AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He thinks about that for a moment and then the fight starts to drain out of him. I release him with a shove and he stumbles a few steps.
“The only thing keeping you from beingthat,” I say, pointing from Arber to the dead man on the floor to illustrate my point, “is that I’ve already killed one person today and it’s growing tedious. You may be Kreshnik’s son, but you aren’t special. Fuck with me, and I’ll kill you.”
I turn away from him and address my men. “Leave the rest of the boxes in the truck. Arber can explain to his father why he didn’t receive the full shipment.”
Then I turn and leave without another word.
A few seconds later, Akim jogs to catch up with me. He shakes his head. “And to think things were tensebefore.”
12
PIPER
If I could have fallen back asleep after Timofey left last night, I would have thought my interaction with him was some kind of nightmare. It was all too unbelievable to be real.
Unfortunately for me, sleep was non-existent. I tossed and turned hopelessly for hours. Periodically, I flipped on my bedside lamp to check the red welts around my wrist where he held me.
When he pinned me to the headboard and crawled over me, his nearness was a drug. I inhaled him. Got high on Timofey Viktorov.
One hit almost killed me.
Thankfully, time and distance has left me with a clear head. Clearer, at least. It’s almost fitting that the bruise he marked me with covers the small tattoo of a bright moon I have on the inside of my wrist.
I got it on spring break with Noelle and Ashley. We were seventeen.
“A sun for me because I’m the center of attention, obviously,” Ashley had said as she picked them out from the wall of art options at the tattoo shop.
Then she handed a star to Noelle. “A star for the A-plus student. Here you go, Ms. Valedictorian.” Noelle rolled her eyes, but accepted her fate.
Then Ashley gave me the crescent moon. “And a moon for the woman who reflects the best of us. The friend who manages the ebbs and flows of our relationship without any of the glory.”
“Sure, make her reasoning all cute and thoughtful,” Noelle complained. “I’ll just be the nerd, I guess.”
I run my thumb over the fading tattoo and take a deep breath. It’s good to remind myself of the core truth here.
What I’m doing today…It’s for them.
I leave a message on Andrea’s desk phone with a fake cough and an excuse about actually getting sick after all. Then I shower and change.
I opt for something business casual but baggy. I can still feel the way Timofey’s gaze dragged over me last night. His attention had a heft that I still can’t seem to shake. If there is any way I can avoid catching his eye, I’m willing to try it. I’d wear a potato sack if it meant keeping those eyes away from me.
Before I wheel my bike into the hallway, I stop and look around my apartment. Timofey didn’t say anything about me not coming back to my place tonight. Aside from telling me to be there this morning, I know nothing.
But it still feels like a goodbye of sorts.
So I look around at the remnants of my ordinary life—the crocheted blanket my grandma made me tossed over the arm of my ratty couch, the toast crumbs on the counter, my running shoes kicked off next to the door. I catalog all of it, hoping that one day soon, I’ll be back here safe and sound and all of this will be a distant memory.
As soon as the thought crosses my mind, I snort.
Yeah, fucking right.
Once you meet Timofey Viktorov, there is no going back.
13
PIPER
By the time I wheel my bike up the stairs of the mansion and lean it against the stone facade, I’m dripping in sweat. So much for my baggy clothes.
