Chapter Seven

N ik breathed a little sigh of relief as they stepped outside. Nadia was a tempestuous creature, and that had gone better than expected. He’d gathered intel, plus gotten them a safehouse, gear and a snowmobile. Granted, he now had to take a side trip to Petrov’s compound, but if he acquired Zaitsev that would be a huge win for Ex Nihilo.

Of course, the kiss had been unexpected, but she’d been testing him…and Mia. Nadia liked to do shit like that. Try to get under other people’s skin and get a reaction. He wiped a hand over his mouth again, making sure he’d gotten all the red lipstick off.

“It’s all off,” Mia said flatly, as though reading his thoughts.

He glanced over at her, but didn’t comment. Why did he feel like he’d kissed another woman in front of his girlfriend? He gave his head a shake, confused by the ridiculous thought. It made no sense. Mia wasn’t his girlfriend. He didn’t do relationships, especially not with someone ten years younger who oozed an innocence that he hadn’t possessed since…well, since he’d run away from the orphanage all those years ago.

“What’s that?” she asked, pointing to a statue.

“The Izhevsk Bear,” he answered, motioning for her to follow him to the famous statue, and telling Lev they’d be right back. A cold wind blew in off the nearby Kama River, but the vodka had warmed his blood. Hopefully, there was more stashed at the safehouse. He had a feeling he was going to need it.

Funny, though, he hadn’t thought about smoking since before they left the airport, which was very unusual. Normally, he chainsmoked like a fiend.

They stopped in front of the statue and Nik explained, “Legend has it if you rub the bear’s nose, your wish will come true.”

“Really?” She placed her gloved hand on the bear’s nose and massaged its snout. When she briefly closed her eyes, Nik wondered what she wished for. But then she quickly pulled her hand back and smiled. “Your turn.”

“I don’t make wishes anymore,” he said.

“Why not?”

“Because they don’t come true. Mine don’t, anyway.”

Instead of accepting his answer, she took his gloved hand in hers and laid it on the bear’s nose. Her hand remained on top of his, encouraging it to move in a circle. “You never know if you don’t try,” she said softly.

Unable to resist, he gave in to the moment. To her. And, for the first time since he was a scared little boy, he made a wish.

His wish surprised the hell out of him. Instead of wishing to defeat The Agency or even make it out of Russia alive, he found himself meeting Mia’s sky-blue eyes and wishing for the impossible.

For her.

Saint pulled his hand away as though it caught fire and gratefully broke their stare when Lev called for them. He and Dimitri had pulled the truck around and already stowed their bags in the back. Letting out a puff of air, Saint briskly said, “C’mon.”

He opened the rear door and helped Mia climb inside. It was a tall truck, he told himself, and wrapping his hands around her waist and lifting her inside had nothing to do with wanting to touch her. Nothing at all.

After hauling himself up, he settled in beside her and Lev began to drive them away from the town square.

“Who are Petrov and Zaitsev?” Mia asked. “And what’s this neurotoxin you were talking about?”

When Saint didn’t reply, Mia continued asking questions. Questions he had no intention of answering in front of their audience. He could’ve sworn Dimitri had shifted in his seat and was listening to them.

“Do you think my father is working with them?” she asked.

“We can talk about it later,” he said curtly.

“But—”

“Later,” he said firmly, sliding a glance to the men in the front seat. She followed his look and then nodded. Good. She understood that he wasn’t just being a dick. He didn’t trust them and didn’t want them to overhear any important information.

It was a damn good call, too, because fifteen minutes into the drive, Dimitri pulled out a pistol and shot Lev point blank.

◆◆◆

The loud, unexpected pop scared the crap out of Mia, and she let out a scream as Nik shoved her down and threw himself into the front seat. While he grappled over the gun with Dimitri, Lev slumped sideways.

Oh, God, he must be dead. No one is driving the truck!

Mia braced herself as they veered off the road, bounced several times and began to slide down a steep, snowy embankment. Another loud pop filled the air and Mia cried out, ducking lower, terror filling her. Please, let Nik be okay. A few seconds later, they hit something hard, the impact slamming her against the back of the seat.

“Mia? Are you okay?” Nik asked, spinning around and looking into the back.

She glanced up, forcing herself to nod. “Yeah. You?”

“Fine. We need to get outta here.”

He threw the door open, no doubt climbing over two dead bodies, and then opened the back door. Huddled down on the floor, trying to be brave and failing miserably, Mia met his dark gaze.

“C’mon, kotyonok. ” He held out his arms. “You’re okay.”

Mia reached for him, and he pulled her out of the truck and right into his arms. Even though layers of clothing and coats separated them, Mia couldn’t miss how firm his chest and legs were as he slowly lowered her to the snowy ground. He exuded power and strength, and she was extremely grateful he’d just saved her life.

“Are they d-dead?” she managed to ask, twisting her head to look back into the truck.

Nik pulled her away and around to the truck’s back bed where a snowmobile was chained in place.

“Don’t worry about them,” he said gently, pulling his phone out.

Trembling from fear and the cold, she watched him place a call.

“We have a problem,” Nik said after—Mia assumed—Nadia answered. “Your man Dimitri just shot and killed Lev and—”

His dark head snapped up and Mia’s heart fell when she heard the distant rumbling of snowmobiles approaching.

“We’re about to have company,” he said in a clipped tone, then listened to whatever Nadia said. “Okay, spasibo .”

Nik whirled around, scanning the winter landscape for the snowmobiles.

