Page 10

CHAPTER 9

MIKHAIL

Song- Welcome To The Chaos, Ice Nine Kills

With my finger pressed against my lips, I frown, each step echoing in the silent space as I draw closer. My plan was to climb the drainpipe and snatch her from her room. She beat me to it. Which makes me think she isn’t as innocent as I naively thought. She is Sergy’s daughter, after all.

She fell right into my trap and now she’s like a statue. Just waiting to be grabbed. It’s like I’m under a spell, unable to tear my eyes from her as I scrutinize every detail. The platinum blonde curls around her face seemed to glow against the backdrop of her obsidian hair. Her pale blue eyes, like shards of ice, seemed to cut through the darkness, locking onto mine.

A single scream from her would be like a siren’s call to Ivan’s army, and we’ll be caught in the crossfire. And I think she knows that.

She’s trying to assess what kind of threat I am. She’s bright and absolutely drop dead gorgeous. I’ve never taken much notice of the intel we have on her over the years. That wasn’t my priority. She was safe. That was my promise kept.

It’s a good thing. Because if I had taken notice of her, I would have become addicted.

Those blue eyes stare into my soul. I can feel it in my chest, this tightening. Clenching my fist, to try to knock myself back into the real world.

Maybe it was watching her scale out of a four story building in nothing but sneakers and her wits. Or the little proud smile she had when she got to the end. It shows the guts she has.

She just ran from the most dangerous man in Russia. Straight into the path of another.

Except I am a different kind of monster compared to my father. I save women from him, not harm them.

Her fingers twitch by her side, her piercing blue eyes that once stared into mine, glance to my right.

She’s about to bolt. A smile tugs on my lips. Not that she can see my amusement. It’s one of the benefits of this mask. I clear my throat and her eyes go wide.

She flinches, taking a small step back, her body reacting instinctively, as if a force beyond her control is pushing her away. To her credit, she hasn’t run from me yet. Grown men have fled quicker than her. But they know who they are dealing with. My gut is telling me she is going to be a ball of fire in my life.

I glance between her face and her left foot twitching against the leaves.

“I dare you to run. Let’s see who enjoys it more when I catch you.”

Do I want to scare her? A little. I need her to submit as easily as possible to save ourselves. I’m not ready for an all out war yet.

I need my brothers. My army. My fingers press against the mask, feeling the uneven texture of my scars, and my anger rises like a tide. The asshole that did this to me is behind those walls. I’m so close to my revenge, it’s tempting to brush past her to seek him out.

My anger blinds me for a moment. Seeing me turn, she pivots and sprints towards the tree line, triggering the security lights that cast a harsh glare across the field.

“Fuck it,” I mutter, breaking out after her.

It’s not a bad view watching her perky ass run from me. In fact, my cock is almost twitching at the sight. I catch up with her in no time. My arm circles her waist and I lift her up and press her hard against my chest, squeezing her tight. I quickly cover her mouth with my palm, stifling her scream before it can escape.

Her breathing is frantic. She wants to fight. I can feel her tense. But this clever little thing doesn’t struggle. Well, not yet anyway.

“I’m saving you. Now keep your mouth shut before you get us both killed. Can you do that for me?” I whisper harshly into her ear.

She nods slowly. I half expect her to bite me, but she doesn’t. I carefully remove my hand, my first test of trust with her.

“Who are you?” Her voice shakes.

“A toss up between your knight in shining armor and your worst nightmare. That’s all based on your choices, Princess.”

“Don’t fucking call me that.” She shivers against me.

Hmm.

I slide her slim frame down mine back onto her feet, then lace our fingers together. She turns to face me, glancing between my eyes and our interlocked hands. Did she feel that spark run up her veins too?

“We will talk in the car when it’s safe. Now, keep hold, and stay behind me. Got it?”

“Yes, big man,” she says, raising one eyebrow.

I squeeze her tight, not realizing my own strength. I need her to believe I’m not the bad guy, just to get us out of here. Then she can see the real Mikhail.

Or, the one I need her to believe exists.

