Chapter Ten
The week had been a long one for Alexei. Natalia noticed he had spent most evenings with his phone pressed to his ear, issuing instructions in that deceptively calm voice. There had been meetings, problems within the family, and a shipment delayed at the docks.
Two men who had apparently forgotten the importance of keeping their mouths shut. Then there had been a meeting with lawyers that had lasted nearly four hours and left Alexei angsty afterward. When he announced on Saturday morning that they were leaving the city, Natalia didn't argue.
They drove for nearly an hour before the buildings thinned and the road began winding through thick woodland. The air itself seemed different out here. It was cleaner and colder. The trees stood in dense clusters on either side of the road, their branches shifting gently in the wind.
Alexei drove with one hand on the steering wheel. Natalia sat beside him, watching the scenery while simultaneously watching everything else. It was a habit she had never managed to break. She could relax, but never completely.
The parking lot was nearly empty when Alexei pulled in.
He switched off the engine, and Natalia immediately swept her gaze across the area.
She noted three cars, one family with two children near the trail entrance.
An older couple loaded backpacks into the trunk of their vehicle.
A man stood beside a silver SUV, apparently checking something beneath his hood.
She studied the trees beyond them. There were no obvious threats. Still, something prickled between her shoulder blades. She turned slightly, looking toward the woods. Alexei watched her for several seconds. Then he leaned across the console and kissed her.
"What was that for?" Natalia asked.
“We’re here to relax,” he reminded her.
"I'm relaxed."
"You've been scanning the parking lot like you're waiting for someone to attack.”
Despite herself, Natalia almost smiled. "The trees could be hiding something."
Alexei laughed quietly, and the sound eased something inside her. He reached for her hand, squeezing her fingers.
"The chances of someone attacking me in the middle of a public hiking trail are slim,” he told her.
She rolled her eyes. Alexei grinned before getting out of the car. His two guards had followed in the vehicle behind them. They joined them near the trailhead, both dressed casually enough to blend in.
Natalia noticed one of them checking the woods. At least she wasn't the only paranoid one. They started along the main trail. For the first mile, the path was busy enough that Natalia began to relax.
Families passed them, couples walked hand in hand. A group of teenagers laughed loudly somewhere ahead. Birds called from the trees, and sunlight slipped between the branches. Alexei seemed lighter here. He breathed more deeply. His pace slowed.
At one point, he stopped beside a small stream and simply stared at the water.
"When was the last time you did this?" Natalia asked.
“Go hiking?”
"Anything that doesn't involve a meeting, a gun, or someone threatening to kill you."
Alexei considered. “I don't remember."
"That's concerning."
"It's why we're here,” he said, then looked at her. Even now, the way his eyes softened at her and her alone made her pulse race. "I've spent so much time making sure everyone else survives that I forgot what it's like to simply exist."
They continued their hike. Eventually, Alexei led them away from the main trail and onto a narrower path.
"Where are we going?" Natalia asked.
"Somewhere quieter,” Alexei answered.
"You know where this goes?" Natalia couldn’t help but ask.
“Honestly? No.”
She stared at him.
He shrugged. "I saw a map."
"When was this?” Natalia asked.
"Five minutes ago."
Natalia shook her head. "You are impossible."
"And yet you came."
She didn't answer. That was precisely the problem, she would have followed him almost anywhere.
They had been walking for perhaps another twenty minutes when Natalia saw the hiker.
He was several yards ahead, partly obscured by trees.
At first she thought he was sitting. Then she noticed the unnatural angle of his body.
"Someone's hurt,” she said.
Alexei stopped. The man's back was toward them. He appeared to be kneeling beside the trail, one hand braced against the ground.
"I'll check on him," Alexei said.
Natalia's stomach tightened.
“Definitely not,” Natalia immediately said. Alexei looked at her, and she caught his arm. She added, “Something isn't right."
His expression hardened slightly. “What do you mean?”
“I don't know how to explain,” Natalia admitted. She didn't have evidence, but she relied on her instinct, which had kept her alive for years. "Don't go,” she said with a plea.
Alexei glanced toward the man. "I can't ignore an injured hiker."
"I can,” she told him.
"Of course you can."
There was irritation in his voice now. Natalia saw it and loosened her grip. Alexei exhaled, then he looked toward one of his guards.
"You check on him,” Alexei ordered.
The guard nodded, and he moved forward cautiously. Natalia watched every step, but the hiker remained motionless.
“Excuse me, sir?" the guard called. There was no response from him, so the guard took another step. "Are you injured?"
The hiker's shoulders shifted. Then everything happened at once. The man sprang upright, and Natalia barely saw the movement. There was a flash of metal, and the guard staggered. A second later, he collapsed onto the trail. Natalia's blood turned cold.
"Alexei!” she gasped.
The remaining guard stepped between them, and he pulled out his gun. "Stay behind me, boss!” he said to Alexei.
The stranger moved impossibly fast. He crossed the distance in a blur, and the guard fired. The gunshot exploded through the trees, but the bullet struck a rock and ricocheted into the forest. The stranger twisted aside, seized the guard's wrist, and drove him backward.
The guard fought. For half a second, Natalia saw him land a blow, then the stranger's knife flashed again. The guard dropped, and silence crashed over the woods. Natalia couldn't breathe.
