“I’ll be sure to have a good cry over that later,” Jack drawled.
Kozlov’s cruel mouth turned up in a smile that sent a chill through Jack. “Oh, you will cry before I am finished with you, Jack. You were not able to be there to see Natasha’s punishment for being a traitor. You could not hear her pleading with her father to spare her life and the life of her son.”
Kozlov’s words were meant to taunt Jack, but there was something more behind them, an anger that seemed barely restrained. Jack’s jaw tightened to the point of pain as he fought to keep his own rage under control.
Kozlov’s grin widened. “But don’t worry, my friend, I will make sure you stay alive long enough to watch this time.”
The heat of Jack’s rage dissipated in an instant, the look in Kozlov’s eyes chilling him to the bone. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Kozlov gave Jack a pitying look. “Do you really think your friends will abandon you? They will come for you, of course. We will ensure that.”
Jack’s heart began to thunder in his chest. “Your problem is with me, Kozlov. Leave the rest of the Alliance out of this. I acted on my own in Moscow.”
Kozlov nodded. “We will argue that point after I deliver your friends’ bodies to the One True Master.”
Stone.
“I’m going to take a great deal of pleasure in killing you, Kozlov,” Jack ground out.
Kozlov chuckled, shaking his head. “Jack, Jack, Jack. By the time we finish with you and your friends—particularly after you see what we have prepared for your beautiful lover—you will be far too broken to do anything but bleed.”
Jack’s restraint snapped. He lunged forward, slamming his fist into the head of the driver, sending the SUV weaving wildly and pitching Kozlov into the door. Using the distraction, Jack pounded his fist into the temple of the man next to him with three quick jabs. The guy’s head lolled to one side as he slumped against the door. The driver regained control just in time for Jack to nail him again.
But this time, Kozlov was ready for him. Jack caught a glimpse of the gun out of the corner of his eye, just in time to grab Kozlov’s arm and slam it against the headrest of the driver’s seat. The gun fired, shattering the side window. His fist nailed Kozlov in the jaw and the man released his grip on the gun.
Jack snatched it away and slammed it into Kozlov’s head and was turning it on the driver when a searing pain lanced through his side, stealing his breath. He gasped and fell back, glancing down to where the pain originated. A fresh crimson stain began to spread below the bloodied spot where the bullet had grazed him. It was then he saw the knife in Kozlov’s hand.
Jack raised a shaky hand and tried to take aim, but the gun fell from his grasp and a sudden jolt of electricity shot through him, making him seize violently. For a few agonizing seconds, he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. The pain abruptly ended and he collapsed against the seat, gasping for air. It was then he noticed that the fucker next to him had come to and tased him.
Kozlov grinned, his smile even more grotesque as the bruises Jack had bestowed began to swell and turn a mottled purple. “Have a seat, Jack,” he invited, gesturing with the knife. “We still have a few miles until we reach our destination. You should make yourself comfortable.”
