Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
“And we’re taking them to the oil field to find the child that was tossed down a wellbore,” Vasilisa whispered. She turned on the seat, going up on her knees, pulling a gun from under her coat. “Andros.” There was anxiety in her voice.
Andros swore under his breath. “We’re taking you straight into an ambush. Klim, stop. We have to turn around.”
“No, we’re not turning around,” Nikolay snapped in an authoritative voice. “Let these madmen come for us.”
“You don’t understand,” Andros said. “If they succeed in killing you, my family and those other men who testified will be blamed. This is my fight. I’m responsible for the safety of these people and you, whether you like it or not.”
“You will continue to the oil fields,” Nikolay insisted. “I am to inspect them and put it in my report that all is as it was the last time they were inspected.”
Andros swore. “Nikolay, there’s going to be hundreds of people searching for Alyona. The murderers could be anyone.”
“Why would you think you’re responsible for us?” another agent demanded.
Vasilisa didn’t turn to look at her brother. She was certain these men worked well together. This was another question posed to Andros with just the right hint of disbelief in the agent’s voice intending to produce the need in Andros to defend himself. The agents still hoped to trip him up.
Andros didn’t deign to answer. He was too busy staring out the window, tension in every line of his body.
Nikolay lifted an eyebrow. “You didn’t read anything in the report I sent you on Andros? You wouldn’t ask that question if you had, Feliks. He’s a cop with a large territory to cover, and he takes his job seriously. He took his work seriously when we served together.”
Vasilisa had to acknowledge Nikolay was smooth. He defended Andros when her brother didn’t take the bait, making it appear as if his partner had no idea Andros enforced the laws in their territory. Of course he knew. Nikolay was not the kind of man to tolerate any of those working with him not doing their homework. She didn’t blame them for trying to trip Andros up, particularly when it was clear he was upset over the missing child.
As if reading her thoughts, Andros reached out to her. You’re certain Afanasiv and the others are looking for Alyona, too.
You know they are, Andros. All of the Carpathians are looking. She was counting on her lifemate and the other Dragonseekers. She poured confidence into his mind. They will find her. If she’s there, they will find her.
She knew Andros hated not being with those searching. He had to stop any threat to the agents and convince them everything told to them in the letter was to discredit Andros, as well as set up any government agent sent to investigate to be murdered.
The vehicle bounced hard over several mounds of dirt and snow, and then they were in a tight turn. Andros, Vasilisa and Klim felt the threat instantly. The attackers were Lycan, members of the Sacred Circle, and there was no way to hide their presence from other Lycans. The oil field was just around the curve.
Keep going, Klim, Andros commanded. Fast.
As the vehicle swept around the curve to the oil field, there were many other vehicles parked. Klim swore out loud, slamming on the brakes. “It’s a trap. First three cars on either side have armed men in them. They’ve parked one across the road, so we can’t move forward. We’re at the back of the parking area.”
“Let me out,” Andros said. “Vasilisa, I’ll take the ones on the right. You go left.”
Before Nikolay could protest, the two royals rolled out of the car, slamming the doors closed behind them. Klim immediately began backing up as fast as possible to the curve. The locks clicked into place, and no matter how much Nikolay commanded the driver to open the doors, he didn’t. He stopped at the bend, engine still running.
Vasilisa crouched low, pulling her weapon as she ran toward the three cars, circling as she did so. She was incredibly fast, so fast that the agents in the car lost sight of her through the bulletproof glass. There was no finding Andros at all. He had disappeared into the night, racing to the right.
Flashes of multiple guns firing came next, pouring out of the vehicles from either side, left and right. There was no hail of bullets in answer from Vasilisa or Andros. Vasilisa had been trained in the art of warfare by her brothers and several of the older Lycans. She wasn’t to ever waste bullets and give her position away. Select a target, make it a kill shot, squeeze the trigger and roll or back away from where she was if she were close. Then repeat. Keep it up until she had every opponent down. After that, feel the land around her for signs of one holding back, waiting for his chance to target her.