Page 92 of Ruthless Bonds

“Alora, or I should say Mrs. Zokrova, it’s good to see you despite the circumstances.”

“What is this about, Agent Greene? Why are you stopping us when we haven’t done anything wrong?” I demanded.

She chuckled, no humor in her tone. “The Zokrov Bratva is always doing something wrong.” Her gaze dropped to my wedding ring, then up to my neck, where I knew I had marks from Kreos’ lovemaking.

“Is this why my sister’s attackers haven’t been caught?” I arched my eyebrow. “Because the FBI is too busy harassing innocent people instead of looking for the real criminals?”

Her face reddened as she turned to face me fully. “We’re doing our best to get your sister justice, Alora. You know that.” She ran her fingers through her hair, letting out a sigh. “Did you think about what I asked you? Back at your apartment? I know he forced you into this, Alora. If you trust me, I can help you get free.”

I scoffed, shaking my head. “The only thing I need you to do is to stay far away from me and myfamily. We don’t need your help.”

She searched my face, her lips set in a flat line. “I underestimated you,” she murmured. When I didn’t say anything else, she tossed the car keys in my direction, surprising me. “You’re free to go, but I’ll be taking your friends in for questioning. Drive safe, Mrs. Zokrova.”

With that, they climbed back into the SUV and pulled off with their sirens blaring. Tash and Grig were staring at me through the window in the backseat.

I pulled out my phone, cursed when I noticed there was still no signal. Kreos would be furious if he knew what had just happened. I jumped into the driver’s seat of the SUV and started the engine. Except this time, the car wouldn’t turn on.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

Maybe they’d wiggled something loose when they were searching under the hood. I hopped back out, then opened the hood. I knew nothing about cars other than how to jump a dead battery. But after inspecting the battery connections and all the other cables, and not seeing anything out of the ordinary, I realized I might have to walk. The sun was already setting, which meant it would be dark soon. There was no way in hell I wanted to be walking out there in the middle of nowhere in the dark with no cell service.

I tried starting the car one last time with no luck. Good thing I had my dagger in my boot, but that was the only weapon I had. If a coyote or another wild animal found me before I got help—well, I didn’t want to think about that.

I marched down the road, holding my cell phone up in the air, searching for service. Of all the times for this to happen, it had to be when I was alone in themiddle of nowhere.

No more than two minutes after I’d left our SUV, a car drove down the side of the road, coming from the opposite direction. I was about to wave them down, but then decided against it. Out here, Kreos’ enemies could be anywhere. It would be better to just find a payphone or wait until I got service again.

But apparently the driver was going to take pity on me, because they turned around, their headlights casting a shadow as they pulled up next to me. Inside was a woman, maybe in her early thirties, with bright red hair and an even brighter smile. She rolled down the passenger window, waving at me as I stuffed my phone into my back pocket.

“You need help, sugar?” She had a slight twang in her voice that made me think of a couple that had come to the bar visiting from Texas. “It’s not safe for a young lady to be walking alone at night, you know.”

“Actually”—I took a step closer, peeking into the car—“do you mind giving me a lift to the gas station? It’s about two miles from here.”

“Sure thing, hon. Hop in.” She leaned over and grabbed her backpack from the passenger floor. When she turned around to throw it into the backseat, I could clearly see the butt of a gun tucked into the waistband of her pants.

Goosebumps prickled over my arms, the hair on the back of my neck standing up.

Always trust the goosebumps.

“Oh, you know what?” I leaned away from the car, pulling out my phone. “Forget it. My husband just texted. He’s on his way.”

Her smile stayed frozen on her face as she lookedat me. “I think you should get in the car, Mrs. Zokrova.”

My heart stopped for a moment, then began beating so fast as dread washed over me. I took a step back, then another as I looked all around me. My only option was to run into the woods and hope she didn’t shoot me first.

She put the car in park and stepped out. “Now we can do this the easy way, or the har—” Her face registered shock, her mouth hanging open as a dark red circle formed on her forehead. A second later, her body crumpled to the pavement.

My eyes widened as I realized someone had just shot her in the head. Time seemed to slow down as a man stepped out from the woods behind her car. He walked over slowly, a gun with a silencer attached to it, aimed at the ground. My breath came out in short, rapid gasps as he stood in front of me.

He gripped my shoulder, his face twisted with concern. “Are you OK, Alora?”

The world spun, and he grabbed me before I could fall.

It couldn’t be.

“You’re safe now. I got you.” He gripped me tightly.

“Jameson?” I whispered, as everything turned black.

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