Page 99 of Brutal Vows

Snowflakes are drifting down from the sky, white flecks, soft and soundless, melting as soon as they hit the car.

“Use the weather. It’s in our favor,” Masha says. “They won’t be able to swerve and speed as quickly as you can.”

“Right. Buckle up then. Hold her close. Are you even strapped in?”

His tone cuts, sending a shiver down my spine. Luca meets Masha’s gaze in the rear-view mirror, and I sense my husband considering our situation and options. He isn’t going to follow all of Masha’s alternative plans, not without a proper explanation. Not if he can find an easy exit.

“Only over my hips. You need to take the next ramp to get on the highway.”

“Fine.”

As soon as he’s on the highway, he shifts in his seat, grips the steering wheel, and presses down on the accelerator. The tiny car shoots forward, but it hasn’t got enough power. What it lacks in speed though, Luca makes up for in agility as he weaves through the traffic, putting distance between us and the black van.

“You need to take the next exit,” Masha says, glancing behind her. “Once you’re off the highway, turn right and keep going. There’s a row of warehouses and after that, the road splits. Take the left split and park in the parking lot. There’ll be other cars to disguise us. We’ll wait to see if they catch up with us, or if they even drive past.”

“Got it.” Luca is capitalizing on the downhill slope and doesn’t indicate he’s taking the off-ramp. Instead, he switches off his headlights, slips into the exit, and hardly stops at the corner before he speeds off and follows the rest of Masha’s instructions in the dark.

“You’re fucking crazy,” I mutter under my breath, but there’s almost no traffic. From afar, we’ll be a ghost passing.

“You coined it as Mafia madness.”

As soon as we’re in the parking lot, he kills the car and puts his hand on my shoulder. “Duck down, princess. You too, Masha.”

We hunker down and wait.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

The silence stretches.

Annushka whimpers. Masha coos to hush her. My heart bleeds.

“Nothing.”

“Give it five more minutes,” Masha says, and we wait, tension in the car building as we fog up the windows. She’s unzipping the suitcases now, pulling out Annushka’s baby bag and checking the cash in the other one. She’s tossing things at random on the floor, making sure it’s all there.

“Fogging up the car like this is going to give us away,” Luca says as he draws a smiley face on the window which has become a canvas.

“Let’s hope we’ve lost our tail. Drive to the last row, then go around the warehouse. Keep the lights off. Someone is there waiting for us with a new car. We’re going to do a swap. Leave everything behind.”

“Are you fucking crazy?” Luca bites out. “Everything?”

“Everything but Annushka’s things.” She pokes him with the gun. “You can thank me later.”

Luca shakes his head but starts the car again and crawls forward. I’ve popped up in my seat, scouring the area for people. It’s dead out there, awash with snow falling faster and denser. We still have a way to go to the hunting lodge, and that in this weather.

When we round the warehouse, two cars are parked at the back. There are no lights, and my heart pounds in my chest. “Who are these people, Masha?”

“Traders. On the black market.” She’s poking Luca again. “Pull up on the right. Turn off the car, leave the keys and get out, hands where they can see them. Don’t pull out any other weapons. These guys don’t play nice.”

“Just my vibe,” Luca says drily. “To think I came all the way to Russia and still found my tribe.”

He does as she instructs, and as he walks to the front of the vehicle, two men step out of the shadows, light glinting off their guns. The one trains his barrel on Luca, as the other pats him down. The guy nods, telling his partner Luca has the all-clear.

“Right. Our turn. Take the baby bag,” Masha says as she holds it out for me between the seats. “You get out now. They won’t touch you.”

Annushka starts to wail, and I’ll thank her forever for these three seconds of distraction as I reach for the gun from my coat pocket and slip it into the baby bag with the satellite phone. I climb out of the car, holding up my hands as one of the guns swings in my direction.