She looked too young to buy a drink, but old enough to get into trouble. Her thick hair was the color of wheat and hung halfway down her arm in waves. It was pretty.
Wait, what? Fucking . . . pretty? I tore my gaze away.
It was like Alek knew and latched onto it. “That blonde is fucking hot.”
“She’s all right. Hurry up.”
Alek waded into the group of women. My interest sparked as he bent down and grabbed the blonde’s arm. She looked alarmed, but didn’t say a word as he hauled her up to her feet. None of the other women came to her defense. They were all in survivor mode, figuring as long as we were interested in the blonde, we’d leave them alone.
The girl was stiff as he tugged her along, and I clenched my teeth at Alek’s tight grip on her arm. I didn’t like his hand on her, which made no sense. Why did I care how he handled the Russian whore? I tried and failed to avoid her gaze and holstered my gun. The words came out before I had time to think about it. “I’ve changed my mind. Get a girl for you, I want this one.”
He hesitated and asked it more surprised than annoyed. “Really?”
I’d never taken one for myself, but the girl stared at me like I was a puzzle she wanted to figure out. It could be fun watching her try.
Alek didn’t act disappointed at losing his top choice. It was almost like he’d expected it.
Whatever. He understood who his boss was. He glanced around the group, then shook his head. “No, let’s go. The rest of them are ugly.”
Filip and his men had already gone out the back by the time we stepped out the front, and I held my hand up, shielding my eyes from the falling rain. None of this sat right with me. Goran was going to be pissed, and I’d likely be the one he’d take it out on. It’d been my call to bail, but at least Filip would back me up.
I yanked open the backseat door and stared at the girl, wordlessly commanding she get in. Her big, doe-like eyes blinked at the car, then her gaze shifted to me. My expression set. You’ll get in if you know what’s good for you.
She had a bag slung crosswise over her body, and she lifted the strap over her head to take it off as she stepped forward and climbed inside. My gun hadn’t fazed her, which meant she didn’t have a healthy fear of them, and it might make her more difficult to control.
I ducked into the back seat beside her and pulled the door closed with a solid thump. Her guarded expression and rigid posture showed just how uncomfortable she was. Her bag was in her lap, and she squeezed the strap with both hands so tightly, I could see the fatigued shake of her arms.
“You speak any English?” I demanded of her as Alek got into the passenger seat.
Her voice was soft and feminine. “Yes.”
I didn’t know how to feel about that. Sometimes it was easier when they didn’t understand, so you could talk freely. Alek wasn’t raised in a bilingual household like I was, and had trouble holding full conversations in Serbian.
“Home, John,” I said. The car eased away from the curb. I yanked my phone from my pocket and thumbed out a text to Goran.
Me: Meet and greet fell through. Might want to check with whoever scheduled it.
His text came through almost instantly.
Goran: Filip’s on it.
“I knew it,” Alek said, his tone amused.
“What’s that?” I peeled off my wet jacket, dumped it on the floor, and cranked up the heat on the rear console. It was forty degrees outside, which was average for November, but the rain had my skin chilled.
He turned around in his seat, staring at her while speaking to me. “That you’d go for her, Vasilije, if I wanted her first.”
“Shut the fuck up.” I turned my attention to her. “What’s your name?”
She stared back at the warehouse and looked worried. “What’s going to happen to those women?”
Not only did she speak English, she spoke it with barely an accent.
Breath gurgled in her throat as I wrapped my fingers around her neck and shoved her against the door. Her head cracked against the glass, and she winced. I focused in on the startled girl I had in my grip. Her pulse raced beneath my fingertips. Her eyes were wide and fixed on me. I’d slid across the seats and had my knee pressed against her thigh, and I was so close I could feel the heat rolling off her body. I felt her tremble.
In the darkened back seat, it was like we were closed in together. Just us.