He was angry and shoutingat her. Well, it was probably due to the noise of the blades but hewas still enraged. “I know—I was stupid, but—”
He looked past her. “Mario,get her the hell out of here!” He shoved her backwards towardhim.
Mario didn’t hesitate andactually scooped her up carrying her toward the helicopter kickingand screaming.
Just then, Nick pulled oneof the Range Rovers next to him screeching the brakes. Ryan hoppedin the passenger seat. It spun around and sped after theLimousine.
Mario plopped her into oneof the helicopters seats and when she tried to get out he actuallyhad the nerve to handcuff one of her wrists to a bar on the insidewall.
“Are you kiddingme?”
He sat beside her andshrugged. “Hey, I have my orders. The last thing I want to do ispiss off my brother and his best friend.” He placed the headset onher head and one on his and pointed to the ear piece. “It’s betterto speak through these.”
Well, she was done talking.She looked out the window as the copter lifted off the ground. Thespotlight lit up the landscape below. There were a dozen men, thatseemed to come out of nowhere and scatter throughout the grounds.“Who—”
“—They’re mine, MissNickolov.”
Kat looked across from her.All along there had been another man sitting there. She must’velooked like an idiot fighting the way she was.
“It’s finally nice to meetyou. I’m Ned.” He leaned forward and held out his hand.
She absently shook it. “Whoare you?”
“I’m Ryan’s handler so tospeak.”
“What’s going to happen tohim?”
“He’ll be fine. Ryan canhandle himself.”
“What about myfather?”
“I’ve given orders for himto be taken alive. It’s not him Ryan’s after. It’sDemetrev.”
She turned her head to lookout the window at nothing in particular. She should have known thatIvan would have murdered Ryan’s brother, but it was on the word ofher father.
“Miss Nickolov?”
She turned her head to meetNed’s eyes again.
“Your sister wasn’tthere.”
She tilted herhead.
“Do you have any idea whereshe would have gone?”
Kat shook herhead.
He reached forward andpatted her leg. “Don’t you worry. We’ll find her. We always do.Every airport, train station and bus depot is underwatch.”
She didn’t know how shefelt about that, all of this. Did she want her sister caught andtried for her crimes? Yes, she abused her, near killed her, andtreated her with less than indifference, but was that the fault ofher father’s loveless upbringing? Well, she turned out all right,didn’t she? And what about Ryan? Did he really want to be with her,or did he use her to get close to her family? She didn’t knowanymore.
About forty five minuteslater the helicopter landed on the roof of a building in the citycenter. She wasn’t sure where she was, but it didn’t matteranymore. Mario uncuffed her and actually took her hand to help herout of the copter. She accepted it because she wasn’t sure if herlegs would hold. Things started to finally hit home and she was anervous wreck. Ned led the way to a set of doors. There were twoheavily armed men guarding them. One of them opened the door asthey walked through. It led to a long hall, then into anelevator.
Once inside Ned spokeagain. “Miss Nickolov, you are not under arrest, and we are notholding you, but we ask that you stay with us until my men returnwith your father.”
His voice was actuallyquite soothing, and calm. She knew that’s probably a practicedtechnique because these were not normal men and everything they didhad a purpose. “That doesn’t sound voluntary.”
Ned smiled. “I’m stronglyrecommending it.”
“I see.” She didn’t have achoice. She leaned back against the elevator wall and shut hereyes. The ding of the doors made her open them again. Mario heldout his hand and she stepped forward. It was like an officebuilding layout. There was a long hall full of offices.
Ned led the way down thehall to a pair of double doors. “This is my office.” He opened oneof the doors. “You are more than welcome to wait here. As soon as Ihave news, I’ll come and tell you.” He stepped inside. “There’s amini kitchen behind that wall.” He pointed to an opening. “Helpyourself.”
She never said anything ashe left with Mario and shut the door behind him. She turned andwalked toward the windows and ran a hand through her hair. What theheck has she gotten herself into? God, she hoped Ryan wasokay!
She would hate for the lastwords they shared to be in anger. She’d never forgive herself. Itwas all her fault that she was there in the middle of it all, afterhe’d warned her to stay in the house.
She’d returned to her roomafter the three went down the hall to her father’s office and sawRyan’s keys on his bedside table. She snuck out one of the servantsentrances and climbed in the jeep watching the men pack the trunkof the limousine a short time later. When it went through thegates, she followed them at a distance. Unfortunately she lost themat a set of traffic lights. A black truck pulled up next to her,the passenger got out and rushed her door. Before she knew what washappening she was staring down a barrel of a gun.
“Move over.”
Terrified she obeyed. Itwas that man! The birthmark.
The truck sped off and hefollowed driving Ryan’s jeep. She scratched him and he hither—hard. That’s the last thing she remembered until she was wokenup with a hard slap. He twisted his hand in her hair and hauled herout of the jeep just as the hanger doors opened. She cried out ashe dragged her toward men waiting outside the doors. Oh my God, itwas her father! He looked just as shocked as she did.
“What the fuck!” he pulleda gun
Then an explosion. So loudit hurt her ears.
She closed her eyes andfelt the man holding her recoil and fall backwards releasing her.It was then she realized he was shot. Next thing she was tackledfrom the side. The man came out of nowhere as bullets whizzed overher head. She curled up into a ball and screamed.
Now, as she stood lookingout over the lights of the city through the window of Ned’s office,she wondered about her future. She had fear over
