“Oh, yeah?” I steadied my aim. “You wanna find out just how fast I can squeeze this thing?” I kept my finger dangerously close to the trigger.
Silence.
“You’re bluffing.”
“Am I?” I bit the inside of my cheek, then shifted my aim to the man beside him.
Less than a second later, I put a bullet in the man’s leg. He screamed and dropped to the ground.
By the time Richard faced me again, I’d returned to aiming the gun at his forehead.
“Let him go, now!” I yelled at him.
Richard signaled his men, and they all stepped away from Adrik. “You’re making a mistake,” he said to me, his voice laced with anger and disappointment.
“Adrik, let’s go,” I said, withdrawing from the scene.
We both got into the car, and he drove away, leaving the enemies stunned by what had just happened.
“Yeah, run away, you coward,” Richard bellowed. “Run away!”
My heart was hammering in my chest as I watched him and his men through the rearview mirror. I prayed they wouldn’t open fire at our vehicle or even chase after us, and they didn’t.
“That was good,” Adrik said to me, wiping blood off his mouth. “You did really good.”
My lips curled into a small grin. “Are you okay?” I asked, worried about his state of mind and body.
“I’ll live,” he answered, his expression darkening by the second. “But I can’t say the same about Richard.”
He slammed on the accelerator, the vehicle speeding through the street like a bullet.
Chapter 22 – Adrik
My body was aching from the beating I’d taken, my blood boiling with fury. I locked my jaw, my grip tightening around the glass of vodka in my hand.
We’d escaped the ambush and had gotten home by now. All thanks to my brave woman. If she hadn’t stood up for me the way she did, the story would’ve probably ended in tragedy. The mere thought of losing to Richard Beaumont made expression darken.
That smug look of satisfaction on his face when we got into the car still haunted me.“Yeah, run away, you coward. Run away!”Those words stung.
I never ran away from a fight. Never. The only reason I rushed to the car and drove away was to keep my wife safe. She’d proven to everyone she wasn’t joking when she shot that man in the leg.
Considering the fact that Richard was a madman, there was no telling what he’d do to her. That’s why I chose to take her to safety first.
Richard Beaumont had humiliated me on the streets of Chicago. He’d had his men fight me in an unfair battle. And for that, he was going to pay. I survived his attack. But he wasn’t going to survive mine. No. I’d make sure of that.
I lifted the glass to my mouth and took a sip, my eyes staring out the window. I’d told Sergei and the others to stay alert and await my orders. I needed some time to get my shit together and come up with a good retaliation plan.
Richard had bitten off more than he could chew. It was time to choke.
I sensed her presence even without turning back; her signature scent gave her away.
“Hey,” she called quietly, her voice sweet and tender.
I turned around. “Hey.”
She watched me for a second, her eyes boring into mine. “You okay?”
I shoved the remaining vodka down my throat. “Never better.”
