Her eyes flicked to the door, and she moved quickly to his left. “What about you?”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
The door slid open. Dominic stood there, one hand braced casually against the frame, dark eyes calm, assessing. Two men flanked him, already angling their bodies to block escape.
Dominic said mildly, “Welcome to Paris.”
Enzo stepped forward, forcing Dominic to shift. Dominic yielded a fraction, just enough to appear cooperative.
“Off to Charles de Gaulle then? Or did you book a flight out of Orly?” Dominic asked. He fucking well knew they hadn’t booked a flight, but Enzo wasn’t about to engage him on this. They would follow along with Dominic and his men until they didn’t, and then all hell would break loose.
They exited the train and merged into the crowd. Gare du Nord swallowed them whole. Noise. Heat. Bodies everywhere. Enzo kept Kathleen tight to his side as Dominic’s men flowed with them effortlessly, too effortlessly. They were too confident. It was going to cost them.
Ahead, near the stairs, Enzo spotted Dragan again. He was standing exactly where traffic naturally thinned, his body positioned like a dam. Two men brushed past him and slowed. Confused. Redirected without realizing why.
Dragan caught Kathleen’s eye, and then he locked gazes with Enzo.
Now.
Enzo changed the rhythm. He slowed down. Dragan moved at the same moment, stepping into the path of one of Dominic’s henchmen, and murmured something low and sharp.
The man hesitated. That was all it took. Dragan dropped him with a hand snap to the throat. The second man swung at Dragan, who deftly sidestepped the blow, and then clubbed the man on the ear as his fist sailed past.
There were sudden yells, and the crowd surged to get away from the fight. Enzo squeezed Kathleen’s hand and veered sharply left instead of passing Dragan. Kathleen pivoted with him, ducking under a swinging backpack.
They broke into a run and aimed toward a nearby set of doors. They burst through the doors markedSortie Secondaireand into the stairwell. Footsteps thundered behind them.
Police waited at the bottom.
“Shit,” Enzo muttered. Had Dominic planned for this, or was it just bad luck? They exited the stairwell, and Enzo started to run, but Kathleen twisted free and slammed the fire alarm button. The alarm screamed. Red lights flashed. Chaos erupted.
And Dragan was suddenly there, blocking Dominic’s line of sight, throwing his shoulder into a man who went down hard, then grabbing Kathleen and pulling her into the fray. They moved quickly with the crowd. Not running because that would attract attention. Just moving with the speed of the people around them. Enzo followed suit until they emerged into the sunshine. Dragan kept Kathleen moving until they were a block away. Then he pulled her into a fierce, tight hug.
“Are you okay?” he asked, voice rough.
She laughed breathlessly. “I am now.”
He kissed her cheek, quick, familiar, and again, intimate.
Enzo saw red. Not rage exactly. Something sharper. Possessive. Dangerous. It took everything he had not to rip Kathleen from the other man’s arms.
Dragan pulled back, eyes flicking his direction. “You must be Enzo.”
Enzo nodded once. “You’re Dragan.”
A smile tugged at Dragan’s mouth. “I owe her a few favors.”
“From dates?” Enzo asked flatly.
Kathleen winced. “A couple.”
Dragan’s smile deepened. “Didn’t stick, not for my lack of trying.” He winked at Kathleen and dropped a quick kiss on her forehead.
Enzo didn’t miss the way Kathleen’s hand lingered on Dragan’s arm before she stepped back.
Then Dragan moved, Kathleen in tow. Out onto the street with the surge of bodies. Dragan led them through traffic, into the metro, past turnstiles, and onto a train just as the doors closed.
Only then did Enzo breathe.