I lead the way, staying close to the treeline, until I count five trees from the gate. Before I can turn left onto the gravel road leading to my car, I catch a glimpse of a man emerging from the double doors, bathed in the harsh glare of the security light.

I turn back to Anastasia and fix her with a steady, unwavering stare.

“Not a fucking word. Don’t even breathe.”

She sucks in a deep breath, dramatically puffing out her cheeks.

Fucking hell, this woman. Enzo didn’t warn me about the attitude that came with her. Although, as Jax’s sister, what did I expect?

Feeling the weight of danger, I guide her deeper into the treeline, forcing her against a massive tree trunk as I draw my gun from its holster. Ideally, I don’t wanna kill this guy. But Ivan thinks I’m dead and it has to stay that way.

You can get away with a lot when the world believes you're a ghost.

As I step back, the sound of a twig snapping under my boot echoes through the silent woods, making me flinch and close my eyes.

“Motherfucker,” I whisper.

The guard’s head whips up in our direction. Kill or be killed, that’s what my father always drilled into us.

“Be a statue again.” I remove my hand from hers, and in that split second when our eyes lock, I see her worry and I almost want to comfort her.

I take a position in front of her. I have a vest on, I can protect her. I move to the tree directly in front and wait, watching his every step as he creeps closer to us.

When he finally catches up to me, I act quickly, seizing the collar of his white shirt and fire three bullets into his forehead without hesitation. I feel his body go slack in my grip, and I let him fall to the ground with a soft thud.

But when I turn around, she’s gone.

I search frantically for Anastasia, my heart hammering in my chest.

She taps me on my right shoulder.

“What did I tell you?” I growl.

She shrugs, her movements light and quiet as she tiptoes past me to the body. She kneels gracefully on the ground, her knees sinking into the earth.

“Oh, Charles, what a shame. I guess that’s karma for being such a dickhead.”

I shake my head in disbelief. A sly smile plays on her lips as she meets my gaze.

This woman has me too stunned to even form words.

“Charles?” I tilt my head. I very much doubt that’s his name. I know of no Russian men called that.

She nods.

“I dunno. I gave all of them silly names that didn’t suit them. Helped pass the time. And pissed them off royally.”

I want to chuckle. She’s funny. But I can’t let her see that side of me.

She presses two fingers against the dead guy’s throat.

“What the hell are you doing?” I ask, hiding the amusement from my tone.

“Making sure he’s dead, dead. You know. I think it might be worth shoving another couple of bullets in his chest, just to make sure.” She looks back up at me, completely serious.

What the fuck went on in that house?

I clench my fists. If they’ve touched her, I swear to God, their deaths will be worse than I already planned. I’ll burn this entire estate to the ground.

I shake my head, bending down and grabbing her wrist with a firm grip, pulling her up.

“We need to go. Now.”

She salutes me, and that throws me off.

“Yes boss. You lead the way.”

How is she this calm in my presence? She’s smart. Fiery. Ruthless.

No. I don’t trust her one bit.

I squat down and scoop her up in my arms, her small frame resting comfortably against my chest.

“This is not the time for games, Anastasia.” I emphasize the last word.

Yep. I thought that would keep her quiet. I’m not her savior.

The freezing air whips against my skin. She must be turning to ice. I make my way through the treeline, and aim towards my truck. I place her on her feet next to the vehicle and unlock it, opening up her door.

“You want me to get in there, I take it?” Her teeth chatter as she speaks, so I shrug off my jacket and place it over her shoulders. For a split moment, her face softens.

She gives me a curt nod and jumps up into her seat. Hopping in the driver’s seat, I unholster my gun and rest it on my lap. This woman needs reminding who is in charge. I wait for her seatbelt to click and I turn on the engine, getting the fuck out of here as fast as I can.

I can feel her gaze burning into my side. In fact she radiates pure fire. I keep my eyes fixed on the road ahead and relax into the silence.

She clears her throat next to me and I glance over. Fuck. She’s gorgeous. Full lips, a button nose and those eyes. Damn, those eyes could break a man. Not me though.

“I’m not some weak princess that needs saving from the monster.”

I grip the steering wheel tighter. The way she speaks to me shouldn’t turn me on as much as it irritates me at the same time.