Chapter Eight #2
Cold wind exploded into the cabin. She leaned out, far more than Alexei considered remotely safe.
“Hey, Natalia!”
"I've got them."
Gunfire erupted. The pursuing SUV answered with another barrage. Bullets sparked off the limousine's armored body. Alexei caught brief glimpses of a masked driver and another shooter leaning from the passenger side through the broken rear window.
Natalia adjusted her aim, exhaled, and fired twice. The passenger disappeared back inside the SUV. Whether wounded or taking cover, Alexei couldn't tell. Natalia made another shot, and the pursuing vehicle lurched violently.
Its front tire disintegrated. Rubber exploded across the asphalt. The SUV fishtailed, and its driver fought desperately to regain control, but he failed. The vehicle spun sideways, slammed through a roadside barrier, then crashed broadside into a traffic light with an earsplitting boom.
Steel screamed, glass erupted, and the traffic signal toppled onto the pavement in a shower of sparks. There was momentary silence, except for the rain. Natalia watched for a few more seconds before lowering the pistol.
“All clear."
Alexei realized he hadn't breathed, so he let out the air in a slow rush.
The driver spoke through the partition. "Sir?"
"Don't stop."
The limousine continued toward the estate. Neither of them spoke for several minutes. Rain washed away the dust coating the shattered rear window. Alexei stared into the darkness. His heart still pounded with a mix of anxiety and fury.
Three attempts before, and now this. Whoever wanted him dead possessed considerable resources.
"This is getting ridiculous.” His voice sounded colder than he'd intended.
Natalia quietly nodded. "It is."
"They're escalating.” Alexei rubbed a hand over his face. He finally looked at Natalia. She'd already reloaded her pistol calmly, as though none of this had happened.
"I'm asking again,” Alexei began. She didn't meet his eyes. "Who hired you?"
The rain filled the space between them.
“Natalia, just answer me.”
She looked out the broken window instead. "I can't tell you."
His patience snapped. "For God's sake, why?"
She remained quiet.
He felt frustration rising. “Why won’t you tell me? You nearly died because of whoever this is."
"I can't break the code."
Alexei laughed bitterly. “What code?”
"The one Emil taught me. Never reveal your clients’ names to anyone.” She swallowed. “If I did that, word spreads, and no one would hire or trust me to do a job again.”
He stared. "You're worried about future employment?"
"I'm worried about surviving."
"You don't work for them anymore,” he reminded her. “You’re mine now.”
He was about to say she worked for him now, but those three words slipped out dangerously instead. Alexei silently counted to ten in his head before speaking again.
"You still intend to return?” Alexei asked.
"If things don’t pan out between us,” she said with a shrug.
“That won’t happen,” he told her.
"You can't promise that."
"I can,” he said with more force than he intended.
"You don't know the future."
“No, but I know what I want,” he told her.
She looked away again. Neither of them spoke for the remainder of the drive.
****
They arrived at the Volkov estate ten minutes later. Security gates opened immediately, and floodlights swept across the grounds. The limousine finally rolled to a stop. Alexei exited first, and
Natalia followed him inside without a word.
A few night staff looked up in alarm at the shattered limousine waiting outside, and Alexei simply waved them away.
“I’ll explain tomorrow,” he told them.
He and Natalia climbed the grand staircase together, still not speaking to each other. By the time they reached the second floor, only the grandfather clock disturbed the quiet. It was midnight now. Natalia stopped outside her bedroom door.
“So,” Natalia began, then offered him a tired smile. "Goodnight."
She reached for the handle. Alexei caught her wrist, and Natalia turned. He loosened his grip immediately, but not enough to let go.
"I'm sorry,” Alexei said. The two words felt foreign on his tongue. Hell, he couldn’t even remember the last time he apologized to anyone. She blinked, and he continued, “For yelling at you." He sighed. "You were doing exactly what I hired you to do."
A small smile touched her lips. "You were scared."
He nodded.
"Of what, getting shot? Shouldn’t you be used to that by now?” Natalia joked.
His eyes met hers. “No, it’s not that.”
She frowned slightly. "Then what?"
“At the prospect of losing you.” The words escaped before he could reconsider them.
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved. Natalia searched his face, as though trying to decide whether he'd meant them.
“That won’t ever happen," she whispered.
“You’re that confident?”
"I've always been talented,” she said.
“Yes, you are,” he said unthinkingly.
A soft and genuine laugh escaped her. She looked so beautiful at that moment, so unguarded. Alexei lifted a hand slowly, giving her every opportunity to stop him. She didn’t. In fact, Natalia let him brush a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear.
Alexei brushed his knuckles against her cheek, pleased she leaned into the touch almost imperceptibly.
"I was terrified," he admitted. "When that glass broke ... all I could think about was pulling you away from the bullets."
"You were supposed to stay down."
“I’m aware,” he said.
"You don't follow orders very well."
"I might’ve learned from you,” Alexei said.
That earned him another laugh. The sound wrapped around his heart. Without another word, he closed the small distance between them. He jerked her close, resting his forehead against hers.
"So," he murmured, "am I forgiven?"
“Let me think,” she said.
Natalia searched his eyes for another long moment. Then, slowly, she rose onto her toes and captured his lips. The kiss began softly and tentatively.
Alexei answered it by cupping her face with both hands, kissing her with all the gratitude and relief that had built inside him since the first shot shattered the limousine's window. She melted into him with a quiet sigh.
Natalia curled her fingers into the lapels of his white jacket, pulling him closer until there wasn't an inch of space between them. Everything else but them ceased to matter, save the steady rhythm of their breathing and the warmth they shared.
When they pulled up for air, Natalia smiled up at him, her cheeks faintly flushed.
"You're very distracting, Pakhan."
"So are you.”
Alexei traced her cheek with his thumb. He made a reckless decision on the spot. “Stay with me tonight.”
She looked at him, surprise flickering across her features.
"I'll make it up to you for not following your orders," he said with a rueful smile. “So spend the night with me.”
“I'd like that,” Natalia said, and that answer pleased him immensely.