Nothing made sense to me. At all.
I was so distracted that I couldn’t even focus on the files stacked in front of me.
Just when I thought Adrik couldn’t hurt me any further today, his lieutenant came with the news. He told me that Adrik needed me to handle a deal that he was supposed to attend himself, but couldn’t.
According to him, Adrik had put me in charge and ordered him to follow my lead. When I asked,“Why me?” Sergei simply replied that it was because his boss thought I was qualified for the job.
Me? A twenty-three-year-old female with no experience in gang-related matters?
I didn’t know how to feel about this: honored or afraid. The best person to replace him in cases like this was the man who’d stood by him all these years.
Sergei knew the game better than anyone else, making him the perfect candidate for the job.
However, since Adrik put me in charge, I had no choice but to comply. Besides, he wasn’t just my husband; he was also my boss.
The convoy was heavily guarded with armored vehicles in front and behind our black SUV. Sergei was seated beside mein the back of the car, his watchful eyes scanning the streets outside.
Every now and then, he’d check on the others through his walkie-talkie thingy, ensuring that everyone was in line.
I sat with my spine straight and my head upright. A pair of dark shades concealed the anxiety in my eyes as the vehicle drove on. On the outside, it seemed like I was in control of the situation: composed, calm, and collected.
However, in reality, it was chaotic within me. My thoughts were going haywire, and my emotions were all over the place. I’d never done this before—whateverthiswas. I had no idea where we were going or what was expected of me.
I was expecting Sergei to fill me in on the details, but he hadn’t said a word. I was confused. Was he expecting me to ask first before he told me what the hell this deal was all about?
What if it was something I couldn’t handle? Why did Adrik even think to put me in charge when he knew he wasn’t going to be there to supervise me?
I clenched my jaw and curled my fingers into fists in an attempt to hide my nervousness. My heart was pounding like a drum, almost threatening to explode out of my chest.
This silence was killing me. And that’s because all the emotions bottled up inside me needed some sort of expression. If I didn’t at least start a conversation to distract myself, I just might end up peeing my pants.
I drew a breath, making sure my voice was as steady as possible. “So tell me, Sergei,” I began without looking at him. “How long have you been working with my husband?”
He hesitated before responding with his deep voice, “A little over two decades.”
“Two decades? That’s a really long time.” I glanced at him. “It means you’re experienced on the job, correct?”
He gave a quiet nod.
“So in all your years working as my husband’s right-hand man, you’ve never had to debrief a newbie on a mission. Is that it?” I looked right into his eyes.
It only took him a second to understand that I was telling him to work me through the plan.
“My apologies, Madam, I didn’t think that….” His voice trailed off mid-sentence.
I watched his expression darken and his eyes narrow like he could sense something I couldn’t. Sergei’s gaze roamed the streets outside, as if searching for something in particular.
The alert on his face made my blood run cold. “What is it?” I asked him, stealing nervous glances all around me.
“Get down,” he said, his voice calm but urgent.
“What?”
“Get down, now!” he yelled, reaching to grab me by the hand.
The second my face hit the cushion, rapid gunfire filled the air. My heart sank into my stomach, and my hands reflexively covered my ears. I didn’t need anyone to tell me that we’d been ambushed.
“Stay down!” Sergei barked, his voice dripping with urgency. “No matter what, do not get out of the car!”
