Page 34 of Bratva King

The guard nodded, and he moved forward cautiously. Natalia watched every step, but the hiker remained motionless.

“Excuse me, sir?" the guard called. There was no response from him, so the guard took another step. "Are you injured?"

The hiker's shoulders shifted. Then everything happened at once. The man sprang upright, and Natalia barely saw the movement. There was a flash of metal, and the guard staggered. A second later, he collapsed onto the trail. Natalia's blood turned cold.

"Alexei!” she gasped.

The remaining guard stepped between them, and he pulled out his gun. "Stay behind me, boss!” he said to Alexei.

The stranger moved impossibly fast. He crossed the distance in a blur, and the guard fired. The gunshot exploded through the trees, but the bullet struck a rock and ricocheted into the forest. The stranger twisted aside, seized the guard's wrist, and drove him backward.

The guard fought. For half a second, Natalia saw him land a blow, then the stranger's knife flashed again. The guard dropped, and silence crashed over the woods. Natalia couldn't breathe.

She knew those movements, that terrifying speed and economical precision. Natalia had spent years learning them after all. There was only one person she had ever seen move like that. Emil, her former master. The man who had turned a frightened young girl into a weapon.

Emil straightened, and slowly, he looked at Natalia. A grin spread across his face.

"Hello, little wolf."

Natalia's fingers went numb. Alexei stepped forward, but she immediately moved between them. Her former master could only be here for one reason. Emil's smile widened.

"Move aside,” Emil told her.

"No way in hell,” she muttered.

His eyes gleamed. "Still so stubborn."

"Why are you here?" Natalia demanded, although she knew why. She needed to keep him talking, and maybe that would distract him somehow.

"Your former client contacted me,” Emil explained. “Apparently, he’s frustrated he’s failed to kill Alexei Volkov twice now. He wanted the job finished and hired the best. Money was no concern.” Emil slid his gaze toward Alexei, while still talking to Natalia. “And so I came."

Natalia tightened her grip around her knife. "You won't touch him."

Emil's expression changed. Something almost like amusement crossed his face. "Falling for your target. Haven't I taught you better?" Emil asked her.

Natalia gritted her teeth. “I make my choices, and I choose him. Screw your teachings.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. You know you cannot win."

Anger rolled over her in waves. Emil only spoke the truth. He’d trained her, knew every weakness in her technique. He was riling her up, getting her to drop her guard. Still, he had no idea what she was willing to do for Alexei.

Emil lunged, and Natalia met him. Their knives collided with a sharp metallic crack. She twisted aside as his blade cut through the space where her throat had been. Natalia drove her elbow toward his ribs. He blocked, and that didn’t surprise her. She had to keep her momentum up, finish this quickly, or he’ll tire her out.

His knee slammed into her thigh. Pain shot upward, and Natalia stumbled. He came again. She ducked beneath his arm, slashed toward his side, and felt her blade catch fabric. Emil hissed, then he smiled. The bastard looked like he was enjoying this.

He struck, and Natalia blocked. The impact jarred her entire arm. They moved between the trees in a blur of steel and breath. She knew his style. That should have helped, but instead, it made everything terrifying.

Every time she anticipated him, he anticipated her anticipation. He feinted left, and she moved right. His blade reversed direction, and Natalia barely caught it. He swept her legs. She jumped, landed awkwardly, and rolled beneath a branch.

“Give up, Natalia,” Emil said.

She spun. "Never."

He attacked again. Natalia retreated, but her boot caught a root. She stumbled, and Emil was on her instantly. He knocked the knife from her hand. It landed several feet away. Natalia struck him with both palms, but he caught her wrists and drove her backward.

Her shoulders hit the ground. Pain flashed through her spine, and Emil pinned her. His knife hovered above her.

"You should know how this would end,” he told her.