Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 314(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
The men pile into the SUV, and within seconds Armani speeds out of the parking spot with screeching tires.
Misha leans over Abbie, who’s stuck between us, and grabs hold of my shoulder. “Did you get hit?”
I quickly shake my head. “I’m fine.” I pull away from Abbie and check her for wounds, letting out a sigh of relief when I don’t find any.
“Are you okay?” I ask Misha, my eyes scanning over every visible inch of him.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“We’re fine too,” Armani says, turning the steering wheel hard to take a corner at high speed. The back of the SUV skids before we’re racing down the street again.
Only when we reach St. Monarch’s does Abbie ask, “What the hell just happened?”
“Someone tried to blow your brains out, sweetheart,” Alek mutters from the passenger seat.
Her features tighten as the shock hits again, and I quickly pull her into a hug. “You’re okay. It’s all that matters.”
When Armani stops the SUV in front of the St. Monarch’s castle, Alek shoves his door open, snapping, “Next time you want to spend your daddy’s money, think twice. You’re such an easy fucking target.”
We all get out of the SUV, and the guys have to stop to hand their weapons to the guards.
Instructor Nikolai comes walking toward us, looking like a thunderstorm waiting to happen. “What the fuck were you thinking leaving the grounds?”
My eyebrows fly up for what feels like the hundredth time today at his strong reaction.
Then my mouth drops open as he grabs hold of Abbie’s arm, checking to see if she’s okay.
Yeah, I’m fine too. Thanks for checking.
When he’s sure she hasn’t been shot, he explodes. “You know there’s a fucking hit out on your life! Are you fucking insane or just plain stupid?”
“Excuse me?” Abbie gasps as she yanks her arm free from his hold. “Who the hell do you think you are, talking to me like that?”
Oh. Shit.
Abbie steps closer to Nikolai, her chin raised high.
It looks like they’re either going to kiss or have a fistfight. I’m not really sure which one it will be.
Nikolai’s voice is filled with rage as he growls, “You’re one of my students. It gives me the right to fucking worry.”
Abbie narrows her eyes on him. “Yeah, keep lying to yourself.” Lifting up on her tiptoes, she whispers something to him that has his nostrils practically flaring like an enraged bull.
Well, this is interesting.
With a sarcastic smile, Abbie pats his chest before she walks toward the stairs.
“I’m going with Abbie,” I tell Misha before I run after her.
Only when I shut the door behind us, and we’re alone in my suite, does a sob break free from her.
Horror-struck, she locks eyes with me. “That man will drive me to drink!”
“What’s going on between the two of you?” I ask as I wrap her in a hug.
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The asshole.” She almost regains her composure, then whimpers, “I thought the hits were canceled?”
“Only the one on my family,” I whisper, feeling like a rotten friend for agreeing to go out.
We should’ve just stayed here.
“God,” she breathes as she wraps her arms around herself. “I could’ve died today.”
“You didn’t.” I engulf her in a hug. “You’re alive.”
We stand in silence as the shock slowly fades and reality sets in, then Abbie murmurs, “They saved my life. I owe them big time.”
Yes, we do.
God only knows what kind of repercussions will come from this. The uneasy feeling I had in the store hasn’t left. If anything, it’s multiplied.
There’s a storm coming, and I’m not sure if Misha and I will survive it.
Chapter 31
Misha
After handing our weapons over to the guards, I stare at Armani and Alek.
“Well, that was a fucking shit show,” Alek mutters, looking pissed as fuck.
“Yeah,” Armani agrees. He shakes his head. “That was a hit on Abbie, and we stopped it.”
Viktor is going to lose his shit.
We’re good as dead.
“Blyadʹ,” Alek shouts as he starts to pace up and down the foyer.
“Let me see what I can do.” I walk away and turn down the hallway that leads to Director Kolov’s office.
The door’s already open, and the guard waves for me to enter.
Before I can say a word, Director Koslov shakes his head. “What the fuck were you thinking?”
I’m not surprised he already knows, even though it happened twenty minutes ago.
“I just reacted. They were shooting at all of us, not just Abbie.”
I went against a direct order given by Viktor Vetrov. Christ. I stopped a hit taken out by the head of the bratva.
Fuck. This is bad. Really fucking bad.
Director Koslov shakes his head again, then says, “You’ll have to explain yourself to Viktor. He’ll be here first thing tomorrow morning.”
Christ.
Director Koslov locks eyes with me, and I see a glimmer of compassion. “Get your affairs in order, Misha. I have no idea what Viktor is going to do.”