t seem so important now. I didn’t even care about politics anymore now that I’d seen behind the curtain. I could help people in so many ways, maybe even as part of Lev’s family. If I got the chance.
If only it wasn’t too late.
If only I could find a way to warn him. It was time to try, one last ditch effort, and it would involve acting a lot better than I did on the phone with Lev. Loudly sobbing, I called frantically for them to open the door. After a minute, Mrs. Hardy yanked it open and told me to shut up, but a peek through my hands showed me that the councilman was curious.
“I don’t want to die,” I wailed. This was definitely true, and they both believed me. But Mrs. Hardy only shrugged. “Give me another chance,” I begged. “You said if I cooperated, I could leave here a widow.”
“It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?” the foul wife asked.
“I got knocked out,” I reminded her. “And I’m still dizzy and confused.” This also wasn’t really a lie. “But I don’t want to be married to Lev. He tricked me, basically forced me into it. I’ve never even shoplifted before, so this whole killing thing threw me off.”
Hardy held up his hands. “I’m not enthusiastic about it, either. But with people like that, there’s no other way to be free from them.”
He disgusted me, still pretending to have a conscience. “Just let me help, and don’t kill me,” I said. “You need it to look like an accident, right? But I know Lev. He’ll come in here with guns blazing. There’s no way this isn’t a firefight if I don’t help you. Bullet wounds are pretty hard to write off as accidental.”
My nerves crackled as I waited to see if they’d fall for this unplanned bit of babbling. I had no real idea of what I was trying to achieve, except that I wanted to get close to Lev one last time. To warn him, to apologize, or just to tell him I finally accepted my feelings and I wished things were different. That was all I wanted; if I somehow helped him survive, that would be a bonus.
“Get back in your corner and stay quiet,” Mrs. Hardy said, her hand rising for another slap.
I ducked, and to my shock, her husband reached out and held onto her arm. “Let’s not dismiss her too quickly.”
“You fool,” she said, stamping her dainty, expensive flat. “She’s just trying to save her own skin.”
“So are we,” he told her with a shrug. “Let’s listen to her plan, at least.”
Oh God. Now, I had to come up with something in the space of my next breath that would convince them not to instantly shoot Lev on sight.
Chapter 37 - Lev
As we tore up through the hills to the coordinates, Hardy gave me, my phone rang. I tossed it to Max, telling him it was my second in command up in San Francisco and to put it on speaker.
“I got a hold of someone pretty high up,” Artur said.
He had the same flat, bored voice he always had, sounding the same when you wished him a happy birthday as when he’d just finished thoroughly interrogating someone.
“Tell me,” I said, knowing better than to waste our time by asking unnecessary questions about whether or not he’d gotten straight to work on this person. If that man was still alive at the moment, he was wishing he wasn’t.
“There’s a whole slew of people on the way to where they’re keeping your assistant.”
Max raised a brow at me, and I made a face. When I kept a secret, I kept it right.
“How many?” I asked, stepping on the gas.
“A dozen, but they’re coming from up here, so you’ve got a good lead on them.”
“We’re just about there,” I said, nodding.
We could make the grab, deal with the Hardys and be out of the area before their people were clearing the bridge traffic. How we dealt with the Hardys depended on what state Jenna was in.
“And uh, Boss?” Artur asked, sounding uncharacteristically uncomfortable. “This guy also said your girl’s in on it.”
I laughed out loud despite the serious situation. “Not a chance.”
“People don’t usually lie in the state he was in. He wasn’t exactly just saying stuff to save his ass at that point. Supposedly, Hardy’s been ordered to get her to go along with some plot to take you out, and he’s been in contact with her for a while now.”
