His face pales at the mention of the Russian mobster, because if anyone is truly terrorizing this city, it’s Aleksei Kalashnikov. It’s always been Aleksei. The man is a beast, and it’s no wonder Blake fears him. I’d fear him too if I’d tried stealing from him.
“I-I d-didn’t—”he stutters nervously.
“You didn’t, what?” I interrupt. “You didn’t think I’d come for you personally? You didn’t think your little morons would get caught?”
“I just—”
“And now, you’re going to have to pay the price for your own stupidity.” For a moment, I want to laugh. I anticipated he might draw a weapon on me, I didn’t however, anticipate he’d have his people inside ready for something like this. In an instant, I have at least twelve guns aimed at me, and a growing smirk on Blake’s face.
“That’s very brave of you,” I say with practiced calm.
“Not even you are immune to bullets, Ghost.”
“But don’t you know? Ghosts can’t be killed by a bullet.”
Before Blake can even fathom a response, the games begin. It’s Keith who starts shooting first, taking down a couple of his men. That’s when their attention shifts to him, and I spring to action. With my gun in my hand, Blake’s brains are spilled on the glass behind him. I hit him right between the eyes, the close range shot causing the blood to splatter across my face and clothes. Fuck, what an exciting feeling.
The night has just begun.
FOURTEEN
With a groan, I fall flat on my ass… Again.
Sweat drips down my forehead, and my breathing is labored. My entire body is aching — my arms, legs, chest, and even my ass feel like they’re on fire. My throat is dry, and I’m thirsty as hell, but I know she won’t let me take a single sip before I can get a solid hit in.
“This is — what — the fourth time you’ve landed on your ass?”
Kaya looks so damn good. There’s not a single drop of sweat on her face, or body. This sparring has been happening for the past hour, yet she looks as perfect as always. Her hair is up in a high pony, and not a single hair has fallen out.
Meanwhile, I look like death.
“Give me a break,” I scoff, then hop back to my feet. “You’ve been doing this since you were a kid. I’m still fairly new to this, of course I won’t be able to take you down with ease.”
“Yeah, but at this point, are you even trying?”
I roll my eyes. “Yes, Ekaterina, I’m trying my best.”
“Alright, no need for full name calling,” she laughs. “But seriously, you’re improving. It’s not much, but at least you’re not staying in one place. I like that.”
“Good.”
“Out of curiosity…” Kaya trails off, glancing out the window. “How will Arlo feel when he finds out about your extracurricular activities?”
The thought of it makes my stomach drop, my heart sinking to my feet. All of a sudden, I’m cold, my body shivers. Kaya notices it, and raises a brow in a silent question, one I’m not quite ready to respond to.
“He will never, ever find out.”
“Mhm sure thing,” she muses. “Because that’s possible. At some point, you’ll either start craving more heroin, or something stronger. Trust me, it’ll show — it’s already showing.”
“What?” Panic immediately sets in. “Where is it showing?”
“Your nose area,” she motions with her index finger. “Your eyes, too. They’re always bloodshot, and it looks like you haven’t slept in weeks. How much are you taking nowadays?”
“Uh… three times a day.”
“That’s just wonderful,” sarcasm falls from her lips. “Yeah, there’s no chance Arlo will ever figure that out.”
“I’ll cross that bridge when I get there, alright?”
