Page 25 of Ruthless Bonds

“Trust me, I’m well aware of that.” I threw back the shot, the liquid burning down my throat.

He gave me that look again, the same one from earlier.

“What doeskoticmean?”

“Kitten,” he whispered, his voice rich and deep, and I knew I was blushing. “You can call me K.”

“Why’d that man try to kill you, K?” I wiggled my glass in front of him and the corner of his mouth lifted, as if trying to hold back a smile.

“He was an assassin. That tattoo indicates he’s from Pauki Teney, an elite organization.” He pulled out his wallet, keys, and pack of cigarettes and laid them on the table. “Who would have thought a nineteen-year-old American could get the drop on him?”

“People tend to underestimate me.” I sipped the shot slower this time. Drinking wasn’t really my thing, and if I took a few more of these, I might do something I’d regret.

“You’re not frightened?” He cocked his head. “I just told you an assassin tried to kill me, and you didn’t even blink.”

“Should I be? Frightened?” I asked, the alcohol warming my cheeks.

Instead of answering, he poured me another shot and held his glass up. “Za zdaroviye—to health.”

I held my glass up against his. “To assassins never succeeding.”

He chuckled softly. “Za tebya/za Vas—to you,kotic.”

“Za tebya/za Vas.” I stumbled over the words, afraid I’d butchered them. But the way he smiled toldme I hadn’t.

We spent the next hour talking as we drank. He was a master at revealing nothing, but making it appear as if he was sharing. The most I got out of him was what I’d already figured—he was a powerful man with a lot of enemies.

I shared more than I’d intended, telling him about Mom’s death, the first time I’d tried stealing, and how I loved taking photos and planned to be a photographer. But I left out all the ugly truths.

I didn’t tell him about struggling to feed myself and two teenagers. About Ray disappearing for days, sometimes weeks, never leaving us money for food or to pay bills. About digging through trash cans at the age of fifteen and the humiliation I’d felt. About stealing from people just to pay the electric bill in the middle of winter.

If I’d told him any of that, he would have pitied me. I didn’t want to see that look in his eyes.

“What will you do to him when you get home?” He lit a cigarette and blew the smoke up into the air.

“There’s not much I can do. I was going to use the money to get a new apartment with the twins. Get away from him and get a real job. But that’s ruined now. He’ll be gone for a week or two, and come back broke and drunk, and I’ll be there because I will never leave those kids with him. They’re fifteen. He’ll use them and…” I balled my hands into fists. “I’ll have to find another way. I always do.”

“You know what I think?” He took a long drag of his cigarette and leaned closer. “I think when he comes back this time, you take a bat and break his fucking kneecaps. And then when he’s crying on the ground,you tell him you’ll fucking kill him if he ever comes near you and your family again.”

Why did that sound so damn sexy coming out of his mouth? My gaze dragged from the cigarette to his lips. “Can I have a drag of that?” My voice was low as I reached for it.

He made a tisking sound with his tongue and shook his head. The air around us grew thick, and he took another long drag, then wrapped his hand around the back of my neck. He tugged me forward, and I came willingly, our lips almost touching. I held his gaze as he blew the smoke into my mouth, and I inhaled it in.

A knock at the door had us pulling away from each other quickly. He pulled his gun out and stalked to the door. There was a man there, but K’s body took up so much of the doorway that I couldn’t see much of anything else. He stepped out into the hall and shut the door behind him.

Reality came crashing back. I was sitting around having a good old time with a killer who casually talked about assassins and murder. I was pretty sure now was the time to get the hell out of here.

I didn’t want to steal from him, but I didn’t have a choice. I opened his wallet and found a thick wad of cash. There had to be thousands of dollars in there. I just needed enough for a cab. I pulled out two crisp hundred-dollar bills, then put the wallet back exactly how I’d found it.

I had to hurry before he came back. Was I scared of him? Not exactly. But did I trust him? No. And although I’d love to believe he was planning on letting me go, I couldn’t be certain. It was better to sneak out a window than end up staring down the barrel of a gunagain.

I’d already checked out the bathroom earlier and knew that was the best way to get out. Luckily for me, the same dumpster I had hidden behind earlier backed up to the bathroom window, so the drop would only be about ten feet. Would I land in piles of disgusting trash? Absolutely. But that was the least of my worries.

Loud voices came from the hall outside, which was my cue to hurry the hell up. I grabbed the chair I’d been sitting on and carried it into the bathroom. After shutting the door, I placed the chair in the shower and stepped up. The bathroom window slid open easily enough. Careful to be quiet, I popped my head out and looked below. The dead guy was gone, and so was the car that had pulled up earlier. The dumpster was exactly where I needed it to be.

I contemplated the best way to do this, but really, there wasn’t one. I’d just have to drop down and pray. At least the lid to the dumpster was open, so my landing would be somewhat cushioned. Not like in the parking garage. The thought of Ray leaving me there to get busted strengthened my resolve, and I lifted myself up. I slid my right leg out the window, then my left, and perched on the ledge. Something sharp scraped against my shoulder as I inched forward, and I hissed at the blood running down my arm.Are you kidding me? What the hell did I do to piss off all the screws and nails in the world?

There wasn’t time to think about that, because one second I was looking down into the dumpster about to jump, and the next powerful hands gripped me by the waist and yanked me back through the bathroom window.

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