Page 2 of The Pakhan

“You are a bastard, but I’ll agree. However, the job better be done, or I’ll come after you and your family.”

There was more. Enough that my gut told me Vadim had a target on his back that was ready to explode. When I attempted to download it, something stopped me, a different kind of firewall. Shit. I clicked it off immediately, taking a deep breath. Just one more thing. Transfer five hundred thousand dollars from one of the accounts very few people supposedly paid attention to. Joshua had promised me ten percent on top of my regular fee but whew, I was sweating big time.

I did my job, able to transfer the money without a hitch. I took another deep breath, about to click out when the screen went black. Completely black.

Jerking back, I quickly glanced behind me. No, the single light I had on was still burning dimly. What the hell? As soon as I turned my head, a skull appeared. A laughing skull.

“Shit. Shit. Shit.”

My presence had been discovered. I wasn’t frantic but my fingers quickly shut down the program and the computer within seconds. I jerked up from my chair, almost knocking the mug of coffee to the floor.

What should I do? Were my firewalls enough? The blocking attempts?

I started to pace the floor, cognizant my throat was closing off. Seconds ticked by.

Minutes.

What seemed like hours.

Maybe everything was going to be okay.

Very slowly, I breathed out, tamping down the anxiety. I’d been quick enough. I was okay. Just fine. Several minutes ticked by and I continued pacing.

I had to back away from this. I’d call Joshua in the morning. Fuck him and his regular updates. As I started to walk away, my sixth sense kicked in. Or maybe my gut instinct. Was that a screech of tires? Very slowly I walked to the side of the window, holding my breath as I peered out. The darkness was oppressive. Even the lights of the city couldn’t seem to brighten the skyline.

I stood right where I was, telling myself I needed to find a better regular job. Suddenly, I noticed two sets of headlights, both vehicles swinging around the corner. The moment they screeched to a stop directly in front of my building, four big monsters crawled out under the single streetlight.

I’d be damned if they didn’t look up at my window, which was on the third floor. There was no time to be terrified. I didn’t need my instinct to tell me I was a dead woman if they caught me. I raced into my bedroom, throwing open my closet door. Joshua had educated me on the importance of preparing a go bag just in case. I had some clothes and makeup, another pair of shoes, and an older laptop.

My heart thudding to the point echoes were bouncing in my ears, I grabbed my purse and keys, noticing the baseball bat I’d purchased for protection. It was all I had. I snagged it, trying to build additional anger.

Before I rushed to the door, I jerked my head toward my computer system. The jump drive. Without wasting any time, I grabbed it, heading to my apartment door. I had to get out and there was only one way. The bastards would likely cover the stairs and the shitty tin can of an elevator.

I closed my door softly, rushing down the hallway to the window at the end. But before I had a chance to open the rickety old thing, the elevator pinged. I pressed myself against one of my neighbor’s doors, grateful there was more of an overhang than in most buildings.

Voices sounded in the hallway, at least three distinct ones. And they were speaking Italian. The moment they kicked in my door, rushing inside, I knew there wasn’t a moment to lose. I returned to the window, forced to put the bag and bat on the floor as I struggled with the window. Fuck. Fuck. The damn thing was stuck.

I said another silent prayer and yanked upward, my arms aching. Thankfully, it budged, sliding open just enough for me to slip out onto the fire escape.

And not a moment too soon. The bastards were in the hallway.

One of them grunted and I didn’t need to understand their language to know I’d been seen. I grabbed my things, barely able to breathe as I crawled through the window. One of the bastards almost grabbed my arm but I smashed the bat down on his fingers.

He howled, pulling away and I bounded to the metal stairs. The fire escape was old, so much so I was terrified it wouldn’t hold my weight, but I had no other choice.

I made it to the ground, jumping the last two feet and almost got tangled up with my bag.

Voices were behind me, rounding the corner of the building. If I didn’t make it to my car, there was no hope. I took off running, grateful I jogged in the mornings, refusing to look back even though it felt as if they were breathing down my neck.

I almost slid on the wet pavement as I rounded the corner to the tiny parking lot. Only then did I take a quick look. They hadn’t gotten to me yet. I rushed to my car, trying to calm my nerves as I hit the key fob. Now I was grateful my father had purchased my little Miata for my college graduation, which meant I didn’t need to fumble with keys.

The door was open and I tossed the bag when thug number one bounded around the corner. Fuck. He had a gun in his hand. I would try to figure out what came over me later, but I stepped away from the back of the car and closer to him, able to calm myself enough I could calculate his distance.

Come on, big boy. Come on.

I’d be damned if the bastard wasn’t grinning. He shoved his weapon into his jacket and beckoned me with both hands.

“I won’t hurt you, sweetheart.”

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