Emir studies me for a long moment, eyes moving over my face like he’s cataloging every lie I might be telling.
Finally, he nods once.
“End of the week,” he repeats. “No more delays. Gabriel’s patience has limits.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
I’m so tired of men reminding me of cages I’m locked in.
I hear the front door creak open before Kay’s voice cuts through the warehouse, pitched a little too high.
“Ayla.”
The sound of my name isn’t what makes my stomach drop.
It’s the way she says it.
Like a warning.
“It’s Maksim” Kay answers, already panicking.
My heart slams against my ribs.
If he sees Emir here, if Maksim walks in and finds me tucked in the corner with Gabriel’s right hand—
“We’re done,” I hiss under my breath, moving closer. “You need to go.Now.”
“Ayla—”
“If he sees you, the cover’s blown and we’re all dead,” I whisper fiercely. “You know that.”
We stare at each other, the space between us buzzing with everything we’re not saying.
Then Emir nods once. No argument.
“End of the week,” he reminds me as he turns, slipping toward the back door. He moves fast but not hurried, steps silent on concrete. In another heartbeat, he’s gone—out into the alley, swallowed by the dark.
I exhale slowly, press my fingers to my temples for half a second, then move.
Ricky is already moving toward me when I emerge from behind the pallets.
He looks from my face to the back door and then to the front, where the main entrance has opened wide enough to let in the sound of an engine cooling outside.
“You okay?” he asks, voice low.
“I’m fine,” I lie.
He steps a little closer anyway, like he’s used to catching me when I’m not.
“He’s coming,” Kay whispers from near the door, eyes big as she looks from me to the entrance.
He hunted me down. Son of a bitch.
The air in the warehouse changes before he even appears. It tightens, sharpens, like the room knows a predator just stepped onto the property.
Then he’s filling the doorway.
Maksim.
