Page 10 of The Russian's Stalked Bride
At that, she finally looks at me, and more thoughts I can’t decipher flicker within her gaze. The fear is still there, along with confusion, while she assesses me.
“Who sent you?”
I lift a brow at that, caught off guard by the question. “No one did.”
Her eyes narrow just enough to be noticeable. “You mean that?”
“I do. I just happened to be there at the right time, I suppose.”
Mila’s discerning look lingers, then, seeming satisfied enough, she nods and rubs at her arm absently. “I guess you were.”
Silence settles between us for a long moment, full of unspoken questions and answers I’m not prepared to give her right now.
I should take her back. At least, I should take her somewhere else and let her decide where to go from there. That would be the smart, decent move. I could disappear as if nothing happened and let Wyatt know what I saw, then we could reassess.
Yet, sitting so close to her in this tight space, I’m incredibly aware of how it feels. Of how her scent surrounds me in the way I’ve been secretly longing to experience firsthand.
It would be so easy to keep her, and that thought alone nearly punches me into doing exactly that.
Out of all the streets and all the nights, she ran right across my path. She wasn’t even the one I had been watching, and yet, here she is.
Through that quiet, I picture her on stage, singing like she has nothing left to lose, and doing it with absolute defiance. It’s such a contrast to how she looks now, trembling like a rabbit that just nearly escaped the jaws of a predator.
After surveilling her for this long, I know her brothers don’t deserve her, and they likely have something planned for her.
Instead of returning her, I could protect her and make sure they can’t follow through with whatever they might want her for.
Before I can stop it, the idea blooms in my mind, squeezing with insistence.
If Mila’s with me, then she’s leverage and insurance. More importantly, I’d have her. I wouldn’t have to watch her from afar or wonder what’s in store for her. I can keep her close.
My jaw tightens as I force myself to breathe slowly, urging my newfound excitement down again. What I’m about to do is reckless and stupid, and definitely far too emotional for my own good. But I don’t care.
This isn’t at all how the night was supposed to go, but I already know it’s panning out far better than expected.
Chapter 4 - Mila
I don’t remember how or when my breathing slows, but I do know it has something to do with him.
One moment, I’m choking on air as it comes in too quickly, never feeling like it’s enough, and the next, I’m calm again. My hands still shake faintly from the lingering adrenaline, but at least now I can unclench them.
The car hums as it idles, steady and patient, and as I glance out the window, it clicks in.
I’m sitting in a stranger’s car. A man who seemingly appeared out of nowhere to come to my aid. He shot those guards without even thinking twice about it, all for someone he doesn’t even know.
The thought should send me over the edge into an even deeper spiral, but it doesn’t. Instead, the shock of it all dulls the edge of everything I just witnessed, and even if I should be freaking out, I don’t have it left in me.
In the back of my mind, I’m still in the alley, surrounded by suppressed gunshots and men going down faster than I can process it. I can feel his arm around me still, pulling me close like he was guarding me. But I’m not there anymore, and this man made sure of that.
Drawing in a shaky breath, I force myself to look at him properly this time.
He looks back at me, seemingly lost in thought despite the way our eyes meet. He blinks steadily, seeming far too calm and composed for someone who just took down a handful of men like it was nothing.
His profile is sharp where the light casts shadows across his face, accentuating his defined jaw and a faint brush of stubble. For a man who just claimed several lives, he looks put together with his brown hair neatly cut and styled, save a few stray strands likely pulled from the exertion.
Those blue eyes are startling in the way they take me in, almost like it isn’t the first time.
And while I should be wary of someone who can look this unbothered after gunning down others for the hell of it, he’s…handsome.