“What now?” Mia asked. It was starting to snow and the wind had picked up, whipping the flurries against her cheeks and into her eyes. They couldn’t take the truck because its front end was wrapped around a tree.

Nik hurried back to the driver’s side and dug around, retrieving a set of keys. “We’re taking the snowmobile,” he announced, stuffing the phone back into his pocket. “Nadia just sent a new location where we can go. Somewhere no one else knows about.”

“You can trust her?” Mia asked worriedly as Nik leaped up into the back of the truck.

“We don’t have a choice,” he said and unhooked the snowmobile. Mia stepped back as he opened the tailgate, lowered the ramp and quickly slid the vehicle down and onto the snowy ground.

The rumbling engines in the distance were getting louder, which meant one thing—they were getting closer. Nik hopped out of the truck bed, his boots landing with a thud, and slid onto the snowmobile. He shoved the key into the ignition and started it up. Then he extended his hand, helping Mia slide on behind him.

“What about our stuff?”

“We’ll get it later. Hold on tight,” he said.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, linked her gloved fingers, and jolted when Nik gunned it. The wind was an ungodly, bitter force and she buried her face against the back of his jacket as they sped through the dark forest.

A minute later, three snowmobiles appeared, their headlights illuminating Nik and Mia. With a curse, Nik turned the handles and drove deeper into the forest. Hanging on for dear life, Mia prayed they could evade their pursuers, but a quick glance over her shoulder confirmed they were right on their tail.

Gunfire popped and Mia screamed. It would be so easy for a bullet to hit her in the back. Nik must’ve sensed the same thing because he pushed the snowmobile harder and pointed it toward a ravine. “Hang on!” he yelled.

Oh, God! Was he going to drive over the edge? Another scream bubbled up her throat, but, at the last second, Nik angled the vehicle sharply away and they slid precariously along the icy edge of the cliff.

Glancing down into the tree-topped abyss below, she tightened her grip and sent up a frantic prayer they didn’t plunge over the side. She looked back in time to see the closest snowmobile shoot right over the edge. Pressing her face against Nik’s back, she tried to be brave, but there were still two more bad guys after them.

Angling away from the edge, Nik drove them straight into a thick cluster of evergreens. Branches slapped her arms and shoulders, and the scent of pine filled her nose. At the same time, Nik lifted his arm and fired over her head at their pursuers. Mia squeaked and held on, but her body was growing numb from the incredible cold.

Suddenly, they lurched forward and a loud clanking sound filled the air. Nik let out a stream of Russian, most likely swear words, and their snowmobile began to slow down. It sounded like something was caught in the gears.

“Get ready to jump, Mia!”

“What?” she screeched.

“I’ve got you!”

Before her frozen mind could process what he was saying, Nik grabbed her hands and arms in a tight grip and leapt off the snowmobile, taking her with him. They rolled down a hill and landed hard in a deep mound of snow. For a dazed moment, Mia stared up at the star-filled sky above and wondered if there were really that many stars or if she was seeing double.

Before she could figure out the answer, Nik was yanking her up. “Run!” he hissed, pulling her with him. She couldn’t feel her numb legs, but she forced herself to keep moving.

Once her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw what looked like a cave opening.

“In there,” Nik said, dragging her inside.

They were both breathing hard and Mia looked back to see two pairs of headlights cut toward the cave’s opening. But they didn’t wait around to confront their pursuers. Instead, they jogged inside. Once they were deeper, Nik turned his phone’s flashlight on, sweeping the area. Mia gasped, not expecting to see what looked like a dreamland of icicles.

“What is this place?” she whispered reverently. “It’s beautiful.”

“Kungur Ice Cave. It’s famous for its ice formations and tourists swarm here during the warmer months. But it’s big and you can get lost easily. Stay close. And watch your st—”

Before he could complete his warning, Mia tripped on a narrow stone step, falling to her knees with a resounding thud that rattled her bones and her nerves even further.

“Are you okay?” Nik helped her stand back up.

“Fine. I’m so numb, I barely felt it.” He studied her for a moment too long then started down the steps. “What?”

“These stairs are called ‘the female tears’.”

“Why?”

“The name comes from a story about a princess who was visiting the cave,” he said in a barely audible voice. “She tripped and fell on them, and after she returned home, she got married. Since then, it’s said that if a woman falls down on these steps, she’ll get married soon.”

“Oh, well, it’s a nice story, but there’s no way I’m getting married any time soon. I haven’t even—” She abruptly stopped speaking.

“Haven’t even what?” Nik asked.

Mia felt her face heat with embarrassment. Thank God it was too dark for Nik to see. “Um, haven’t even met anyone special.”

It sounded lame, but she didn’t care. It was better—well, at least less embarrassing—than admitting she was a virgin who didn’t have any prospects.

They continued walking silently and she took special care where she stepped. This country had too many legends and who knew what Nik would tell her next. Probably that the cave was haunted.

“Do you think they’ll follow us down here?”

The moment the words left her mouth, they heard voices not too far away. Nik grabbed her hand, tugging her off the path toward another small opening. She didn’t like the idea of crawling through such a narrow space, but they were running out of options.

“Go,” he ordered, handing her his phone.

Mia dropped to her hands and knees, shining the light into the opening. Pulling in a deep breath, she wriggled between the rocks and into the looming black tunnel, moving forward into the damp and cold unknown. Please don’t be bats, please don’t be spiders, please don’t be—

An insect that looked like it crawled off the set of Alien skittered across her hand and Mia cried out. She quickly covered her mouth and then Nik’s hand shoved hard against her ass.

“Move your ass, Mia! They’re coming!”