Page 177 of Malicious Claim

Leila watched me carefully. "That's the smarter move."

It should have annoyed me, how easily she maneuvered me into making the right decision. But instead, I found myself watching her, intrigued.

I turned to Konstantinos and Andreas. "Clean this up."

Then I took Leila's hand, ignoring the way she tensed at the sudden contact.

"We're going home."

Chapter Sixty-Five

The Bigger Threat

The radio was the only thing cutting through the silence between them. Makros had been sitting silently, lost in thought. Leila had been staring straight ahead, her eyes taking in the blur of city lights as the car drove past other cars with relentless speed.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, swallowing the throbbing ache that coursed through her shoulder. It had dulled, but it was still there serving as proof of another close call with death in this godforsaken underground lifestyle. Her mind replayed the moment over and over. The bullet could've lodged in her throat. Her heart. Her head. One inch the other way, and she would've been dead.

The thought unsettled her more than she wanted to admit but she refused to let it show and kept a facade of being alright.

She exhaled sharply, breaking the silence. "Guess I wasn't meant to die tonight. But maybe I should've. At least then, whatever game you're playing with me... it'll finally be over."

Makros didn't look at her. His gaze stayed on the road, city lights flashing across his face in quick succession.

"If you had died," he said in a flat voice, "I wouldn't be here taking a drive home."

He paused, just long enough to make her feel the impact of his words.

"I'd be in Russia. Burning the whole fucking country to the ground."

Leila's gaze narrowed. "Right. You'd be making a statement. Starting a war. Always so dramatic when it's about power."

He finally looked at her.

"No," he said, his voice chillingly husky. "Power means nothing. But I'd tear the world apart if the wind ever dared turned its tide against you."

She didn't say anything because he hadn't understood.

She didn't want him to reduce Russia to ash or tear the world apart for her even though that'd be pretty damn impressive.

She just thought... maybe he'd care enough to mourn for her first.

Makros glanced at her, then back to the road. He'd caught the subtle drop in her shoulders which something told him was not from pain, but something heavier.

"What do you want to say?" he asked quietly.

Leila's fingers curled slightly in her lap. Her mouth parted, but no sound came. She shook her head.

"Don't worry. It's nothing."

He gave a low scoff. "It's not nothing. Talk."

She hesitated. Then, almost in spite of herself, the words came tumbling out.

"Okay. I appreciate the whole 'burn Russia down' thing... But did you even think to mourn me? Just for a second?"

He was quiet for a long while contemplating if he should even reply or leave her question unreplied.

Then he shook his head once and his jaw set. "I don't have that luxury."