Page 10 of Wicked Embers

“Let go of me,” I hiss at him, and then, without a second thought, I swing. My fist connects with his jaw. “Fuuuckk,” I growl under my breath, cradling my throbbing hand as my surprised father staggers back.

But I don’t have time to examine my hand as he regains his balance and lunges for me. But I hit him with more pepper spray.

“Jesus, fucking, Christ!” He growls.

“I hope it burns your fucking eyeballs out, you bastard,” I say, leaning in as he struggles to clear his vision. “I want you to know that I hate you,” I spit, each word laced with the hate I feel for him. “Do you hear me? You’re nothing to me. Dead. And if Iever see you again...” I lean closer, my voice dropping to a cold whisper. “It won’t be pepper spray in my hand, and you really will be dead.”

I give one more squirt just for good measure.

“Jesus! Stop that,” my father yells, his hands flailing around, but I’m already ducking and dodging toward to the door, my aching hand cradled in my sweater pocket.

I turn to see the room in pandemonium and all bouncers on deck rushing in to control the mob scene.Take that, you fucking cheating scumbag trying to buy me like I’m a pound of flesh at a butcher.I catch Radomir’s menacing eyes from across the room, and a cold shiver rushes down my spine at the anger burning in them.

Luckily, he’s surrounded by a horde of angry rich men, but the look he sends me is clear—this is far from over.

“Time to disappear,” I mutter, my voice low.

I think about saluting him or giving him the finger, but I don’t want to chance poking the bear any harder than I already have, and my saluting hand is throbbing like hellfire from cracking my father’s jaw.

I turn to head out the door.

“Oof!” I run into another fucking brick wall. I step back and look into the sparkling aquamarine eyes of a man I recognize from a burlesque club where my best friend Sabrina’s mother works.

“Well, hello,” the man eyes me suggestively. “Where are you off to in such a rush?”

“A date with my future,” I answer. “Excuse me.”

I go to push past him as a shout from behind me catches the man’s attention, and I use that moment to slip by him disappearing into the crowd, trying to figure out when the next bus to anywhere out of Vegas leaves.

As I rush out the hotel doors, I feel in my purse.Fuck!I’ve left my bus ticket at my apartment, and there’s no way in hell I can go back there. That’s the first place the Russian mob will look for me.

I glance up and see the Golden Lights Hotel and Casino sign shining like a beacon in the distance.Sabrina!I glance back. I can’t go straight there as they are sure to get me on those cameras, so I pull up my hood and duck around the corner, dissolving into the night.

As the darkness engulfs me, what I’ve just done starts to hit me. Fuck! I just called out the fucking Prince of Darkness himself. My knees start to feel shaky. Goddammit! Carla Craft, the only woman role model I’ve had for the past ten years and my best friend, Sabrina’s mother, always warned me that my quick temper would bring me nothing but trouble—well, it seems she was right! Only I think this time it may just have cost me my life and a broken hand! As it turns out, punching someone in the face is not as easy as it seems in the movies.

Heading toward my destination the image of Radomir Molchanov’s icy glare sends a shiver down my spine. There was a silent promise burning in those impossibly blue eyes. My breath stumbles. I may be free for now. But this isn’t over. My only hope is to put as much distance as I can between me and him!

Chapter 5

RADOMIR

The room explodes into chaos. Cards and chips scatter like hail, voices rising in a chaotic symphony of curses and accusations. My controlled kingdom is momentarily shattered, and I feel the itch of irritation crawling under my skin.

And in the center of it all, like a fiery-haired hurricane, stands Leigh Dalton.

She faces off with Mark, her stance defiant, shoulders squared, eyes blazing with fury. I can’t hear a damn word over the shouting patrons, my phone pressed to my ear as I bark instructions to Viktor and Dolph. But I see the tension crackling between father and daughter like a live wire.

Mark’s hand clamps down on her arm—too tight, too careless. My fists tighten involuntarily, a violent instinct surging to the surface.Don’t you fucking touch her like that.

I want to tear across the room, slam his face into the nearest poker table, and show him what happens when a man lays a hand on a woman like that—especiallymywoman. ButI can’t move. Not yet. Angry patrons surround me, demanding either refunds or blood—probably both. I’ve called Judy Petrov—my ace in situations like this—but she isn’t here yet.

All I can do is watch Leigh face off with her father from afar.

Mark leans in, his expression a volatile mix of anger and desperation. I’ve always suspected there’s more to him than the pathetic gambler he pretends to be. Tonight, he confirms it. His grip tightens, and Leigh flinches. She tries to yank her arm away, but he holds on.

My jaw aches from clenching.When I get over there, Dalton, you’re a dead man.

“Radomir,” someone hisses at my side. “Are you listening? This is unacceptable—“

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