“Wait a second,” Cee Cee said. “Give me just a few more minutes, I think.”

“For what?” Daire asked.

She lifted her head. “I like the enforcer. I owe him and have brought enough trouble to his doorstep. You have one chance here, Ivan. Forget the contract and walk away. I’ll do the same.”

Bychkov studied her, the heavy wind blowing his hair around his classic face. “No.”

She exhaled, her breath misting in the cold air. “I’m glad you said that. To be honest, I’m not sure I could’ve walked away.”

He took an involuntary step toward her and then stopped. “I didn’t think so. You’ve wondered about us.”

“No.” She shook her head.

“Yes, you have. I was your first kiss.” Triumph lifted his pale lips.

She wrinkled her nose. “That was decades upon decades ago, and I have to tell you, there was way too much teeth.”

Daire bit back a grin at the sarcasm, even as his muscles tensed for the fight. The crumbling building shielded the soldiers from the gentling storm, and they’d make a move soon.

The ground pitched. Air paused, and the atmosphere held its breath. A rumble echoed, the entire tundra rocked, and an explosion rippled through the storm. The icy ground cracked. Fire billowed into the air, even through the storm, shooting sparks and debris into the air a couple of miles away.

One of the soldiers slipped and fell on his face.

“What did you do?” Bychkov yelled, spittle flying from his mouth.

Daire bunched and threw both fire balls, impacting the crumbling building at its stress points. Sheet metal flew out, sharp and jagged. The building toppled. The soldiers ran in different directions, sliding on the unsteady ground, trying to avoid the piercing metal.

“Run.” Daire grabbed Cee Cee’s arm and yanked her into the schoolhouse, releasing her to run through the building and out the front. “Follow me.” He zigged across the street and behind another row of buildings, leading her through an escape route he’d planned the other night while hunting, just in case. The pressure of the chase descended upon his neck, and he angled quietly, moving between buildings and sometimes through them, until they reached the old gas station at the end of the small town.

Cee Cee kept on his heels, as quiet as any predator, staying close.

He eyed the icy tundra. “We need to go east, keep to the shoreline, and reach the helicopter hangar,” he said, breathing out heavily.

“They’re not behind us any longer,” she panted out.

“Aye. We lost them at the third apartment building.” Unfortunately, that meant the soldiers had headed back for transportation, which was probably a boat moored where Cee Cee had docked.

The ground continued to rock its displeasure.

“Do you think they know about the helicopter?” she asked, hands on knees, catching her breath.

“I don’t know.” Probably.

She sucked in air, her cheeks rosy. “The sea has to be roiling. Following us would be foolhardy.”

He shook his head. “The storm isn’t as bad as it was, and if they hug the shoreline, they’ll be fine.” No way was Bychkov letting her go, if Daire had to guess. “Want to tell me what just exploded?” As if he didn’t know. He pinned her with a hard gaze.

She glanced toward the flame-filled smoke billowing into the sky. “One of Ivan’s two mines, of course.”

Of course. Daire bit back anger and tried to stick to the matter at hand. “Why?”

“I’m taking him down.” Passion and a dangerous light glittered in her eyes. “You should thank me. The asshole was mining planekite, and I had that fact confirmed before giving the order to blow the entire place up.”

“What about the miners?” he asked, disbelief rippling through him.

She rolled her eyes. “Gas leak. The place was cleared of personnel before being blown up and closed forever.”

He shook his head. “I swear to God, you’re one fucking unpleasant surprise after the next.” Grabbing her hand, he yanked her into the garage and picked her up to plunk her on the snowmobile seat before sliding in front of her. “Who planted the explosives?”

“Men I hired.” She reached around him and laced her fingers against his abs. His very bare abs. “I came to check out your mine before deciding whether or not to blow it up, too.”

He paused in turning the key. “You thought I was in business with Bychkov?”

Her palms chilled his skin. “He’s in a partnership with a witch, and you own many mines, so I had to be sure. Don’t worry.” She patted his abdomen, and his cock stirred. “They won’t plant any explosives in your mine here or your mines in Russia unless I give the order.”

“That’s just great,” he snapped, twisting the key. “Who’s the witch that is in business with Bychkov?”

“Obviously I don’t know.”

He shook his head. “Lady, I trust you as far as I can throw you.”

She patted his gut. “You’re all muscle, Dunne. You could throw me quite a distance.”

He growled, his temper really, really, really wanting out.

She nodded, her forehead between his shoulder blades. “My plan was to check out your mines here on Fryser, leave orders, and head on to Russia.”

“Oh, baby, you ain’t going to Russia,” he muttered in Gaelic.

She sniffed. “I don’t speak Gaelic.”

“I figured.” He shook off the very strong desire to flip around and shake some sense into her until she told him everything. “What about Bychkov’s other mine here? It has to be the Sjenerøse mine, right?” The only way to reach it was by parachuting in and snowmobiling down and out.

She sighed. “I haven’t figured out how to get there yet.”

He didn’t like the yet in that statement. Right now, he had to get them off the island. “Hold on, and if you see them on land or sea, let me know.” There was only one path to the helicopter and no way to hide from the sea. He twisted the throttle, and the machine jumped forward and into the storm.

Chapter 8

Her heart raced, and her head spun, even as she held tight to the enforcer as they sped the snowmobile across the shaky frozen ground. Mountains rose high and sharp in the background, while the red and orange of fire crackled inland through the air. Smoke billowed up into the darkening sky, spitting embers.

“Anything near the shore, Cee Cee?” he bellowed back, anger still in his voice.

She blinked against the swirling snow, trying to squint at the ocean. Dark and merciless, it churned as if answering the call of the storm. “Not yet,” she yelled back. By all that was holy. She’d blown up the planekite mine, and if all else had remained on schedule, her people had just imploded several mines in Russia owned by Bychkov. Her plan was coming together nicely.

Except for Daire Dunne. Although the enforcer had shown much more restraint than she would’ve ever thought, his patience seemed to be coming to an end. Unfortunately, since Vegar had betrayed her, she needed Daire to help her off the island. Her men would’ve planted the explosives and immediately retreated, which left her either with Bychkov or Dunne.

Dunne was the safer choice at this point.

Probably.

Ice flicked up from the skis, and she ducked her head.

As a fighter, he was legendary, and now she’d seen him in action. While he’d been incredibly gentle with her so far, there was no question a deadly predator, a fierce fighter, lived easily within Dunne’s handsome skin. He hadn’t treated her as an enemy, that much she knew. And the reason, as difficult as it was to admit, was because he didn’t see her as one. He didn’t see her as a threat.

Was she?

She’d held her own physically with Vegar, and she was more than holding her own intellectually with Bychkov. But with Daire? He’d found her in the middle of nowhere, and now he’d taken command of the mission. She hated feeling weak, and pride insisted she hide her frailties from him. He treated her like a woman, whole and strong, even if he was pissed.