Page 26 of Brutal Promise

“Right, Mr. Tough Guy,” I mutter as Kirill pulls up.

We climb into his car like we just robbed a bank. Alena slides over to make room for me in the backseat.

“Right,” he says as he gets in the front seat and nods once to Kirill in what I assume is a courtesythank you.

“Are you okay?” Alena asks. “We were about to get on the freeway. I’m glad you caught us when you did.”

“Yes, but Dmitry needs a hospital.”

Kirill shakes his head. “No can do, princess. Gunshot wounds require too much paperwork, and the cops get involved. Don’t you watch John Wick movies?”

“Oh, right. Well, we need to do something. You’re a fixer or whatever.”

“I’m on it. We have a doctor on call. And by the way, this was supposed to be a vacation for Dmitry. What the fuck happened?” Kirill barks.

I can barely hear Kirill’s voice as it’s noisy in the backseat. The muffler sounds like a jet engine at idle. When he puts his foot on the gas to accelerate, it sounds like a jet engine at takeoff. Men sure do like their muscle cars.

Kirill is checking his mirrors.

“Is anyone following us?”

“Not at the moment,” Dmitry says, glancing toward me in the backseat, then out the back window. Looking for a tail, I assume. “What are you not telling us, Izzy? You’re the target. What makes you so special?” His focus is back on me.

Shit.

“I have no clue,” I murmur.

“Izzy, we need to know who’s after you. These are dangerous men.” Alena’s eyes plead with me.

“Look, you know my story. I have a tattoo you think is a logo for the mafia. I got it in a tiny shop in Connecticut. I don’t remember there being a warning sign about bird tattoos,” I snap sarcastically.

The men speak to each other in Russian. Dmitry is getting Kirill up to speed. Meanwhile, Alena is asking me what just happened.

“It was scary. I mean, I had a knife to my throat, but I knew Dmitry wouldn’t let them take me. I didn’t know how it was going to play out. It happened so fast. I feel safe with him.”

“There’s no way you would have known what was happening. I’m sure it went down quickly,” Alena adds, which makes me wonder if she’s ever been in a similar situation.

“The man had an Irish accent. I think he’s different than the man at the bar.” I turn to Alena and see the genuine concern on her face. This is a first.

“Who would want to take me? I don’t have any family, and I certainly don’t have money. But I remember my Aunt Emma trying to talk me out of moving to New York City. She said my mom made her promise I’d never be in the city alone.”

“Really? Shit. You never told me.”

“I never thought much about it until now. I thought it was just bullshit to make me stay with her.”

“But you’ve been here for years. What changed?” Alena asks as she searches my eyes. I shrug before I glance out the window and try to identify any other clues, but I come up empty.

“What do you mean, Izzy?” Dmitry must have bionic hearing. I didn’t realize he was listening to us.

“I don’t know. I guess I wasn’t supposed to move to New York City. I wasn’t told why. I thought it was stupid.”

“No, you wanted to attend school here,” Alena says. “And there’s nothing wrong with that. Could it have been a warning?”

“A warning for what?” I shrug. “I don’t know any more than you. We’ve been roommates for years. We know everything about each other. The issue is that not much is known about my mother’s or my father's family.”

“We’re here,” Kirill announces as he smiles into the rearview mirror.

I glance out the window. “We’re at an animal hospital,” I mumble. Then I snicker for the first time since the shooting. Holy shit, itislike the movies.

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