She twists the knife slowly.
I gasp, my hand instinctively reaching for the wound, but she's already stepping back, pulling the blade free in one smooth motion.
Blood spreads across my white shirt, blooming dark and fast.
She tilts her head, studying me with those cold blue eyes.
"Forget about the Volkovs, or you and your brothers will be killed quicker than we have planned."
Then she's gone.
I hear the back door slam and the sound of footsteps disappearing into the night.
I scramble to my feet, ignoring the sharp, burning pain. I grab my gun and my phone and walk down the hallway. I come out the back door, gun raised, scanning the darkness.
But she's gone, vanished into the night.
I stumble toward the Dacia, my hand pressed tight against the wound. The blood is hot, too much of it, soaking through my fingers and dripping onto the dirt.
My vision swims, and I catch myself on the hood of the car, leaving a red handprint on the peeling paint.
She just declared war on my entire family.
I yank open the car door and collapse into the driver's seat. My hands are shaking as I press them against the wound, trying to slow the bleeding.
I should call someone or drive to a hospital.
Instead, I sit there in the dark, staring at the blood on my hands.
And I laugh.
All I can think about is her face. Her eyes.
I start the engine, and the car sputters to life.
Kill you all faster than planned.
And what fucking plan is that?
I'm sure she meant those pathetic words as a threat, but I see them as an invitation.
She wants me to chase her.
And I never turn down an invitation from a beautiful woman.
I'm going to find her. And when I do, she's going to regret not finishing the job.
I grip the steering wheel with one bloody hand and shift into gear with the other, my vision slightly blurry.
One way or another, I have to survive this drive.
Because next time?
I won't show mercy.
He's usedto cleaning up the messes.
Now he's the target.
The mysterious Russian operative who just shoved a blade between his ribs isn't just a problem.
She's a challenge.
And Victor Ionescu doesn't walk away from a challenge.
He's going to find her.
And when he does?
All bets are off.