Chapter 2
Tommy
This is definitely the right person. And I am positively crazy, because, fuck me, as scary as this has been, it’s also kind of fun?
Yep, I must be insane, but in my defense, it looks like ‘Father Gabriel’ over here is having a hell of a good time like me if the madman grin on his sexy face is anything to go by.
Also, why the hell didn’t anyone warn me that Nikolas Stavros isn’t just a legendary ex-mercenary, but he looks like a supermodel plucked right out of the page of a magazine?
I adjust myself in the middle of this insanity.
Sigh. Seriously? I expected a balding old dude in his fifties with decaying teeth and a beer belly.
Not this big, muscular man who couldn’t be older than forty and who can most likely lift me one-handed, cage me against the wall and make a mess of me until the morning.
“Hey, did you hear what I said?” Nikolas demands in his deep, grumbly voice.
Fuck, even his voice is sexy as hell. “Huh? Oh, yes! You count to three and I run to your room to retrieve the hidden bag. Then we leg it.”
Nikolas grabs my shoulder and shakes me, eyes glimmering from the adrenaline in his blood. “Why the fuck are you still here then?”
Oh, shit, did he count down already? “Oops?”
He rolls his eyes, then shoves me toward the door. “Just go!” Then he opens fire.
I run as if a dog is chasing me. I take the stairs two at a time, mess up the passcode the first time, then the second and third, all the while chaos reigns downstairs. Bang, crack, boom. “Oh, shit, shit. What was the code? 4-1-5-0-8-0?” Another beep, and I get locked out. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
What do I do now?
In a moment of unlikely brilliance, I kick the door and actually manage to break it.
Good thing it was just as old as the rest of the church, because I don’t exactly pack a lot of strength.
Or size. I am… compact unlike Nikolas, on the smaller and cuter and sassier side, the exact opposite.
It’s both a curse and a blessing, depending on the circumstances I find myself in.
In a frantic race against time as gunshots pierce the night, I dig out the bag from the hidden wardrobe compartment and run back down.
Nikolas is using the altar for cover while four men are advancing on him.
The fifth one is writhing on the ground near the hole as if possessed, clearly too wounded to stand. Nice.
I catch Nikolas’ gaze as a break in the fire ensues, waving the bag at him. “I got it!”
“Jesus!” He launches at me, toppling me over on the ground just as a barrage of bullets flies too close for comfort. “Are you fucking suicidal?”
Am I? I study the holes in the wall that the bullets left behind with a tremble in my throat.
Nope, definitely not suicidal. “Sorry. I… This is my first time in a gunfight… But I’m a fast learner, I promise.
” I add a wide smile for good measure and to show my willingness and enthusiasm in mastering this questionable skill if it means staying alive.
“Christ.” Nikolas grabs the bag while herding me toward the mostly broken first row of pews. Yep, I think he approves.
The bullets keep trying to get us, so we mostly crawl there, and by the time we can catch our breath, my elbows are busted. But I don’t complain despite the nasty sting. I’m just glad I’m alive, so a little pain and blood isn’t a big deal. As long as I avoid thinking about them.
“The only exit is at the back. They are blocking it. We’ll have to improvise,” Nikolas says, scanning the surroundings with narrowed eyes.
Does he have a plan? Do I want to know what it is?
My heart beats even faster. Ah, who am I kidding—I want to, let’s go! This is dangerous. I could die. But despite all that, I’m kind of maybe having fun. “Okay… You can distract them, and I’ll shoot them down?”
My suggestion earns me a side-eye from the fake priest. “Can you even shoot?”
I consider that for a moment, folding my fingers and leaving the index one out. “Maybe? I used to play a lot of shooters online.”
Nikolas does the sign of the cross and kisses his black rosary, mumbling under his nose. “Someone have mercy on me, please. What did I do to deserve this?”
Now, now, why is he being so overdramatic?
Yes, it sucks to be waken up in the middle of the night and have bloodthirsty men blow a hole through the wall of your church, but how was I supposed to know they would do that?
I’d have called beforehand if that was an option and I wasn’t literally being run down by these lunatics.
But hey, at least we are the only two people and there were no victims, only property damage.
He should thank me for my perfect timing.
Suddenly, there is a break in the fire again. Before I even comprehend what is happening, I am being manhandled toward a pretty stained-glass window depicting some deity or another accepting a flower bouquet and a lamb.
