Page 65 of Forbidden Boss

I nod once. We move low, careful not to disturb the brush. Every step feels like crossing a minefield. I keep my eyes on Marcus. His movements are erratic. He’s talking too much, pacing. He’s unraveling.

When we’re thirty meters out, I stop. I need him to see me first. I stand slowly, stepping into the faint light. His head jerks toward me, and he grabs Mari from the ground, pulling her up so she’sa shield between us. He trains the gun on her head, and it takes everything in me not to shoot him right there.

“Marcus,” I call out evenly. “It’s over.”

He laughs, a sharp, bitter sound. “It isn’t over until I say it’s over,” he says, his voice a little hysterical.

He drags her back another step, gun still trained on her head.

“Stay where you are, Lev, or I swear to God I’ll blow her brains out.”

I keep my voice calm, though it takes every fiber of my self-control.

“You’re surrounded. I’ve got men in the trees, more on the ridge. You pull that trigger, and you don’t make it another three seconds.”

“Bullshit,” he sneers. “You won’t risk me killing her.”

I take one step closer. “You’ve never understood me, and that’s where you’ve fucked up your whole plan.”

He smirks. “I understand plenty. You think you can scare me? I’ve got the Kozlovs and the Petrovs on my side. You’ll be dead by morning. They’ll burn your whole operation to the ground.”

I hear Yuri shift behind me, waiting for the word I haven’t given. My eyes stay locked on Marcus. He wants me off balance. He wants me angry. What he doesn’t understand is that I know how to keep my emotions in check when my back is against the wall.

He keeps talking.

“You built this empire thinking you were untouchable, but everyone falls eventually. You should’ve stayed in your lane, Lev. You should’ve kept your bitch in hers.”

Mari flinches. I don’t.

“Watch your fucking mouth.”

He grins wider. “Why? What are you going to do? Shoot through her?”

He’s stalling. Maybe hoping his Kozlov contact will come. Maybe he’s just lost it. Either way, I’m done letting him speak.

“Marcus,” I say quietly, “you have one chance. Drop the gun.”

He presses it harder into her skull. “No.”

Mari glances at me then, just once. It’s quick, but I see the tiniest shift in her posture. She’s still fighting. Still thinking. I recognize the look. It’s the same one she had in my office the first time she stood up to me. It’s defiance. It’s faith.

Marcus keeps ranting.

“You think you’ve got me? You don’t get to win this time. Not you, not your precious accountant, not?—”

Mari collapses without hesitation. She throws herself forward, hitting the ground before he can react. The barrel clears her head, and before he can track her, I fire. The shot cracks through the clearing. Marcus spins sideways as the bullet punches into his shoulder. The gun flies from his hand.

“Move!” I shout.

Yuri bursts from the tree line. He closes the gap in seconds, kicking the weapon away before Marcus can grab it. Marcusstumbles back, clutching his arm, blood pouring down his sleeve.

I move in fast. I want him to look at me when I end him.

“You shouldn’t have touched her,” I say.

He spits blood and laughs weakly. “You won’t kill me.”

“Not yet,” I say with all the menace I’ve been holding back.