Page 52 of The Payment

“Ah, I’m a bitch now, am I?”she scoffed, knowing he never would’ve dared in the past.She knew his type.Men who confused cruelty with power.The kind who folded like cheap cards when faced with real strength.“Just remember, fuckface, he who scoffs at danger hurts the most.”

“Who came up with that lame bullshit?”Skull barked a laugh as they reached the shore.He roughly dragged her toward a waiting truck.“Besides, it doesn’t matter.Your loving husband won’t find us, and soon, it won’t matter if he did.”

The threat barely registered.Skull was just another rabid dog doing Gregor’s bidding.She would rather deal with him than that coward who couldn’t even face her himself.

“You’regonna off me?”she sneered as he shoved her into the backseat.“Well, that’s new.Is the mighty Pakhan suddenly too chicken shit to do his own dirty work, or is it that he’d rather let you deal with the Irish fury heading your way?”

A glint of sunlight off water caught her attention.Two speedboats approached rapidly from the distance, cutting through the waves with purpose.Relief flooded through her.She instinctively knew it was Jarek.He had promised to find her...and he did.

“How sure are you that he won’t find me in time?”Her lips curved into a mocking smile.“He’s already here, you stupid prick.”

“Blyat!”Skull’s spit flew as he whirled to look.The color drained from his face.

“What’s wrong?"Tatiana taunted.”Just figuring out you’re not as smart as you thought?The Dark One’s reach goes further than your tiny brain can ever comprehend.”She leaned back with satisfaction coursing through her at his obvious panic.“I almost feel sorry for you.Almost...but not quite.”

Jarek

Nahant Beach, justoutside of Boston...

The speedboats cut through the final stretch of water.Their engines roared as they approached Nahant Beach.Jarek’s trained eye caught the fresh tire tracks in the wet sand.

“We can’t be more than minutes behind them.”

Relief flooded through him, tempering the rage that had been building since Tatiana’s phone call.Skull wouldn’t kill her yet.He was too arrogant, too convinced of his own superiority to waste his bargaining chip.The bastard would want to gloat, to play his hand for maximum effect.That psychology would be his downfall.Two black SUVs waited at the designated spot with their engines running.Jarek’s team smoothly transitioned from sea to land with their weapons checked and ready.

The SUVs tore through the coastal roads, tracking the signal from their drones.Jarek’s knuckles whitened on his gun as they spotted a truck ahead that matched the description from their surveillance feed.

“There,” Declan pointed.“Two vehicles, moving fast toward that industrial complex.”

The truck suddenly veered off the main road, taking a narrow path toward an abandoned warehouse.

“The motherfucker must’ve spotted us,” Nevil spat as he instructed the team to split up.The SUVs broke formation to cut off potential escape routes.

Tatiana

“They’re trying to boxus in,” Tatiana heard Skull curse as their truck skidded to a stop inside the warehouse.“Get her upstairs.Now!”

The following moments blurred into a sequence of rough hands and angry shouts.

“Get your filthy fucking hands off me,” she snapped as two men tried to drag her out toward a metal staircase leading to an office overhead, but the sound of screeching tires outside made them pause.

“Boss, they’re here!”one of Skull’s men called out.Tatiana reveled in the panic evident in his voice.

“Keep her in the truck,” Skull sneered.

Tatiana watched from inside the truck as chaos erupted.Gunfire shattered the morning quiet as the sharp reports echoed off the warehouse walls.She ducked low in her seat, working furiously at the restraints around her wrists.

Two of Skull’s men fell instantly, precise shots from Lucky’s rifle dropping them before they could reach cover.Skull yanked the door open, clearly intending to use her as a shield, but froze at the sound of a bullet whizzing past his ear.

“Move one more inch and the next one goes through your skull,” Jarek’s voice carried across the lot in a deadly calm tenor.

Skull fired wildly as he spun around.His remaining men scattered, trying to flank Jarek’s position.But Declan and Nevil had already moved to higher ground, picking them off with methodical efficiency.

“You’re surrounded, you dumb fuck,” Tatiana snickered, unable to resist taunting him even now.“Should’ve listened when I warned you.”

“Shut the fuck—”

Skull’s response was cut short as Jarek emerged from behind a stack of crates, moving with lethal grace.

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