Once I had decided on something, actually decided on something, it was impossible to have my mind changed.
I was stubborn and ambitious in my commitments, just like my father. Despite our currently uncertain relations, our alikeness had never been clearer.
My current and decided on plan was to start from the top of the organisers in the inhumane business, as to avoid frightening the top-dogs into lockdown.
In spite of her foolish way of falling for men who would only end up hurting her, Anastasia's ability to hack into Jack Gold's security was beyond me, and amazed me each time. As to spend time with Vinnie, she was stationed in a van down the street, by which Vinnie was observing any extra men coming toward the property I was at right now.
Crouching behind the large bushes at the far end of the extensive gardens, I peeked through at Gold enjoying the weather and brunch with his wife. I was aware of their three young children, but it seemed they and the guards had left the couple alone and remained inside the grand villa.
I had felt regretful of my plan being to rid innocent children of a father, but kept reminding myself of the families Gold had broken and burned, the children he had stolen and treated worse than the most heartless man would animals.
Besides, regret was unprofessional.
I readied my sniper rifle, so far everything having gone better than hastily planned. There were no guards, and by the time they would reach the lifeless body of their boss, I would be long gone.
"Everything clear?" I spoke quietly into my earpiece, "over."
"All good," Vinnie replied through it, "over and out."
I shifted carefully on the rough and cold forest floor, ignoring the pine needles that were poking into the sides of my ribcage. I steadied my excited heartbeat and accelerated breaths, preparing now to fire the first of many shots during the entirety of this mission.
Once Jack Gold was dead, the most notorious organiser of human trafficking would be out of the picture, affecting the business greatly. I would also prove that I was completely capable of finishing such tasks, and earn the well-deserved respect and admiration from my father.
I then pressed myself against the rifle, pulling myself forward against the cold ground enough to be able to peer through the optical mount with one eye.
I steadied my aim on Gold's head while he laughed at something his wife was telling him enthusiastically.
With my finger on the trigger, I held my breath.
Just as I was about to fire, Gold turned to look back toward their home, before standing up from his seat.
I observed the situation carefully, holding off on the shot. I moved my gaze through the mount toward the glass doors of the estate which had opened.
I cursed underneath my breath as Mogilevich with a young woman on his arm walked outside, greeted familiarly by Gold.
This definitely hadn't been apart of my plan, especially as the disgusting old man was followed by a litany of heavily armed guards. Being one of the most powerful men in the world alongside my father, such protection was of course required.
I calmed myself, positive I could still pull this off if I fired a distraction shot first.
I steadied myself once more and watched through the bushes and the optical mount on my rifle as Gold guided Mogilevich and the woman to sit with himself and his wife, all chatting joyously.
It would be too big of a risk shooting both men right now, but not doing so would make Mogilevich only harder to get later. As he wasn't an organiser, I needed to get rid of Gold first and figure out the rest later.
My finger held the trigger, ready to fire as the four were sat down together.
As if on queue a gun cocked behind me and everything froze.
"You need to start being more prepared, Natalia."
My blood ran cold at the all too familiar and amused low voice, and I slowly removed myself from the rifle and the unbeatable aim I had had.
I lifted myself up to sit and peer up at the man who stood perfectly between myself and the bright sun, the barrel of his gun aimed at my forehead.
I tilted my head up at him with a sarcastic smile, "I should've known you'd be here. Of course it's you who ruins my plan."
"Your plan being?" Mikhail inquired with a nonchalant grin, the surprisingly casual tee shirt and jeans combo he sported clinging onto each and every delicious and bulging muscle on his body.
"It's none of your concern," I decided with finality as he crouched down to squat right in front of me.
I rested my elbows on my raised knees, unbothered by his gun, but bothered by how close he now was and how intently he was drinking me in.
"Mogilevich doesn't trust Gold's security," he informed me lowly, "I was sent to secure the perimeter. Finding you here is my concern."
If this had been anyone other than Mikhail who found me, I would've been dead in an instant. Vinnie hadn't informed me of anyone making it past the driveway to this estate, and I wondered what could have happened.
"I'm not here for Mogilevich," I explained, keeping my voice low as to not draw in any attention from the estate, "I'm after Gold."
His brows raised with interest, but his tone remained annoyingly demeaning, as if speaking to a child, "are you, now?"
I sent him a glare, desperately grasping onto my dignity and pride as he shifted closer, cornering me between him and the bushes with his towering and impressive frame.
"Yes. Either you continue on your way and forget you ever saw me, or I'll have to shoot you first."
"I can't do that," he cooed demeaningly, dark eyes burning into mine very distractingly and a hot ball of tension pooled in my lower stomach. My glare only roughened, but it failed to affect him in the slightest.
"The next person to catch you here might not be as nice."
"I-"
His gun lowered and hand reached to brush gently over my cheek, silencing me completely while the grin on his lips grew knowingly. "I can't risk your shot missing and hitting Mogilevich."
"I'm a great shot," I hissed defiantly, fighting not only against him but the feelings he summoned within my treacherous body.
Still, I let his hand remain on my cheek, from where it moved to hold my jaw in a firm grip to tilt my face up toward his.
His eyes darkened, then focusing on my lips, and in that instant breathing grew increasingly harder. My heart raced and each nerve lit up from the small action. This only caused my glare to harshen.
"Lay back down and I'll teach you how to aim, sweetheart," he grinned suggestively, surely noting the heat that travelled up my neck at his idea.
"Stop calling me that," I gritted out threateningly.
"Or what, kukolka?" he challenged, so close now that I could hardly string together a coherent thought. I burned with fury, him unknowingly having used a term of endearment my mother used to refer to me with.
I grabbed his gun from him and pushed it against his jaw, all the while his expression and grip on my chin remained unwaveringly.
