Page 37 of Saint

“You don’t belong anywhere…not with the Bratva, not with the Vory, not with the FSS…”

Each reminder hit him like a bullet. The gun, still pointed at Petrov, wavered because his fucking hand trembled. Even now, Petrov knew exactly what to say to hurt him most.

“You’re going to lie in an unmarked grave and no one will weep or mourn. Unloved. Your death will be a blessing…a goddamn relief…”

“You’re the one who’s going to die alone,” Saint said, doing his best to keep his voice steady. Time was running out, and he turned away from the man who had tried to break him again and again before he was tempted to end him with a final bullet. No, he refused to make it quick and painless. He’d let the neurotoxin do its job.

Time for the final nail to be driven into Petrov’s coffin.

???

After disposing of two more guards, Saint returned to the subterranean lab, removed the door jam and stepped inside. Alexei and Zaitsev were ready and waiting.

“It’s done,” Zaitsev said, and Saint nodded. The chemist was getting good at whipping up batches of Novichok. Too good.

Saint pulled three tactical gas masks from his bag. They’d taken up most of the space, but it was necessary in case the Novichok decided to blow back in their faces. “One quick stop and then we’re outta here.”

After putting on the gas masks, they made their way to the nearby HVAC system and carefully released the Novichok. The heat blowing through the ducts combined with the deadlyneurotoxin created a toxic combination that quickly moved throughout the compound.

Saint directed the two men to the underground exit the moment the neurotoxin was released and took point. It was Petrov’s secret escape, a deep tunnel that was a mile long. It was far too dark, but thank God, it was tall enough for Saint to remain standing. If he had to crawl out, he never would’ve made it.

Mia’s comforting words filled his head:Breathe through the fear.

Focusing on the trek and her advice, and not the way the tunnel seemed to be closing in on him, he forced his boots to keep moving. They were so close now. Almost to the exit point, and then they could circle around to the SUV and get back to the jet. Back to Perm…back to Mia.

With thoughts of Mia grounding him, Saint moved forward fast. At the end of the tunnel, they shoved the rusty door open, stepped out into the swirling snow and came face to face with one of Petrov’s men.

It had all gone too smoothly and he should’ve expected it to fall apart somewhere. When the bullet hit his arm, tearing through his coat, Saint flew backward and landed hard on the snow-covered ground.

Chapter Twelve

“Do you think he’s okay?” Mia asked, brow knitted in a frown. She knew the mission would take time, but it was now dark out and they hadn’t heard a word from Nik. It was also snowing hard and her gut churned with worry.

“I don’t know,” Nadia admitted. She sat at the kitchen table, cleaning her gun. Which wasn’t intimidating at all. Not one little bit.

“What do you think?” Mia paused stirring the canned soup she was heating up on the stove. “Should we be worried?”

“Nikolai is a man hellbent on revenge. He’s going to get his vengeance or die in the process. Only time will tell.”

Her words didn’t make Mia feel any better. Even though she wasn’t very hungry, she poured the soup into two bowls and walked over, setting one near Nadia. Sitting down, she picked up her spoon and swirled it around, contemplating the other woman’s words as the soup cooled.

What if Nik didn’t come back? Logically, she knew she wouldn’t be stuck in Russia. All she had to do was call the man on his team named Pharaoh and he’d arrange for Hunter to fly her back to the States. But the idea of Nik possibly dying made her heart constrict. As annoying as he could be, he also fascinated her.

And the attraction between them?Gah.She squeezed her thighs together as she remembered him climbing into the tub with her, splashing water over the sides like nothing mattered to him but getting to her as quickly as possible. And it wasn’t the hot soup that made her lips burn when she thought about how he’d kissed her with a passion she’d never experienced before.

A man that virile and vibrant couldn’t just disappear from her life as suddenly as he’d appeared. Like an unpredictable force of nature, he’d come out of nowhere and she’d been slightly infatuated ever since. Okay, maybe a little more than slightly.

Sure, he said she wasn’t his type. But she didn’t believe him. She’d gotten a glimpse of his arousal and, dear God in heaven, it was big. If he wasn’t attracted to her, his cock wouldn’t have been nearly bursting through his zipper.

Right?

Granted, Mia had very little experience when it came to men, but from what she knew, a hard-on meant a guy was ready to have sex. Well, at least thinking about it. She bit her lip when she realized Nik had wanted to have sex with her.

He had to come back. He had to because she wanted so much more than that one kiss.

Nadia’s phone rang and Mia’s head snapped up. “Is it him?”

Instead of responding to Mia, she answered the call. “Alexei?”

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