fake. Desperate moves to save her ass. To play me hard so I’d spare her life. Real fear, though, I
could smell from miles away. That she wasn’t faking.
That, for some wicked reason, made me wanna change my plans, change my own skin, and be her
protector instead of her killer.
“I was on the move again. In North Carolina, I got my new identity, Anne Harrison. It’s not the
best, but it’s all I could get on such a short notice. I thought it’d do until I figured out how to get out the country for good,” she added.
I wiped my mouth, shifting in my chair, shaking the stupid feeling off. She was nothing but a job. A
bounty I was hunting, not saving. “Your story is impressive and all, but I don’t buy it. I can’t help you there.”
“Every word I said is true, I swear.” More fear spiked in her voice. “Please, Savage. You might
not care about a life of a stranger like me, but you sure care about money. I said I’d pay you four
hundred thousand.”
“C’mon, little girl. Like you have that kinda cash? If your story checks out, it means you’re fucking penniless and have no access to your family’s or your motherfucking boyfriend’s riches. How do you
want me to believe you have four hundred grand? Unless you’ve been a lying bitch all along.”
She jumped to her feet, waving her hands in the air. “I’m not lying! How can I prove it to you?”
“Show me the money.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“You’re smart enough not to tell me where it is, so I won’t bother asking, but, at least, tell me how you fucking got it when you’ve been cut off and on the run for years.”
“I have a better idea. How about you tow my car back here, and I’ll show you real proof of
everything I’ve said.”
I scratched my chin, mulling it over. “Fine, but if it turns out you’re lying, and I think you are,
tomorrow morning you’ll be prepped to be shipped to Chicago, understood?”
“Chicago?”
“The family of the missing girl you’re replacing is there.”
Her face changed all of a sudden. She looked away before she thought I’d noticed. “When you
asked me if I spoke Russian, is it because they are?”
“Yes. The Romanovs. They’re looking for their lost daughter, Anastasia. You’d better get used to
the name already.”
“The Romanovs?” I could hear her gulp from here.
“Ever heard of them?”
She nodded, escaping my gaze still. “Yes. Everybody knows they’re Bratva.”
