I don’t, not really…but he’s in my place. He somehow made his way in while I was gone, and now he hasmygun pressed againstmyside.
Testing the waters, I try to slip out of his hold, but he presses me back against the wall to completely cage me against it while his eyes bore into mine.
“Don’t even think about it,” he murmurs, not using as tight a grip around my wrist as he could.
I pull in a discreet breath, trying to forget about the way his body is pressed up against mine, all hard muscle and indisputable power in this moment. I can’t think about that now.
“Move,” I utter, keeping my tone as level as I can.
As much as I want to use force, I’m not stupid. He’s bigger and stronger than me, even with whatever fragments ofinformation I can recall from the old self-defense classes my dad made me take when I was younger.
His body heat seeps into my skin regardless of the subtle room left between us that makes me falsely think that maybe, just maybe, I have enough room to move.
I can’t overpower him like this, especially not with the pistol against me. But one way or another, I could find an angle to work from. I just need to get his guard down.
“Move,” I say again, forcing the word through clenched teeth.
But he doesn’t. Instead, Sergey just stands there while his eyes rove over my features, and his expression betrays none of his thoughts.
I want to scream at him. I want to shove him off and lay into him for all of this.
That silence lingers, punctuated only by my strained breaths, and before I can stop myself, the words unfurl from within me.
“You’ve been stalking me, haven’t you?” I ask, tone incredulous. “You showed up at the car meet like you were some random stranger, then you came by the shop looking for me specifically. And now…now you’re in my place, holding me hostage. Is this something you do? You pretend to be into cars to lure women out to what…attack them? Kill them?”
“It’s not like that,” Sergey says with a quiet, vaguely annoyed sigh, almost like what I’m saying is completely ridiculous.
“Then what the hell is your deal?” I demand, brows furrowing at him.
He exhales slowly while he seemingly grips his patience as best as he can. “You’re a lot sharper than I first imagined. I wonder if you get that from your brother.”
“Don’t bring Yuri into this.”
“Ah, but that’s the problem, Kat,” Sergey murmurs, saying my name like he can taste it. “Yuri’s already in it. He put himself in the equation the moment he took your father’s place, and he’s been nipping at my family’s heels since the day it happened. We’ve let him live this long to make sure he’s the one responsible for some trouble we’ve faced recently, but the moment he proves us right, he’ll regret it.”
My stomach twists, well aware of what this is.
Despite everything I’ve done to keep myself as far away from the world of organized crime as possible, my brother’s dealings are starting to bleed into my life. Whatever Yuri has done, I’m facing the repercussions.
Growing more irritated by how everything is unfolding, I can’t help but try to wrench my wrist free again, to no avail. “What are you saying?”
“My family did it,” Sergey begins, voice low and measured. “We’re the reason your father is dead, and now your brother is trying to return the favor.”
The words hit me harder than I expected them to.
I shouldn’t be entirely surprised. I knew Dad had been killed because of a rival family, but I didn’t know who. I never asked.
I sure as hell never thought it would be the family the man standing before me hails from.
My mind fights to process everything while my body is already reacting, not caring about the gun pressed against my side.
“You’re sick,” I snap at him, shoving against his chest with my free hand hard enough to make him pull back only slightly. To my surprise, he loosens his grip on my wrist. “You’ve been planting yourself in my life on purpose. You’ve been watching me…waiting. What kind of freak does that?”
“One who gets what he wants,” Sergey says, letting his grin sharpen with a knowing glint in his eyes. “And where I’m from, you don’t get anywhere from not taking what you want.”
My heart nearly stops at that, not liking what he’s insinuating. It kicks my internal panic all over again, and before I can stop myself, I swing my leg.
The gun pulls away the moment my shin collides with his crotch, making Sergey’s eyes widen while he stumbles back.
