I grab the handle. Locked.
“Maksim,” I hiss.
“Following orders, ma’am.”
“I will stab you with this last stiletto heel.”
Leonid opens my door. “Ladies first.”
“Fuck you very much.”
Leonid cocks one of his eyebrows; the corner of his mouth curves into a crooked grin before he drags me out of the car faster than I intend to.
The sidewalk’s cold under my feet.
“Such a fucking gentleman,” I mutter.
“Just. Follow. Me.” He strides ahead.
I trail behind, half-rolling my eyes and trying not to feel like a stray being pulled along. A bell chimes as we enter—because apparently, every shitty tech shop needs a bell. Two guys look up from ancient computers. One’s got tattoos crawling up his neck like ivy. The other’s sporting a beard that could house small wildlife.
“Boss.” Beard-guy scrambles up, nearly knocking over his energy drink. He hurries to a shelf packed with dusty hard drives and punches something into a hidden panel.
The shelf slides sideways.
“You’ve got to be shitting me.”
“Problem?” Leonid’s hand finds my lower back.
“Other than this being the most cliché secret entrance ever? Nope.”
“Would you prefer a trap door?”
“I’d prefer my other shoe.”
Tattoo-neck and Beard-guy disappear behind their screens as Leonid guides me through the entrance.
And holy shit.
The shelf slides shut behind us with a click that sounds way too final. Darkness swallows everything except a strip of blue light stretching into forever.
Perfect murder spot. No witnesses, no body, just another dumb broad who trusted the wrong Russian.
I frown at the endless tunnel. “Are you serious?”
“Having second thoughts?” Leonid’s breath hits my ear.
I spin around; my nose wrinkles. “About following a murderous mob boss into a dark tunnel? Never.”
His hands land on my waist, turning me back around and pressing me forward. The heat of his chest burns through his clothes, and fuck, he smells like gunpowder and expensive cologne.
My body betrays me, leaning back against hard muscle.
I clench my jaw.
Get your shit together, Clara.
“Move.” His grip tightens, thumbs pressing into my hip bones.
