One mutters, “Alexei’s not gonna like this.”
I shrug. Pain radiates through my ribs at the movement, but I don’t let it show. “Alexei told me to beuseful,” I rasp, voice twisted by the mask. “Not fuckingobedient.”
Silence.
A car engine purrs at the mouth of the alley, and the men all look to see Alexei’s SUV roll to a stop. I straighten, ignoring the hot ache crawling up my torso, like a toxic flower blooming.
The passenger door opens, and Alexei steps out. His eyes move from me to his men, then back again, as if he already knows exactly what happened.
One of the men behind me clears his throat. “Your doggie needs a muzzle.”
Another nods. “He went at us like he was rabid.”
I keep my breathing steady, even though every inhale feels like a blade sliding between my ribs.
Alexei studies me, his gaze sweeping from my head to my boots. Then he looks at his men as though they’ve just said something mildly amusing. “A muzzle?” he repeats with a wicked grin. He steps closer, boots quiet on the pavement, stopping in front of me.
I’m still wearing the white mask. I don’t reach for it.
His mouth lifts, barely. “No. I like his fire. Look at him. Oh...Ilovethis.”
His men don’t speak.
His gaze lingers on the blood on my mask and the slight tremor I’m trying to hide. “It has potential,” he adds, voice smooth and almost warm. “But he should remember something important.”
Rage flares.
It.
“Lessons in the future,” he continues softly, “won’t end in minor bruises like this.”
A shiver runs down my spine, but I don’t react. Won’t give him that.
Alexei’s attention shifts back to his men. “Get in the car.” Before I can move, he adds, almost casually, “And soon, Jude, we won’t have to worry about the public eye anymore.”
My head lifts slightly. Confusion breaks through the pain. “What does that mean?”
He smiles, but it’s the kind that feels like a hand closing around the back of my neck. “Get in. The fucking. Car,” he repeats.
That’s all I get. His men move first, opening the back door of the limo-style SUV. The interior glows with soft, dim lighting. I force my body to follow. Every step jolts my ribs, but I bite it back. I climb in and slide into the leather seat. The moment I sit,pain flares across my torso. I hide the wince behind the mask, turning my head toward the tinted window.
The door shuts behind me with a heavy thud. Alexei gets in last. The locks click, and the car begins to move.
Chapter thirty-four
JUDE GRAVES
The SUV pulls away the second I’m out of my car, rolling off into the dark like nothing happened. Like I didn’t just slice a man’s throat and get worked over in an alley for having a spine.
I stand there a second, steadying myself. My ribs and knuckles are both throbbing. My shirt is stuck to me in places where blood has dried. I smell like iron and sweat and alley grime.
I walk, even if every step hurts.
By the time I reach our front door, the adrenaline’s wearing off, leaving only the pain and the clawing need I hate so goddamn much. My hands shake as I unlock the door. The hinge squeaks when it opens. Micah is half-asleep on the couch despitethe pulse of music playing from his computer in his bedroom. He jerks awake the second he sees me.
His face goes white. “Jude?” His voice cracks on my name.
I quietly close the door behind me.I’m numb. I’m not here. The world is muffled and fuzzy. Like static.
