Page 16 of Fight

Four

P

I hadno idea where we were going, but in this moment, I didn’t care.

For the first time in weeks, far, far longer, I could breathe, and I wasn’t going to question that. I should have been more worried. I glanced at Ioan, not bothering to try to hide the fact that I looked.

He was one of them, a criminal, but he hadn’t tried to maim, rape, or kill me, so that earned him brownie points. In fact, he’d tried to save me—had saved me—and I was grateful.

I was also suspicious.

No one offered anything for free. I knew that as well as I knew anything. So he’d extract his payment one way or another.

The question was, could I afford it? Did I have a choice? It probably wouldn’t do me any good, but I needed to keep my guard up. Ioan could kill me without breaking a sweat. He could probably do much, much worse. But for now, I needed rest, a moment to breathe without Markov’s ever-present menace.

Ioan seemed to be offering me that, and I’d take it and worry about the price later.

“Why are you staring at me?”

“I’m not staring. I’m just trying to figure this out,” I said.

“Figure what out?” he replied, his voice curious.

“Figure out what you’re going to try to take from me,” I said honestly.

He looked at me, frowning. “What do you have that’s worth taking?”

“Not a damn thing,” I replied.

Which was true. I had nothing except the life he’d just saved, an action I still didn’t understand and one I needed to. I glanced at him again and then decided to risk it.

“Why did you do that? Step in?” I asked.

He’d looked to the road, but after I spoke, he turned to face me again, staring at me for long seconds, long enough that I got a little nervous.

“Keep your eyes on the road,” I said sharply.

He turned away, but I couldn’t miss the lazy smile that covered his face.

“You’re a little bossy lady, huh?” he said on a low laugh. “Is that what got you into trouble with Markov, jefe?”

Ugh. Just the sound of that worm’s name made my skin crawl.

“How I got in trouble doesn’t matter as much as how I’m going to get out,” I said. “I need a plan.”

I started gnawing my thumbnail, but then, after looking at Ioan quickly, I stopped. That was an old habit I’d never managed to break, but I kept my hands down and tried to focus my harried thoughts. Ioan’s momentary kindness wouldn’t last, and I needed to be ready for what would come once I was back on my own. Markov wouldn’t forgive the money I owed him, and now there were other players involved.

My face muscles had stiffened, and I relaxed them, trying hard to stay calm. Panic wouldn’t get me anywhere, so I tried to think logically. Ioan was in trouble too. Maybe we could help each other.

My stomach sank.

I’d been seconds away from death. What did I have to offer him?

“So you can be quiet,” he said.

I looked at him, saw the faint smile on his face. But even though the car’s interior was dark, I didn’t miss the change in his expression. Only seconds ago there had been humor in his eyes, an amused smile on his face. Now, there was no trace of either. His jaw was hard and his eyes were dark chips of ice.

“What?” I asked defensively, wondering at the change in him.