He pulled back. “Sorry. I guess this wasn’tthe best idea. You’re cold.”
I wiped my nose. “I’m not, just my noseis.”
He looked at his watch. “Well, we’ve stillgot a few minutes, and I’d hate to waste them.” He pulled me closeand hugged me tight before kissing my nose, which was mostcertainly red with cold, and then my forehead, my cheek and finallymy lips once again. He kept his hands on the outside of my coatthis time.
Someone cleared his throat, and I jerkedback, but Viktor held me tight. He turned his head in a slow,methodical motion toward the noise. Jericho was standing there.This was why he had done this. He had wanted Jericho to see uskissing. He wanted Jericho to know I was taken. I loathed him evenmore. “Guess it’s time for you to go.” He kissed me again, alingering, hot kiss, given to drive in his point to Jericho. Isuppressed a shiver. “Good luck.”
I nodded and once I reached Jericho, weheaded off to lift our first car that night. He didn’t say oneword, and the awkward silence dug at me. Finally, after the thirdcar, he twisted his head to me and gave it a little jerk. “Why areyou with Viktor when you could have me?”
“Maybe I want him and not you.”
“That couldn’t be true. Put me against him,and I win every time.”
He turned away and covered his mouth,continuing to give me the silent treatment. I’d said the wrongthing. His anger caused us to make a few mistakes along the way,but we were still able to lift the requisite eight cars beforemidnight. Barely.
I couldn’t allow a rift between us, not whenI could still need him at some point during the mission. “You can’tbe mad at me. Viktor came to me before you did. Besides you have adifferent girl on your arm every few minutes, and I want a steadyboyfriend. On top of that, you couldn’t handle me.”
“Leave him, and be with me.” The muscles inhis jaw tightened.
“I can’t do that.”
He pulled the car to the curb and slammed onthe breaks. “Why not? I can tell you don’t really like him. Youseem to tolerate him.”
“Oh, and I should like you instead?”
He sat up even straighter, and he bit thecorner of his lips before turning to me and giving me strong eyecontact. “Me or someone else. Just not him.”
I wondered what had fueled this rivalrybetween them. I pushed a breath of air out of my closed lips. “Comeon. You don’t really like me. You just like the competition withViktor.”
“As he likes it with me.” His eye twitchedand then faster than I thought possible, he grabbed me by the neckand pulled me to him. His lips were hard, insistent. I pulled back.He was strong, but I was stronger. I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Don’t you ever do that again.” I spit eachword at him. “If you think that helped your case, you’re mistaken.”I felt something warm on my lip and yanked the visor down to see asmall trickle of blood come from my bottom lip. I brushed it away.“In fact, don’t you ever touch me again!” I put every ounce ofvenom into my words as possible.
He laughed, reminding me of his sociopathicnature. He only wanted me because Viktor had me. I shouldn’t haveencouraged him.
I had no idea what he thought he would getout of that kiss, and I didn’t want to know. He threw the car backinto drive, and we put the car away in its semi. I didn’t wait forhim to go to the subway. I got out of there as fast as I could, anda piece of me even hoped that Viktor would be waiting for me. Hewasn’t. It wasn’t that he could protect me more than I couldmyself, but I just didn’t want to be alone. The creep factor ofJericho was too great. The only solace I had was in knowing my teamhad their eyes on me.
The train came only seconds after I reachedthe platform and I watched, hoping Jericho would miss it. As wedrove away, I saw Jericho reach the platform but miss the train. Isat, only then noticing my heavy breathing. Only two others were onthe subway, and they looked innocuous enough, so I let myselfrelax. I had twelve minutes to regain my composure.
Chapter 21
Halluis met me at the exit to the subway. Ihid my surprise. I’d been hoping to see Jeremy waiting for me. Hemust not have been able to make it back in time.
Halluis said, “You okay? You look a bitspooked.”
“Jericho totally attacked me tonight. Icould have taken him down, you know, but I would’ve had to blow mycover, and that was not an option.” I shook my head, trying toclear my brain after days of no sleep. “I really wanted to kill himor at least knock some teeth out, but this mission…ugh!”
“Jericho—major creep. Sorry about that, butseriously, are you okay?”
“I think so. He just really gets to me. Ishould have known better considering what I’ve seen him do.”
“I hate to say it, because I never thought Iwould, but I’m glad you had to hook up with Viktor instead ofJericho.”
“Yeah. I’m counting my blessings for sure.Has anything good come from the bugs we set in his house?” Westarted back toward the brownstone.
“Nothing. Except some hot nights with a fewdifferent girls. He never talks on a phone in his rooms. We believehe does everything through text. Just like they make you do. Weshould have made it a priority to get into his phone. We haven’tbeen able to crack it. It’s still secure. As is Viktor’s.”
“But didn’t Ace get a bug in his phone?”
“Yes. But it isn’t transmitting for whateverreason.”
“I should have had Jericho’s phone.”
“Things happen. You tried and came reallyclose. Honestly, closer than I thought you would get. They musthave some seriously ingenious blockers on their phones to keep themsecure.”
“Like ours are secure?” I said, the irony ofthe situation hitting me hard.