"I'll show you exactly how good my aim is."
My voice was barely above a whisper and far from threatening, frustrating me further. My heart halted when he closed the remaining space between us and brushed his luscious lips against mine.
My lips parted on their own accord, and I hated how much I didn't fight back.
"Don't you dare," I managed out, but was betrayed by my unconvincing tone, utterly under his spell and unable to push him away.
He was completely unbothered by the gun still pushed against his prominent jaw, and his strong hand slowly moved to cup the back of my neck before grabbing a painful hold of my hair.
I winced at the sudden force of it, before I fully submerged in his deep and dark gaze. An unwelcome jolt of hot arousal darted down my body, each sensation heightened through my alight nerves.
Then, he kissed me.
My heart pounded in my chest, brain wanting to push him away and body to pull him closer at the same time. His lips were so soft and the kiss so gentle and sweet, until his grip on my hair tightened and the kiss turned hard and punishing.
I wouldn't let him win this.
He already made my body react to him in ways completely out of my control. I needed to gain the upper hand, whatever it took.
I pushed the gun harder into the underside of his jaw and he grunted, the wonderful and low sound muffled against my lips. I had never felt anything more painful and pleasurable in my life.
My free hand found his hard chest and, with all the force I could muster, I pushed him back, hard enough to make him stumble from his position.
Instead of creating space between us, I glared into his arousingly darkened eyes and raised myself up just enough to push him further, until he was sitting down on the forest floor.
Mikhail took in each of my moves in silence, and I hoped he hated and loved this as much as I.
His hand reached for me, but I swatted it away. Instead I straddled his lap and pushed him to lay down roughly.
"I hate you," I muttered murderously and pressed the muzzle of his gun back against the side of his neck.
A shadow of a smirk passed his glistening lips, all too pleased to have me like this. He was indescribably sexy, which only made me detest him more.
His hands shamelessly found my thighs and moved along them torturously, igniting each of my nerves with a burning desire begging to be extinguished.
Not letting him reply with anything that would further enrage me, I kissed him roughly and his large hands tightened on my thighs. He grunted out deliciously when I bit his lower lip, hard enough to draw blood.
In retaliation his large hand reached for my hair again, and the painful grip made me gasp. I pushed the gun against him harder, but only felt him grin against my lips.
"I can't wait to break you," he promised hotly, still enjoying this much more than he should as his hand pushed my hips down against him. My eyes widened at the hardness I felt underneath me.
Before I could retort against his promise or rejoice from having aroused him physically to such an extent, he swiftly threw me off him and onto the ground. I winced at the throbbing pain this caused on my back and began to lift myself up, but his large body covered mine in an instant.
He kissed me punishingly and, before he could better his position atop me, I managed to raise my thigh rapidly to hit him between his legs. Mikhail muttered out a curse and sat himself on me, the astoundingly big endowment of his pushed against my lower stomach, and the last bits of sanity left my mind.
Each muscle in my body tensed, fighting desperately against the part of me that enjoyed this, the part that began to overpower all sensibility.
I couldn't do anything when he grabbed my wrists easily into his hand and pinned them against the rough ground above my head, my fingers still squeezing around the gun. As the pièce de résistance his other hand wrapped around my throat. It wasn't threatening or to hold me in place as its aim had been before. It was feral and sexual.
The only thing comforting me was that I had made him so noticeably aroused, but the heat and wetness I felt between my thighs crushed the glimmer of hope for any type of upper hand or control in this situation.
I wanted to rip him apart, and for all the wrong reasons.
"My, my," an unfamiliar male voice sounded, and in a panic I began to struggle against the giant man easily holding me down. He gruffed out something but it remained inaudible for me as my heart raced in my ears, with lust, fright and frustration coursing through my veins, muffling everything else out.
Without thinking twice Mikhail's lips left mine as did his hand from my throat. I tried to get his hand to leave my wrists, but it wouldn't budge.
"I wonder what Mogilevich will say when I tell-" the man continued, behind me in a way that left him hidden from my eyesight as much as I tried to twist and turn for a glimpse.
The man atop me grabbed the gun from my hand and fired. My ears rang and eyes watered at the stunting sound, and I began struggling against him harder.
The thump of a body falling to the ground sounded behind me. I froze, understanding Mikhail had just killed one of Mogilevich's soldiers, one of his own, without hesitation.
His unfazed gaze met mine, the sole emotion in them a deep hunger. It shouldn't have sent a hot ball of tension to coil in the pit of my stomach, especially after what had just happened, but it did.
"Get off me," I gritted out menacingly, eyes narrowing up at him. He chuckled to himself with a simple shake of his head, but surprisingly did as I'd asked.
"You should run, sweetheart," he advised lowly, lifting himself up to tower over me, "I'll have to tell Mogilevich the pretty blonde who kneed me shot him."
My brows raised at him, questioning if he was actually being serious.
I got up awkwardly and quickly retreated from the man with a gun, fearing him taking one step closer to me and summoning me under his sinful and intoxicating spell once more.
"You'll risk a war," I pointed out, hoping such a realisation would bring him back to his senses.
I gaped at the smug grin that tugged up the sides of his lips while he casually ran a hand through his hair to clear away the evidence of our previous and irresponsible actions.
"Anything to get under your skin," he promised me, before speaking into the earpiece he had, eyes unwavering and challenging on mine, "Maxim is dead. It was Natalia White."
My jaw and fists clenched, and I fought the urge to attack him right then and there.
I quickly grabbed my rifle and began to sprint away, but he managed to halt me for a moment with his hand on my upper arm.
"I look forward to next time," his hot breath and lips brushed against the side of my ear, impressive and hard body so close I felt lightheaded.
I mumbled out a few curses, not quite able to muster out anything worth value, before jumping over the dead man's body and disappearing deeper into the forest.