The jacket flies in my direction, and I barely manage to catch it before it falls to the ground. For a moment, I just stand there staring at the warm pile of burgundy fabric clenched in my hands.
“Put it on.” He says, sounding almost annoyed.
I hesitate, only because my brain hasn’t fully caught up to what’s happening, then quickly throw it on.
The jacket is heavier than I expected, and as the warm fabric settles over my shoulders, heat seeps in almost immediately. It smells faintly of smoke and a warm, woody fragrance. Something subtle but unmistakably expensive. The feel of his jacket draped over me is grounding in a way that doesn’t make sense.
My breathing calms down a little, and when I look up, he’s watching me again.
He stares at me for a moment, studying my face, then, ever so slowly, he pulls his gun from his waistband, levels it at my head, and smirks as he says, “This is the part where you run.”
CHAPTER THREE
Echo
The second she bolts,every nerve in my body snaps to attention.
I expected her to panic. It’s what people normally do when they’re staring down the barrel of my gun. They beg, they shake, they scream. But not this girl.
No.
In that split second before she took off, she glared at me and I saw challenge in her eyes.
Good.
I’m not one to turn down an easy kill, but it’s so much more interesting to play with your food before you eat it.
It’s why the situation with the Casello’s men got so out of hand.
A week ago, my brother and I came to an agreement with Dante Casello. The Italians would stop encroaching on our territory and ports. And in return, The Sannikovs would stop leaving bodies for them to find.
I didn’t like having my hands tied, but it was a necessaryevil to keep our business in order, so I agreed. That is, until these four assholes crossed the line tonight.
Twenty minutes ago these motherfuckers snuck into our club and manhandled our baby sister, thinking we couldn’t do anything about it.
Stupid bastards.
We agreed to no deaths, but no one said anything about shattering bones. The only reason I let them land a few hits first was because I wanted to be able to argue self-defense, on the off chance Casello caught wind of the altercation.
Everything was going according to plan untilshegot involved. She distracted me, allowing one of those assholes to get a clean kick in that knocked me out cold.
When I came to and realized what they were doing to her, I snapped. I don’t even remember reaching for my gun. One minute it was tucked into my waistband, the next it was firing off rounds with lethal precision.
I let out a breath and take stock of the damage.
My knuckles ache, and my ribs feel like someone took a bat to them. I taste iron every time I swallow, and I can already feel my eye swelling shut.
What a fucking mess.
Leaning against the brick, I watch her flee and can’t help but smirk at the sight of her clumsy escape. Her legs buckle underneath her and her arms flail, like a baby deer taking its first steps in the world.
Jesus.
She’s almost making this too easy.
“Careful, Bambi. You might fall and snap your own neck before I get the chance to.”
I could easily catch her right now.
