Chapter 34

Samara~

I was a mess, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could go on. I had no idea where I was, my thigh was a mess, and while I wasn't bleeding profusely, it felt like I was. I was also traipsing down dark roads in clothes that barely covered me.

After I'd shot Louie, I'd sat in the abandoned house for far too long, wondering what to do next. The logical thing would have been to look for Louie's phone, then call the police, but something had stopped me. While I would have been able to sell the random attack thing, there's one part of my story that would have made the police look into my situation much closer. If this had been a random attack, then why not just attack me as soon as he'd gotten me into that building? Why take the time to drive me all the way out here? Of course, that could have just been my overactive imagination, but the last thing that I'd wanted was to help the police connect Louie Manziel to Maksim Barychev. Even though the Kotovs had enough cops in their pockets to not worry too much about arrests and convictions, the supposed betrayal would have cost me my life.

Nonetheless, taking off walking in the middle of nowhere, wounded and tired, hadn't been the best decision, either. However, I didn't know anyone else's number by heart to call anyone other than the police. Unfortunately, I also had no idea how much farther it was to the city, and there was no guarantee that I'd even be near my condo when I got there. I had so much shit running through my head, and I still couldn't believe what I'd been through in a matter of only one goddamn week.

Finally, needing to rest- though it was a bad idea -I sank down, landing on my ass against one of the many sycamore trees that littered the area, and I honestly just wanted to lie down, then call it a night. Still, despite my obvious stupidity these past few days, I knew that I needed to keep going. With my luck, since Rurik and Louie had both failed to rape and murder me, there was probably some other jackhole just waiting in the wings to get his chance.

I let out a harsh laugh at how I'd obviously lost my mind somewhere between shooting Louie and sitting down at this tree. Instead of processing how I'd just killed a man, I was contemplating an imagined rape that probably wasn't going to even happen. I mean, what were the odds that someone else would attack me? Yeah, I was currently stranded in a horror movie background, but God had to cut me a break somewhere, right?

Just then, a beam of headlights cut through the night, and all I could do was laugh like an insane person. If it really was possible to jinx yourself, then that's what was happening right now. I had such a bad opinion of humanity right now, so there was no way that this could be someone that was willing to help me. Not out here, and not at this time of the night.

Pushing myself back onto my feet with the support of the tree, the driver of the car had been gracious enough to drive past me a bit, the bright shine of the headlights no longer blinding me. It was a small consideration, but one that I appreciated, nonetheless.

When I saw two men get out of the car, tears immediately sprung to my eyes, weariness hitting me like a ton of bricks. In my current shape, I was no match for one guy, let alone two. Plus, they weren't your average five-foot-ten insurance salesmen. Nope. These two looked like they had parole officers, though that was more in the way that they carried themselves than looking like actual felons. Besides, the few tattoos that they had were nothing in comparison to what Avgust looked like with his clothes off.

I also should have brought the gun with me, instead of leaving it behind with my fingerprints all over it. Had I'd been thinking rationally, I would have taken the time to bury it or bring it with me. Granted, with nowhere to hide it, I would have looked like some armed lunatic walking the streets at night, but that still would have been preferable to whatever these two had in mind.

"Lass, you're looking pretty…troubled," the first guy said, and that's when I immediately knew that I was in O'Brien territory.

"I'm Nolan, and that guy there is Eamon," the second one added. "We're not going to hurt you."

"Well, that's comforting," I drawled out, not bothering to hide my sarcasm.

Ignoring my tone, Nolan asked, "Where are you coming from, lass?"

Now, it was one thing to lie to the police, and then quite another to lie to the O'Briens. "From an abandoned house where some crazy fuck tried to rape and kill me."

Both men shared a glance before Eamon asked, "Do you recall how far back you were?"

"Are you asking me if I was in Kotov or O'Brien territory?" I asked, seeing as how I had nothing left to lose. "I honestly don't know. I wasn't invited to the meeting when the territories were divvied up."

