The roar of gunfire had been constant for the past hour, a deafening storm of violence echoing through the narrow, forest-lined road. The air outside was thick with the acrid bite of gunpowder, mingled with the faint tang of burning oil from one of the disabled trucks. Smoke curled upward in lazy, almost mocking spirals, dissipating into the sky as if unaware of the carnage below.
Leon sat in the back of the black SUV, his large hands gripping his knees. His driver and main bodyguard were outside, leaving only him in the car with her. They were supposed to be halfway to the drop point by now, but Konstantin's interference had turned the journey into a drawn-out hell. Nikolai's men had blocked the road with two massive trucks, turning the scene into a war zone.
Another sharp crack split the air. Leon's jaw flexed. Damn Konstantin. His plan had been perfect. But now he was ruining everything.
Then — the faintest movement beside him.
Rose's eyelashes fluttered, a slow tremor rippling across her pale cheeks. Her breathing quickened as her consciousness began to claw its way through the fog of whatever sedative Leon had given her. She shifted slightly, the hem of her short dress sliding higher against her thighs. Her skin was warm, damp with the heat inside the car.
Leon's eyes sharpened. "Stay down," he muttered under his breath, leaning slightly toward her, ready to shove her back into the seat if she tried anything. The last thing that he wanted in this chaos was her being awake and causing trouble.
Her lips parted. A small, ragged inhale escaped her. Then her gaze focused — and she saw him.
There was no moment of hesitation. No startled gasp. No fragile, disoriented blink.
She moved.
Her head snapped forward, and her teeth sank into the thick muscle of his thigh with the ferocity of a starving animal. The pain tore a guttural, primal scream from Leon's throat as her teeth sank into his skin, not caring if he bled or not.
"You little—!" His hand shot to her hair, trying to rip her away, but she bit harder, tasting the sharp tang of copper as her teeth broke skin. His legs jerked involuntarily, and the pain made his vision flash white at the edges. Her teeth were sharp and she had no intention of letting go until she was satisfied.
Rose yanked back, freeing her mouth, and the sound of his curse filled the enclosed space.
"You're going to regret—"
Her nails struck next. She raked them across his face, four deep red lines blooming from cheekbone to jaw. His head jerked with the force of it, his teeth bared in a snarl.
"Bitch!"
She didn't care. She was still groggy, her vision unsteady, but adrenaline had blasted through her system like a wildfire. The pounding of her heart drowned out the gunfire outside. She lunged for the door handle.
It took her two frantic tugs before it gave. The door flung open, and a rush of damp forest air slapped her face, bringing the earthy smell of wet leaves and churned soil.
And she ran.
Not toward the road — never toward the road. Her bare feet hit the soft earth of the tree line, slipping once on a patch of mud before she found her rhythm. She plunged into the woods, branches snapping against her shoulders, leaves clawing at her skin.
"Get her!" Leon's voice roared behind her, raw and ragged with rage.
Two of his men peeled away from the firefight, breaking into a sprint after her. Their boots hammered the ground, heavy and deliberate. But they weren't the only ones who had heard the order.
From the other side of the blockade, three of Nikolai's men saw her darting through the trees. They didn't hesitate — they followed, Konstantin included.
Her lungs burned almost immediately. Every breath felt like knives stabbing her chest, but she didn't slow. Her dress clung to her, snagging on low branches, ripping slightly at the hem. Her legs ached, each stride jarring her bones, but her mind was locked on one thought:
Further. Further. Don't stop.
A branch snapped loudly behind her. Too close. She pushed harder, her bare feet slapping against wet leaves, sometimes skidding on moss.
The forest floor was uneven, a chaotic mess of roots and fallen branches that threatened to trip her with every stride. She barely avoided a twisted root that could have ended everything right there.
Her breath came in ragged gasps. A dull stitch formed in her side, but she ignored it.
Somewhere behind her, one of Leon's men shouted, "She's heading east! Cut her off!"
East. She didn't know or care where east was. She only knew she couldn't let them close the distance.
Her vision swam from the exertion, but then — through the shifting lattice of branches ahead — she saw it. A thin strip of open space. Light reflecting off something smooth.
A highway.
Her body surged with a burst of desperate energy.
She broke through the last line of trees, stumbling onto gravel, then onto the hard surface of the road. The sudden openness felt disorienting after the claustrophobic press of the forest.
And then — the sound.
A low, fast-approaching growl.
Her head turned just as a car came from the left, a dark blur hurtling down the highway.
There was no time to scream. No time to leap back. The driver's face flashed before her — eyes wide, mouth forming a curse — and then the world exploded.
Metal struck flesh with a sickening thud. Pain flared white-hot in every nerve, and the ground tore away from beneath her. She was weightless for a heartbeat, her limbs flailing, before she slammed back down onto the asphalt.
The impact ripped the air from her lungs. Her ears rang.
Distantly, through the ringing, she heard a voice — frantic, furious, desperate.
"Oh my God oh my god. I told you to drive slower." It was a woman's voice.
It was the last thing she registered before darkness swallowed her whole.