𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐃𝐎 𝐔𝐒 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 - 𝟏𝟖+

F O U R

K E I R A

Warsaw, Poland

I pushed down on the brakes, swerving the steering wheel to get out of the truck's way. The tires screeched as my fingers trembled, and the vehicle dodged the threat. Needing a moment to catch my breath, I pulled over shortly after, leaning against the seat, I closed my eyes as I breathed through my nose, the nonexistent smell of gasoline taunting me.

"Are you insane?" Kyzer nudged my arm as I turned my head in his direction, fluttering my eyes open when my breathing settled, "I don't know about you, but I don't plan on dying without taking the rest of them with motherfuckers with me." He pinched the bridge of his nose, checking the time on his Rolex. "Pull up at a club, I need a drink after this, and do me a favor, Keira, get fucking laid."

Shaking my head at my brother, I turned to reignite the engine, my legs still had a light tremble from the near-accident, but I wasn't going to show him that I was out of it. If he got a hint that I was tense about meeting Chernov because of his fucking name, he'd ask questions, and I'd vowed on my life that Niko's life was more important than my desperation to see him again.

"Oh, and please eyes and mind on the road," He pointed on the crowded road just as the car slid back between the large mass of evening traffic on the street.

♤ ♡ ◇ ♧

It took Kyzer less than a minute to find a girl, and he was lost between the large mass of sweaty bodies, dirty dancing with his conquest of the night. I cringed at the mental image of my brother with a girl and shot down my whiskey down my throat, enjoying the light burn. A low chuckle had me snapping my head towards my right where a man almost my age was looking me up and down. He was wearing a white t-shirt, his muscles strained against the thick fabric, and his dark eyes settled on my face with a look I was privy to.

"I would've taken you for a wine person," He eyed the glass I'd just emptied as he took a seat on the stool beside me, moving it a little closer.

Turning my head to him, I smirked as I picked the other shit from the bar, and brought it to my lips, drowning it in one go with my eyes trained on the stranger. "Looks can be quite deceiving." He didn't know what was hiding under my leather jacket, three knives, and a gun.

"Indeed," He nodded, his finger tracing his jaw as he narrowed his eyes. I knew he was trying to gauge my feelings, but there was nothing except lust for him to see, and it was the way I was brought up.

"Don't just lock your emotions, Keira, burn them. All locks have a key, and thus they're vulnerable, but ashes, they're depraved."

Dad's words blazed through my ears and I shuddered, remembering how I'd broken every single one of the Pentagon's rules all for a devilish delight—love. I broke my oath for something unrequited, and so beyond my reach, but I couldn't bring myself to regret it.

Regret him.

I'd do it all over again if it meant I could touch him again. The tattoo on my arm burned with vengeance, reminding me of everything I did wrong. I wished I could just wash my memory clean, and forget why I had a wilted rose with an N stemmed around it.

I missed him. So much. But it was my own doing that I was lonely, seeking out strangers just to look for him in one of them, but no one ever compared. Even the ones who had the same metallic eye color as Niko didn't have that passion in their gaze.

A memory hit me like a storm, unannounced and so fierce that it nearly shook me. Eight years and it wasn't getting any easier. I still loved him, missed him, and wanted him back. Perhaps it was the alcohol in my system or my unfortunate vulnerability, I let the memory play inside my head like a deadly song.