Free No Law (Law #3) by Camille Taylor Page B

had felt horrible the moment he’d told her that. They didn’t have much time before the Bratva came knocking. She nearly wept as she recalled how Alan had pushed her into a nearby storage cupboard just seconds before the two bulky enforcers entered their apartment.
    Alan had to endure hours of torture, crying out in pain while she could do nothing but watch through the slits in the vents of the storage cupboard as the men carried out unspeakable acts. She’d had to bite her hand from making any sounds.
    She had grown up a lot that night. She knew just as well as Alan did what they might do to her should they find her. That was the first time in her life that she had truly been afraid. Never before had she ever thought that her life would be prematurely ended and the reality had hit her hard.
    Finally the two men had tired of torturing Alan and ended his life. Tears had silently rolled down her face as they’d left and she’d found herself still sitting in the cupboard unable to move for hours. She was found later when a colleague showed up and discovered the body and called the police.
    Shuddering at the memory, she focused on her current predicament. Once she spoke with Elena she could get things straightened out in her head.
    The door to Elena’s office opened and a tall good-looking man with dark hair, grey eyes and Slavic cheekbones stood in the doorway, dressed in a grey suit and red tie. While neither were particularly expensive, she could see the careful cut of the fabric by a tailor, accentuating the man’s narrow hips and hard, well-toned body. While she hadn’t thought about men much over the past few years, she could still appreciate the deliciousness of the opposite sex. Even through the panic muddling her brain, she could feel her body reacting to him. Her gaze assessed the attraction she felt before her brain had even caught up.
    The man gave her a once over, taking in her jeans and rumpled shirt in what she thought for a second was approvingly. While Mikhail’s gaze had sickened her, this man’s expression warmed her body until she almost felt on fire. She shifted on her feet, uncomfortable being the bug under the microscope. She’d never been comfortable with male attention. Marrying Alan at a young age had tamed her quickly. After Alan, she had been in her own bubble and wouldn’t have known if a race of aliens had landed, but being under this man’s gaze was wreaking havoc on her already out of control body. Desire was curling low in her belly leaving her slightly breathless.
    “You’re looking for Elena Gates?” he asked, his voice thick with a Russian accent. His eyes narrowed slightly as her body stiffened. The motion was minuscule, but he’d noticed the change in her demeanor immediately.
    She nibbled on her bottom lip.
    Another Russian.
    Just how many immigrants were there in Virginia?
    Her heart rate and blood pressure shot up into the stratosphere and this time not from sexual attraction. She felt at odds with herself, strongly attracted and fearful at the same time. She watched him like she expected him to pounce on her at any moment. Would the Bratva dare show their hand like that? To kill or extract her from CIA Headquarters? She doubted if much fazed the brotherhood and certainly wouldn’t put it past them. Of the members she had met, none seemed particularly interested in political agendas or having the cops show up at their door. In fact, it was more of an inconvenience to them than anything else. They preferred to fly beneath the radar. But that didn’t mean all that couldn’t change with the right set of circumstances.
    Surveying the room, she desperately looked for an escape route. There was no other exit. She wasn’t about to go quietly if he decided to take her. How had they found her? Did they have people on the inside so that when she’d signed in they could immediately send in their man? Of course they had men inside the CIA. He was standing right before her. What