Page 8 of Dravin

“Stop it. I’m not going anywhere with you.” I know how stupid that sounds given that I’m sitting in the backseat and he’s the one driving.

I have a momentary flash of panic, thinking about the things that I left behind in that small apartment, but like the first time I had to leave in a hurry, I know he’s already taken care of it. He said as much. It’s galling that there’s something about this man that inspires such complete and utter trust from me and has from the first minute I met him.

Then again, when someone storms into your life and tells you that your brother is going to be assassinated and you’re next unless you go with them, what choice do you have?

“If you’re so big and scary, you can go get my money back. Give me that fake ID and we’ll call it a day. You can go your way, and I’ll go mine.”

“Tempting, but not going to happen.”

“I release you from your promise.”

“I didn’t make it to you.”

I work the tape off my hands and bend over, unlacing my boot.

There hasn’t been so much as a minute this past year that I haven’t been aware that my brother isgone. After our mom passed, he was the only family I had left in the world. I didn’t just adore him. I loved him like he was the sun.

I was the one that put conditions on that love.

When he came back, he wasn’t the brother I remembered. He tried to protect me from that, but in the end, it was me who cut off contact. I was the one who carved him out of my life like a tattoo I couldn’t stand to look at anymore, grafting out skin and bone and blood.

I ignore the burning at the backs of my eyes and the throbbing knot in my throat. “Do me a favor and make me a promise so you can unmake it.”

“It doesn’t work that way. A life for a life. You’d have to kill me.”

I snort as I finish unlacing my boot. “Don’t make it sound so tempting.”

“Youarecoming with me.Immediately. You’re going to assume this new identity and play a part. With any luck, it won’t be forever. Those Russian pricks have got themselves involved in a turf war with another gang. They might all wind up dead.”

“Memories are long.” And family always has family who have family. Blood feuds are just as strong as blood debt.

“Not so long when you have other things to occupy you, but until every last one of them who knew your brother’s name is dead, I won’t rest.”

“You could keep yourself busy avenging him.”

Dravin pretends that it doesn’t bother him, but he’s too rigid. When I lean forward, I can see just how tight his hands are on the wheel. “You brother died like he lived. With dignity. He didn’t ask me to avenge him. He asked me toprotect you, and that’s what I’ll do.”

“By ruining my life?”

“If I have to, yes.” He lets that percolate for a few minutes, before adding in a chipper tone that makes me want to punch him right in the throat, “I found us a lovely little city to call home.”

“If you think for a second that I’ll play the part of your sweet, dutiful wife, you can get f—”

“Sister. You’ll be my sister. They’ve already agreed that we’re a package deal. You come with me, or I don’t work for them.”

If he’d palmed a knife and thrown it directly into my chest, this couldn’t hurt any more. Whatever pride I have left is too strong to let my hurt show, so I focus on something else instead. “Who the fuck isthey?”

The worst part of this is that I’d planned on making my way out of this after only having myself to rely on and now I’m just as helpless as I was from the very first minute I met Dravin.

“Theyare a group of people who need help in their IT department.”

“You’re going to be working some white-collar job?You?” It’s not kind to laugh, but I’m not in a very kind mood. Besides, the image of this beast fixing computers for stodgy suits in some stuffy office building all dayishilarious.

“I already did a job for them as a test run.”

What the fuck? What kind of people are these? Definitely not white collar. Dravin explained a few things to me when we met. I have no idea if it was because he intended for me to trust him or if it was to scare me into submission.

“So you hitmanned some poor unfortunate person.”

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