“Jump”! Nikolas shouts, sprinting at the window at full speed and dragging me along the way.
Fuck this! He’s lost it! “Oh, no, no, no! We are not—”
I stop dead in my tracks, refusing to be sliced into a hundred pieces by glass.
But it’s too late. We crash into the glass out of pure inertia.
I squeeze my eyes and hold my breath and try to shield my head with my arms from the flying sharp pieces.
My life flashes before me, riding out the ripple of fear that floods me as the first hint of glass comes into contact with my body.
“You are such a pain in the ass!” Nikolas grunts, pulling me into his hard chest.
Big, strong arms wrap around my body, while heat and a masculine scent engulf me in a protective cocoon.
Air whooshes past us, chilly and fresh, and glass explodes into a million shards as bangs and shouts sound behind us.
One heartbeat passes, a second one, then a third, and then we land on the wet grass outside.
Nikolas cushions the fall, then rolls away from the falling glass while still holding me tightly in his arms.
Just as quickly as we flew through the window, Nikolas gets up and pulls me to my feet. He fires two warning shots as human shapes appear at the window and then throws the gun.
“Run! I’m out of ammo. My car is in the garage.”
His command comes before I’ve even caught my breath. My heart is hammering so hard in my chest, and my body feels like it’s being stung by bees all over at the same time. I can’t tell if it’s the shock of jumping out that window while bullets were being fired at us or if I am actually injured.
Either way, it doesn’t seem like figuring that out is a priority right now as Nikolas yanks my arm hard. “Stop spacing out! Go!”
In a mad dash, we race to reach the small building on the intact side of the church.
My legs hurt and my lungs burn, the air I’m fighting for not quite enough.
But somehow, I make it despite the blinding pain, plopping into the passenger’s seat as Nikolas steps on the gas before the door even shuts.
The SUV’s tires screech and the engine roars as we take off, and I realize as I stare out the back window, that had I been just a second too late getting my ass in the car, I’d be coughing dirt and fumes right now.
Heaving, I work the belt into the buckle, holding for dear life as Nikolas keeps speeding past trees and brush like some Formula One racer. We veer off the road leading to the church, the whole vehicle shaking and screeching as it struggles to maintain its balance on the uneven terrain.
“Where are you going?” I cry out, bumping my head into the window frame after a particularly sharp turn.
“There’s a dirt road that leads to the neighboring town. I have a safehouse there. We’ll grab a few things and we’ll go south.”
“South?”
“Enough with the questions.” Nikolas throws a nasty glare my way, then bites on his lip and exhales deeply. “Now, start talking. Who the fuck are you, why are you looking for me, and what the hell did you drag me into?”
Oh, boy. Where do I even begin?
If I’m being honest, I don’t quite get it myself. It all just happened so quickly. My perfectly normal college life took a nosedive, and for what? Because I pissed off the wrong people? But how could I have known, and besides, I regularly piss people off. It’s something of a gift that I have.
Nikolas’ hand suddenly clasps my neck. “Speak, or I swear to god, I’m turning around and handing you over to whoever is after you!”
“Fine, fine!” I flail my arms, slipping away from his loose hold.
“Okay. So… I went to this posh party. As staff,” I start, twiddling my thumbs as I contemplate which parts are the most relevant.
I’m not about to share my life’s story with this complete, if sexy, stranger just yet.
Maybe tomorrow. “Or well, my friend kind of dragged me there? I’m not really a party person, but he said they were paying very well.
It was very impressive, the whole place.
I’ve never been anywhere like that before.
People wore suits and gowns. Everything was decorated in gold.
There was alcohol, drugs, the usual. Once dinner was served, there wasn’t much to do, so I got a bit bored and went looking for the guy I’d gone with.
Zac was his name. Couldn’t find him anywhere, but there was an off-limits corridor just off the kitchens…
It led to this basement. Now, in hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have ignored the ‘off-limits’ sign, but you know, I was only gonna have a quick look in case he was fucking around. ”
I pause and hug myself. The hair on my arms stands and my breathing hitches, turning shallow. When I glance at Nikolas, he’s looking at me expectantly.
Okay, I can do this. The next part is horrible, and I’ve been doing my best not to think about it, but I need to be honest with him or he might lose patience and strangle me or something.