you.” I threw a look in her direction, realizing she’d cowered against the passenger door. “Do you now understand the kind of danger you’re facing?”
“Yes. I guess.”
“Good.” I managed to grab my cellphone from my pocket, glancing into the rearview mirror to ensure we weren’t being followed. When Travis answered the phone, I knew what I was asking would test our friendship; however, there was no one else I could count on.
“I thought you were down for the count for the night,” Travis said as he laughed.
“You missed all the action. I need a favor.”
“You got it. What?”
“I need you to perform a little cleanup. There’s an old Monte Carlo in the parking lot in front of the bar. You’re going to find a special package. Are you able to dispose of that for me?”
“Oh, my God,” she whispered, her voice shaking.
“Yeah, I can do that. You want to fill me in?” Travis asked, exhaling in an exaggerated manner.
“Not right now. I might need your services later.”
Travis huffed. “Whatever you need. Just stay safe. I have a feeling you’re in over your head.”
His statement was true enough. “Thanks.” I shoved the phone into my pocket, making a turn on a different street. I knew the small town like the back of my hand. I’d practiced various training exercises with an incident like this in mind. What I hadn’t anticipated was a blatant attempt at hunting with the kind of manpower I’d already seen. There had to be something going on that made my death a necessity to send so many assassins from Mother Russia. My damn contact had better return my call.
I pushed the speed limit, although the last thing I wanted to do was draw any attention to what had occurred. I certainly couldn’t trust Chloe, not by a long shot. Given her innocent nature, she’d tell the police everything, and I couldn’t survive a war on two fronts.
When I stopped at a traffic light, my patience and that theory was tested again. Fortunately, I managed to grab her arm before the door had been opened by two inches. This time, I wasn’t so nice in my handling of her. I twisted her wrist then snarled. I had no intention of hurting her, but this bullshit had to stop.
“One last time, Chloe. I have no issue tying you down. If I find it necessary to do that, I will punish you.”
“Punish,” she repeated, half laughing to herself. “Didn’t you already do that?”
“You have no idea what kind of pain I can inflict.”
I heard her audible shudder and sighed, turning my concentration onto the road. While a portion of my house had been made into a fortress, it wouldn’t take long before I found it necessary to get the hell out of the city until I could figure out what to do.
As I drove through the street, I relived the night of my father’s murder, the bloody details never far from my mind.
“Father,” I called from the bottom of the stairs. I hadn’t seen my father or been home in almost four months, with the exception of a single visit. However, my time spent studying in France was finished and I was glad to be home. The house seemed abnormally quiet, something I wasn’t used to. As I walked up the stairs, my instinct told me that something was wrong.
Pulling my weapon into my hands, I remained close to the wall, peering over the railing as I headed to the third floor. Even the driver had left after dropping me off at the house. I should have known better than to walk away just after a bloody massacre, but my father had insisted, refusing to allow me to remain. He’d been furious with me, backhanding me for only the second time since he’d brought me into his home.
My instincts were on high alert, a strange stench filling the air.
Only this time it wasn’t from approaching enemies. They’d already been here. They’d already destroyed my sense of honor and purpose.
This time, it was the copper odor of fresh blood.
I raced up the remainder of the stairs, moving quickly to the partially closed door of his bedroom. After taking a deep breath, I swung it open. The brutal vision flashed in front of my eyes, all time and sound ceasing.
I’d been unprepared for the horrible scene. Blood stained the walls, trickling down in strings, the scene of gore completed by the scene of my father’s body desecrated in death.
After walking in, I