“Oh, look. Your friends are here,” Mikhail says brightly.
I squint at the tinted windshield and see two men up front that I don’t recognize. Not Reid then. It’s probably for the best, I don’t want the situation deteriorating. The Griffins are simply making their presence known. Good to know, but I’ve got this.
“As much as I’d love to stand and watch you all flexing your muscles, I’m done with this shit show,” I say loud enough for the guys in the SUV to hear through their open window. “Mikhail, for the love of god, open the damn gates!”
“Not until Ilya–”
My anger boils over and I screech so loud that my words pulse in my ears. “Ilya said I could leave, and I’m going. For good! Now open the fucking gate!”
The pulsing against my eardrums doesn’t stop. In fact, it grows louder, and the wind picks up. The whooshing sound reverberates through my body, and my hair whips across my face as a dark form appears in my periphery.
I get a side view of the helicopter as I turn. I can see a pilot and at least one other person behind him. Wearing helmets and sunglasses, it’s impossible to identify them, but the insignia on the side of the helicopter is enough to take my breath away. Painted red against a black background, the griffin’s talons and claws are poised for attack.
When the helicopter lands on the other side of the gates, it’s facing head on. I can see now that there’s another passenger next to the pilot, and he jumps out while the blades are still turning. The man who was behind the pilot gets out too, and tries to pass the other a Kevlar vest, but the idiot ignores it. Asshole.
Dressed in black and looking ridiculously hot, Reid strides towards the gates, his Glock held at his side, his eyes fixed on me. The man still holding the Kevlar vest walks over to the SUV rather than following. It’s Jake, the guy I last saw dragging a dead Russian through the woods with Mace. Four armed men get out of the SUV to join him and they stand in a line, watching as Reid approaches the gate. No one raises their guns, but it could get very bloody, very fast.
I want to rush forward and thrust my arms through the gates so I can hold Reid, but I refuse to play the role of damsel in distress in the game Ilya’s playing with us. I fold my arms across my chest, and as the helicopter blades slow to silence, I take a breath.
“This isn’t your fight!” I shout over to Reid. “I’m dealing with it!”
“Fine!” he shouts back. “Deal with it. I’ll just watch, shall I?” He stops in front of the gate, and turns to Mikhail, now only feet away. “And I’m watching you, motherfucker.Jesus, you’re ugly.”
“I can still fuck any woman I want,” Mikhail says.
The implied threat is obvious, and I interrupt the argument before it starts. “I hate to break up this male bonding session, but I honestly don’t care who has the bigger dick.”
Mikhail casts his leering gaze over me. I know he’s about to say something crude and incendiary. I wouldn’t put it past him to mention the video Ilya has of me and Reid in the kitchen. Mikhail will have seen it. He could have been the one who videoed us.
The heat of my embarrassment meets the cold fear of how Reid’s going to react. I tense, ready for Mikhail to light the fuse, but he simply shrugs.
“We’ve seen enough. You can go.”
He nods to the second guard and it takes a moment to register what’s happening. When the gates start to open, I race to my Jeep before Reid has a chance to step over the property line. The engine roars and as soon as I’m through the gates, I slam on the brakes. Reid jumps in the passenger side, then I’m barreling down the road, past Reid’s men and away from the mansion and everything it represents.
Reid’s chest rises and falls steeply in sync with mine. That could have ended so differently.
“Pull over once we’re out of sight,” he says. “No arguments.”
I glance at him. He’s still expecting a fight, only with me this time. It probably explains why he hasn’t holstered his gun yet.
I could explain that I was intending to drive straight to him, or at least tell him where to find me, but that conversation will have to wait. “OK, but I don’t want to talk yet.” I make sure he’s looking at me when I trail my gaze around the interior of the car. I can’t be sure that Ilya hasn’t planted a tracker or listening device.
Reid interprets my gesture and nods. He doesn’t speakagain, but he reaches across and squeezes my thigh. He squeezes hard as if he needs the reassurance that I’m sitting next to him. Once he begins to relax, he strokes his thumb against the fabric of my dress. My body floods with warm relief. I’m safe. For now.
I stop at the side of the road a minute or two later, and the black SUV that’s been following, pulls up behind us. Reid jumps out of the Jeep and circles the car as I’m pulling open my door.
“Leave the keys in the ignition,” he says, blocking the door before I have a chance to get out.
He grabs my hips as I twist in my seat and inserts himself between my legs. Sweeping the hair from my face, we simply stare at each other for a moment. It’s when his gaze flicks to my mouth that I give in to the impulses I’ve been fighting since he swooped down from the sky. I wrap my arms around his neck and I bring my lips crashing against his.
Reid picks me up as our kiss deepens, and I rake my hands through his hair as he carries me somewhere. I don’t know where. I pay no attention to my surroundings because I’m back in the woods, picking up where we left off.
Someone clears their throat. Reid breaks our kiss, but keeps tight hold of me. We’re standing between the two vehicles. Jake has joined us, and his eyes bounce between Reid and I.
“What now?” he asks.
“Now we talk,” Reid says, looking at me. “Did I hear right? You’ve left there for good?”
