Free Kissing My Killer by Helena Newbury

Nikolai and he picked up on the second ring.
    “It’s me,” I said. “I’m alive.”
    “What the fuck is going on?” yelled Nikolai “I sent people to the hacker’s apartment. Lev’s dead.”
    I wanted to gauge how much he knew. “The hacker stabbed me and then shot Lev and escaped. I had to get to a doctor, but I’m okay. I’m tracking him down.”
    Nikolai’s tone changed. “Bullshit. We searched the place. We know it’s a girl.”
    Shit.
    “She’s with you, isn’t she? Why are you protecting her?”
    “We can use her, Nikolai. She could hack our rivals—”
    “Jesus Christ, Alexei, just kill the bitch!” Then he managed to calm himself a little. “Just...finish the job.”
    I took a deep breath. “I can’t do that, Nikolai. Not this time.”
    “You killed Lev, didn’t you? That wed’ma sucked your cock and made you turn on your own.”
    “I had to kill him. I didn’t want to.” It was important that he knew it was me. If they caught us, I didn’t want Gabriella taking the blame.
    I could almost hear Nikolai shaking his head. “You pathetic, traitorous bastard.”
    “Look, I just want to walk away. Both of us. I leave and she never bothers you again.”
    There was a long pause. I could hear him sucking in air through his nostrils, fuming, trying not to scream at me. Finally, he said, “I want her questioned. I want men I can trust”— he emphasized the word—”to talk to her. I want to know that she gets the message.”
    “I won’t let her be hurt.”
    “We won’t hurt her. We’ll talk to her. And then the two of you can fuck off to Mexico for all I fucking care.” I could hear something else in his voice, now. Worry. This whole situation had Nikolai scared and nothing scared my boss.
    “We’re in a motel,” I told him. And I gave him the number of the empty room. Then I walked back to our motel, my stomach churning. I was sure, now, that Nikolai wanted both of us dead. In minutes, we’d find out how badly.

 
     
     
     
     
     

     
     
    Gabriella
     
    Alexei told me to grab my stuff. I threw everything into my bag and then joined him at the window.
    No more than five minutes after Alexei had returned, a car pulled up across the street and four men approached the other motel. They went straight to one particular room—
    I stifled a scream as all four of them pulled out guns and started firing through the window and door. It wasn’t just bangs, it was a continuous roar. Machine guns. They were absolutely guaranteeing that anyone inside was dead.
    “Oh Jesus,” I whispered, looking at our own room’s flimsy door.
    The men didn’t stop until the window, door and the room beyond were utterly destroyed. Then they kicked in the remains of the door and checked inside. They were out in moments, one of them already putting a cell phone to his ear.
    I looked at Alexei. From the expression on his face, it was even worse than he’d thought.
    “We have to go,” he said. “Right now.”
    My stomach tightened at the thought of the world outside the door. But this place wasn’t safe anymore. I felt like a mouse, scurrying between hidey holes.
    As soon as the men had driven away, Alexei led me down to the parking lot. I leaned against a wall, trying not to panic breathe, as he looked at the cars. It was only when I saw him draw back his elbow, ready to smash a car window, that I came alive. “Wait!” I said quickly.
    He hesitated. “What?”
    “ That’s how you steal a car? Smash the window and then...what, twist some wires together?”
    For a second, he looked abashed. Then he lifted his chin. “So?”
    This whole time, he’d been looking after me and that left me with nothing to focus on but my fear. The chance to do something was exactly what I needed. “Oh, for God’s sake. Move out of the twentieth century!” I pulled out my laptop and looked around. “There. See that car?” I hunkered down beside it. “Wireless everything. Including door locks and ignition.”