Page 12 of Fight

Three

Ioan

The woman watchedme for a moment and then, to my surprise, she started to laugh. The sound was somewhat nervous, trembled a bit with emotion, but there was no doubt of her amusement.

“That makes two of us, buddy,” she said, a soft giggle bubbling out of her throat.

She paused, considered, and then said, “Although, my night would have turned out much differently, I guess.”

She was silent then, and I watched the realization cross over her face. In an instant, the laughter was gone, and she looked stricken, fear creeping over her features. But when she looked at me again, I saw a moment’s relief.

I didn’t have the heart to tell her that her troubles had only just begun.

Didn’t want to think about how deep mine had gotten in a few short minutes. Inaction had been my sin before, but this time, ill-considered actions would be my undoing, probably permanently.

But I put my own predicament aside and stared at the woman. As the seconds passed, I watched the play of emotion on her face. Saw the realization that she was alive, the relief about that fact, then the question of what would happen to her now. Her thoughts were so transparent and obvious, she may as well have been speaking out loud.

In this moment, she looked as though she was about to bolt, her dark eyes shifting around the room as if in search of escape. Her stance was hunched, her body coiled tight like she was waiting to spring. She might do some damage too, especially if pushed.

She was well above average height for a woman, and strongly built, solid-looking from head to toe. It was an interesting contrast, because though she was undeniably feminine with full breasts and curvy hips, she wasn’t delicate, not in the least, and the scowl on her face was testament to that.

A surprisingly attractive face, too, or at least it would have been if she wasn’t bruised and looking at me like she would kill me or try damn hard if she needed to.

“Let’s go,” I finally said.

She stood still.

“Now!” I yelled, when she still didn’t move.

While she’d been contemplating her night, I’d been contemplating mine, and there was no way around it. I was in deep shit and didn’t have the patience or time to deal with her.

She thinned her full lips into a line, and her nostrils flared with her annoyance. This woman was one of the more transparent people I’d ever met, and I could see her struggle to remain quiet.

“Fine,” I said, turning to walk away.

I wanted to punch something, but Markov wasn’t around, and neither was Ciprian, for that matter, so I had no way to expel the excess energy. But standing here wasn’t an option. I had a lot of cleanup to do if I had any hope of getting out of this alive.

She huffed, and then I heard her moving behind me.

“Dude! I’m not some puppy following you home,” she said, exasperation clear in her voice.

I kept walking, but called over my shoulder, “You should stay here then.”

She shot me a murderous glare.

Staying wasn’t an option for her, just as leaving her wasn’t an option for me. Anton had made that more than clear, and I knew Vasile would say the same.

I was stuck with her until I fixed this. Now I needed to figure out what the hell I was going to do with her.

I heard her running, and when she caught me, she fell into step beside me, mercifully quiet as I walked to the car. I made no concession in my speed, but she kept up, which was impressive given how much effort she was expending stabbing me with her eyes.

I’d wondered how she’d gotten on Markov’s radar, but I could easily see how that was possible. The guys said I was laid-back, but Markov was assuredly not, and if this woman had looked at him the way she was currently looking at me, I was surprised she’d made it this long.

“Where are we going?” I asked once we’d gotten into the car.

“How should I know?” she said, looking as if I were stupid for asking.

“Where do you live?” I said with exaggerated patience I didn’t feel.

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