Nolan tried to hide a chuckle underneath his breath. "Yeah, okay."

"Okay, let's start with something simple, lass," Eamon suggested. "Can you tell us your name?"

"Samara Andreev," I answered, beyond caring if I was borrowing trouble with the truth or not. "My name is Samara Andreev."

"Well, Samara Andreev, we can't leave you here, so…uh, are you going to come peacefully…?"

I actually laughed as I shook my head at Eamon. "Do I look like I have the strength to fight you both?"

Nolan grinned. "Lass, I've learned never to underestimate a woman, and because of that survival skill, I'm still alive with all my body parts intact."

Deciding to bite the bullet, I asked, "Are either of you in contact with…can either of you get a hold of Declan O'Brien or Noah Murphy?" Both men looked shocked at my request. "Either that, or can you guys just drop me off where I can get back home? However, I live in Kotov territory."

Nolan let out a deep breath before he reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. I didn't say anything as he called whoever he was calling, but the mystery was solved as soon as he said, "Noah, we have a lass that's asking to speak with you or The O'Brien, or wanting a ride back home in Kotovland."

Five seconds later, Nolan was handing me his phone, and I took it because I was an idiot that didn't know how to stop digging her own grave. "Hello?"

"This is Noah Murphy," he answered. "What would you like to speak to me about, lass?"

"My name is Samara Andreev, and…and I need to get home," I told him plainly. "However, I'm hurt and need some medical assistance."

"What does that have to do with me, lass?"

Suddenly, tears started falling down my cheeks, and I didn't even know where they were coming from. Maybe it was from having to ask for help, or maybe it was just from living, but they were there, and I wasn't too proud not to let Noah Murphy hear them.

"I just killed a man, Mr. Murphy," I told him. "He kidnapped me and hurt me to send a message to Avgust Kotov, but I killed him instead. I'm hurt, tired, fed the fuck up, and lost in the middle of nowhere, somewhere between Kotov and O'Brien territory, and I just want to go the hell home."

There was a heartbeat of silence before Noah asked, "Do you happen to know the name of the man that you killed?"

"Louie Manziel," I answered, my outburst draining the only energy that I'd had left.

"Lass, give Nolan his phone back, and then just hold tight a moment," he instructed, and so not knowing what else to do, I handed Nolan back his phone.

While Nolan was busy listening to whatever Noah was telling him on the phone, Eamon walked over until he was standing in front of me, and the tears came harder when he pulled his shirt off, then put it on me as delicately as he could. He made sure not to touch me anywhere that was inappropriate or where there was blood. His little act of kindness had almost been my undoing. The shirt was also large enough to fall to my knees, covering everything.

When Eamon finally stepped back, Nolan was making his way over to join us. His green eyes looked very concerned as he said, "We've been instructed to take you with us, where Lochlan Murphy will see to your wounds."

"And then what?"

"I am not sure," he answered honestly. "Noah's not much of a talker and rarely explains himself. Just know that Lochlan is one of the best doctors in the state, so you'll be in good hands."

With little choice, I allowed Eamon to escort me to the car, and once I was secured in the back, I closed my eyes, letting exhaustion finally take over. I had no idea where these two men were taking me, and I couldn't find the energy to care. This entire thing was a fucking mess, and I didn't even know if it meant anything that the Irish were going to take care of me. While I wasn't in the Russian Bratva, I was very aware of where I lived and what that meant.

Once we finally got to wherever we were, I was met by a tall glass of water that had eyes the color of magical blue crystals. They were almost a hypnotizing color of blue, and talk about a man that was gorgeous enough to turn you stupid.

"Lass, I'm Noah Murphy," he said, introducing himself. "This is my brother, Lachlan, and he'll be patching you up."

When I looked over at his brother, the man had the same matching blue eyes, though his face appeared softer and more inviting. "Nice to meet you, lass," he said, and that's when I started laughing again, officially losing my goddamn mind.