Page 159 of Bound By Revenge

Nik knew this was coming. He knew surrendering meant death, but he did it anyway to save me. One look at his resigned expression, and my heart breaks all over again.

I glance at A.J., and she nods again. It’s time.

Thestronzosmirks at Nik, revolver in hand. “Nikolai Stefanovich,” he says, his voice dripping with mockery, “kneel before me.”

Yeah, no. Over my dead body.

A.J. kills the overhead lights, plunging the room into pitch-black darkness. A split second later, the fire alarm blares, sprinklers burst to life, and the wail of police sirens echoes in the distance.

I raise my pistol and fire two shots into the air. It’s Nik’s gun—the one he gave me all those nights ago. I’d found it in his glove box on the way here, and using it now feels like poetic justice. The deafening crack cuts through the chaos, silencing everyone for the briefest heartbeat before all hell breaks loose.

Gunfire erupts, the flashes of muzzle fire cutting through the dark like lightning. My stomach twists as I crawl low, prayingnone of the bullets hit A.J., Nik, or me. This plan was a long shot from the beginning, a desperate gamble. All I can do is hope we’re lucky enough to survive it.

My heart thunders as I dart through the shadows, staying close to the ground. The sprinklers soak me to the bone, water dripping into my eyes and down my neck, but I force myself to keep moving.

I lock my gaze on Nik. He’s cuffed, his clothes bloodied and torn, standing still in the middle of the pandemonium. The cacophony of gunfire, alarms, and frantic shouts swirls around him like a storm, but he doesn’t move. His head swivels side to side, his eyes scanning the chaos, as if he’s trying to make sense of the mayhem around him.

When I finally reach him, I grab his shoulder. He jerks violently, spinning toward me like he’s been electrocuted.

“It’s me,” I whisper, breathless. “Your knight in shining armor. Let’s get out of here before your buddies realize this daring rescue is courtesy of me and my army of one.”

He stiffens, freezing in place. His head snaps toward me, and for a moment, his face softens with relief. Pure joy flickers across his expression when his eyes land on me. But it doesn’t last. That familiar, smoldering rage quickly takes its place.

“You won’t be able to sit for a week after I’m done with you,” he growls.

I grin, heart still racing. “Oh, baby. Don’t threaten me with a good time. Now, let’s move. And here—take this. You know I hate guns.”

He takes the pistol from me without a word, his jaw tight and his eyes flashing with irritation.

“There are no cops outside, are there?” he asks.

“Nope,” I admit. “But A.J.’s here. Vladmir’s on his way too. Figured some backup couldn’t hurt. Before you say anything—he was too far behind us for me to wait for him, so I devised a plan.”

Nik mumbles something in Russian, his tone dripping with frustration. “A plan? You use that word too liberally,kiska.”

Hearing the Russian term of endearment, my chest tightens—I even have to restrain myself from throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him until we’re both out of breath.

“I had resigned myself to never laying eyes on you again,” Nik says, his voice low and raw with hurt. “I hoped you would turn your back on me and never look back. To hear your voice again, to see your face once more—” He breaks off, muttering something harsh in Russian. I don’t need to understand the language to know it’s a curse. “Of all the reckless, foolish things, Kat… You shouldn’t be here.”

“Well, I’m here now,” I say, forcing my voice to stay steady. “So let’s focus on getting out of here alive, and then you can lecture me for the rest of our lives. Sound good?”

His dark brown eyes burn into mine, full of conflicting emotions. It’s painfully obvious he’s torn between kissing me senseless and strangling me to death.

“Damn it, Kat,” he growls, his voice breaking. “You shouldn’t have come.”

Before I can respond, thestronzosteps out of the shadows, his polished revolver catching the dim light as he strides toward us.

“Well, well,” he sneers, his voice oozing mockery. “Ms. Devereaux. Why am I not surprised to see you here? And you, Nikolai—what is it about you Russians that you can’t resist meddling with what belongs to your betters?”

“You are not his better,” I snap through gritted teeth. “And I will never belong to you.”

Thestronzo'ssmirk widens, his pale blue eyes glinting with malicious glee. “I guess we’ll see about that, won’t we?” He takes a slow step closer, radiating smugness. “I’m assuming our friend A.J. is skulking around here somewhere, too. What a lovely littlereunion this is turning into.” He sighs theatrically. “Why don’t we go find her?”

“Leave her alone,” I say sharply, taking a step forward, but Nik’s arm sweeps out, pushing me firmly behind him.

“Don’t worry, Kat,” Nik says, his voice calm and deadly. He wraps an arm protectively around me, keeping me shielded behind him. “He won’t be bothering you anymore.” Nik straightens, towering over thestronzo. “Isn’t that right, Salvatore? Not Kat, not A.J., not Dmitri.”

The Italian’s smirk wavers for a fraction of a second before it returns, his voice taunting. “And why would I do that? Because you say so?”

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