I lift my wine glass and take a drink, mostly to give my hands something to do. As I lower it, my gaze drifts to the floor, where I notice something. But before my brain can catch up, Alexei’s voice sharpens.
“Incompetence,” he snaps.
My eyes fly back up at the sudden shift in tone.
“I do not tolerate liabilities,” Alexei says, irritation flashing across his face. “You’re creating a mess for me, Nolan. You’re attracting unwanted attention.”
Nolan laughs nervously. “Alexei, come on—”
The gun appears out of nowhere.
One moment, his hand is empty. The next—
Bang.
Nolan’s head snaps back, blood exploding across the table. The linen. The glasses. My face.
Time freezes.
A droplet of blood rolls down my cheek like a tear.
Nolan collapses out of his chair with a heavy, final thud, his body crumpling to the floor beside the table.
Adriana jerks back with a broken gasp. Then she screams.
I grab her arm and squeeze hard. “Stop,” I hiss under my breath.
She chokes it off, shaking violently.
Alexei stands, calm as ever, lifting a linen napkin and dabbing at his cheek like he’s spilled wine. Blood smears red against white. “Messy,” he murmurs.
My ears ring. My heart slams against my ribs. I can’t move. Can’tthink. My body is locked between fight and flight, muscles coiled and ready to fucking run.
“I will be seizing Nolan’s assets,” Alexei says, matter-of-fact. “Accounts. Properties. Personnel.” His gaze slides to me. “And you.”
Armed men silently flood the room, including Erik. He moves fast, grabbing Adriana and yanking her out of her chair. Something snaps in me, and I whirl, punching him square in the face. Erik staggers back, swearing, and I step between them.
Alexei laughs. “Oh, look at you,” he says, delighted. “Let’s not make this unpleasant.” He gestures lazily. The guns tilt toward me. “They’ll escort you back to your suite,” he continues. “You’ll pack. You’re staying here now. Under my protection.”
My stomach drops.
My mouth goes dry.
Oh, fuck.
My hands won’t stop shaking when I get into the car. The doors slam loud enough that I should hear them, but I can’t. Not over the roaring in my head. Adriana sits rigid in the passenger seat, staring straight ahead. Nolan’s blood is still on her face. Dark flecks scatter across her cheeks and her mouth. Like freckles. Her eyes are wide and unblinking, and her lips are parted like she’s trying to breathe but forgot how.
I start the engine, watching as Alexei’s men fan out behind us in two black vehicles. The tires crunch against the gravel as I pull onto the long road, trees closing in on both sides.
We don’t speak. Not a word.
The road stretches on for ten minutes. Fifteen. My pulse won’t slow. My chest feels tight, like perhaps I’m going to suffer a fucking heart attack. I’d welcome it, honestly.
“We—we have to run,” Adriana finally squeaks. The sound barely makes it past her lips.
I shake my head once. “We can’t.”
She turns to me, eyes blazing now, tears spilling over.