She knew those movements, that terrifying speed and economical precision. Natalia had spent years learning them after all. There was only one person she had ever seen move like that. Emil, her former master. The man who had turned a frightened young girl into a weapon.
Emil straightened, and slowly, he looked at Natalia. A grin spread across his face.
"Hello, little wolf."
Natalia's fingers went numb. Alexei stepped forward, but she immediately moved between them. Her former master could only be here for one reason. Emil's smile widened.
"Move aside,” Emil told her.
"No way in hell,” she muttered.
His eyes gleamed. "Still so stubborn."
"Why are you here?" Natalia demanded, although she knew why. She needed to keep him talking, and maybe that would distract him somehow.
"Your former client contacted me,” Emil explained. “Apparently, he’s frustrated he’s failed to kill Alexei Volkov twice now. He wanted the job finished and hired the best. Money was no concern.” Emil slid his gaze toward Alexei, while still talking to Natalia. “And so I came."
Natalia tightened her grip around her knife. "You won't touch him."
Emil's expression changed. Something almost like amusement crossed his face. "Falling for your target. Haven't I taught you better?" Emil asked her.
Natalia gritted her teeth. “I make my choices, and I choose him. Screw your teachings.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. You know you cannot win."
Anger rolled over her in waves. Emil only spoke the truth. He’d trained her, knew every weakness in her technique. He was riling her up, getting her to drop her guard. Still, he had no idea what she was willing to do for Alexei.
Emil lunged, and Natalia met him. Their knives collided with a sharp metallic crack.
She twisted aside as his blade cut through the space where her throat had been.
Natalia drove her elbow toward his ribs.
He blocked, and that didn’t surprise her.
She had to keep her momentum up, finish this quickly, or he’ll tire her out.
His knee slammed into her thigh. Pain shot upward, and Natalia stumbled. He came again. She ducked beneath his arm, slashed toward his side, and felt her blade catch fabric. Emil hissed, then he smiled. The bastard looked like he was enjoying this.
He struck, and Natalia blocked. The impact jarred her entire arm. They moved between the trees in a blur of steel and breath. She knew his style. That should have helped, but instead, it made everything terrifying.
Every time she anticipated him, he anticipated her anticipation. He feinted left, and she moved right. His blade reversed direction, and Natalia barely caught it. He swept her legs. She jumped, landed awkwardly, and rolled beneath a branch.
“Give up, Natalia,” Emil said.
She spun. "Never."
He attacked again. Natalia retreated, but her boot caught a root. She stumbled, and Emil was on her instantly. He knocked the knife from her hand. It landed several feet away. Natalia struck him with both palms, but he caught her wrists and drove her backward.
Her shoulders hit the ground. Pain flashed through her spine, and Emil pinned her. His knife hovered above her.
"You should know how this would end,” he told her.
Natalia struggled. "Get off me."
"You shouldn’t have grown attached to him. This would be a good lesson for you,” Emil said, lifting the blade.
Then Alexei hit him, and Emil was thrown sideways. Natalia rolled away, scrambling for her knife.
Alexei stood between them, and his breathing was hard.
“Alexei,” Natalia gasped.
Emil rose slowly. He looked at Alexei, then at Natalia. Alexei simply stepped closer to Natalia.
"Can you stand?" he asked her, and Natalia nodded. “We’ll take care of him, together.”
She got to her feet. Blood ran down her forearm. Alexei looked at it, and his expression darkened. Emil attacked. This time, Alexei moved first. He caught Emil's arm, but Emil twisted free. Natalia came from the side. Her knife struck, but Emil blocked.
Alexei grabbed him from behind. For one precious second, Emil was trapped. Natalia drove forward. Emil jerked sideways, Alexei stumbled, and Natalia followed. Their blades collided. Emil's knife nicked her shoulder. She ignored the flare of pain.
She drove her elbow into his jaw, making him stagger. Alexei struck him from behind, and Emil fell to one knee. Natalia didn't hesitate. She cut his throat. Natalia stared as Emil’s body went limp and life left his shocked eyes.
“Thank God,” Alexei said.
Natalia looked at Emil one last time, then moved her gaze to the two fallen guards, and finally at Alexei. Blood stained his shirt. Her heart slammed against her ribs. She could’ve lost him today, and that shook her to the core.
"You're hurt,” she whispered.
"So are you." A faint smile touched his mouth, then he added, “I’m fine."
She reached for him anyway. Alexei caught her. His arms closed around her with enough force to make her realize how badly he'd been shaken. Natalia pressed her face against his chest, grateful that both of them were still alive.
Alexei lifted her chin with her fingers, searching her face. Then he slanted his mouth over hers. The kiss was hard and desperate. Natalia curled her hands into his shirt as she kissed him back. Her heart was still racing from the fight, but now it was racing for an entirely different reason.
When Alexei finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers.
“Let’s try not to do that again,” Alexei said.
Natalia breathed out a shaky laugh, then she kissed him again. Emil had taught her that love was a weakness. That attachments got people killed, and made you vulnerable.
But as Alexei held her close in the middle of those silent woods, Natalia realized something her master had never understood. Love could make you vulnerable. It could also make you fearless.