If Hollywood hadn’t had one foot on the gas pedal, he’d have been kicking himself in the backside for being such a dumbass fool.
Since the first second he’d set eyes on her, Niko Federova had been getting under his skin. Good ways, bad ways, it didn’t seem to matter all that much. She was burrowing herself in there, and he hadn’t the first clue how to stop her. Hell, he wasn’t even sure he wanted her stopped.
When he’d seen her climb up into the cab, and the look of agony on her face, he’d wanted to wrap her in his arms and hug the pain away. Ok, maybe kiss the pain away would have been more accurate.
But, of course, he wasn’t free to do that, what with being the only driver, so he’d done the next best thing. He’d asked Kellen to use his medical knowledge to help her, convinced as he was that there was more to her injuries than a few bumps and a bruised cheekbone.
Of course, what he hadn’t realised in his messed-up brain, was that in sending Kellen back to offer medical assistance, he was giving the guy permission to put his hands all over Niko.
Hollywood reckoned he deserved a medal that proclaimed him ‘Fuckwit of the Week’ for his stupidity.
So, he’d driven carefully, making sure he didn’t hit any holes in the road, and he’d listened to every last word they’d said.
He had to give Kellen credit. The man had been chivalrous to a fault. No inappropriate touching, and no looking where his eyes oughtn’t stray. The man was a candidate for sainthood.
But every wince, every hiss of pain, and every word that had come out of Niko’s mouth, had just increased Hollywood’s desire to wrap her up in his arms and not let her go until he made her his own.
Hollywood nearly choked as the thought rattled around in his head. What in God’s name was he thinking?
Damn, but he was having some sort of brain-freeze or something. Was there a medical condition that left your brain befuddled, incapable of rational thought, and unable to make decisions and choices?
Well, duh! There were plenty, of course. But could any of them come over a person in less than two days? None that he’d heard of.
Ok, time for a reality check.
The woman sitting in the back was a human trafficker. That made her evil.
Ok, so technically she was the sister of a human trafficker, so, still evil, but with possible grounds for a reduction in the gravity of her crimes. Besides, she had a son to feed, and no other way of doing so.
Did that make a difference? Probably not. So, still evil.
Did it matter that she was probably only helping her brother because she had no choice? That she was trapped into this life, and had no way of breaking free?
Hollywood sighed.
He was trying to make excuses for Niko’s behaviour, to try and justify to himself why he was fast becoming infatuated with her. Because if he couldn’t find just one redeeming feature about her, what did that make him?
An unlucky asshole, that’s what.
And if he was supposed to hate her and detest everything she stood for, then why was it he ended up with a boner every time he caught sight of her, or even just heard her voice?
He had shitty bad luck, that was why. Extremely shitty bad luck that the only woman who’d caught his interest in more than six months, was the one woman he wasn’t supposed to have.
“Hi.” Her quiet voice made him jump, and the truck jerked as his hands tightened on the wheel.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” She smiled as she sat down across from him. “Kellen wanted to watch Lego Batman with Roman, so I had to give up my spot.”
“It’s fine.” He glanced over and spotted the bruise on her face immediately. “I guess I was in a world of my own.”
“I think I’d have preferred it if you said you were busy concentrating on the road.” Niko teased. “It would have been slightly more reassuring.”
“I’m always concentrating on the road.” He explained. “Being able to multi-task isn’t just a female accomplishment. Men can do that too, y’know.”
“Really?” Niko sounded surprised. “Name me an occasion when you’ve been able to multitask.”
Sex! I can do different things with my mouth, fingers, and cock, all at the same time, all of them capable of getting you off…
“Video-games.” He went with the funny answer instead. “I can kill zombies, eat potato chips and open a can of beer, without ever getting killed or spilling anything on the carpet.”
“Wow!” Niko shook her head in wonder. “I seriously under-rated your talents.”
Hollywood shrugged.
“That’s been the story of my life.” He sighed.
They fell into a comfortable silence for a little while, which probably could have lasted longer, but Hollywood’s curiosity got the better of him. Even though he knew she wasn’t going to like the question, he had to ask it.
“Why do you stay with him?” He asked quietly. “Why do you keep working for your brother?”
Niko turned to stare at him, not answering yet, as though she was trying to divine his reason for asking.
Eventually she shrugged.
“The rest of our family are dead. He’s all I have left.” She explained simply.
“Tell me why you don’t walk away from his business, then?” He asked. “You can still be family without you working for him. I know you hate what he does. I’ve seen it in your eyes when you look at those women. He’s a total sleaze-ball. And yet you stay with him.”
“I don’t have to like what Ilya does.” Niko pointed out, and he could sense she was starting to resent his interference. “It’s just what he does to make a living, and as his sister, I don’t have a right to judge him for it.”
“Of course, you do. He’s dragged you into it, and he’ll drag you down with him when he gets caught.” Hollywood argued. “It doesn’t have to be that way. You could just walk away. Make your own life.”
“It must be so nice living in Hollywood-land.” Niko shook her head. “No reality to come and bite you on the ass. Everything always working out the way you want it to.”
“We all make our own choices, Niko.” Hollywood pointed out. “You’re no different.”
“I didn’t choose this life.” Niko growled. “Nobody in their right mind would. It’s not something I asked for.”
“No? Then I guess you must have stuck with it because the money is good.” Hollywood’s last ounce of hope in there being some good in her character was melting away. “How does it feel to know the misery those women must suffer serves to line your pockets. That every ounce of pain they go through buys you some little trinket you don’t even need.”
“The truth is that you know nothing about me, so don’t try to claim you can read me like a book.” Niko sneered at him. “You have no idea what my life is like, or what I have to do to survive.”
“No, you’re right. Designer labels don’t come cheap, do they?” Hollywood didn’t know why he felt like goading her, but it seemed to ease his conscience over finding Niko attractive.
“Of course.” Niko’s laugh was false. “Because I stash all my millions away, so none of Ilya’s men can rob me.”
Hollywood could have sworn he heard Niko growl, but when he turned his head, she was reaching through the curtain, so possibly she had just twisted her ribs and the noise was just pain.
When she righted herself, she was holding an old fake leather purse. Niko reached in and pulled out her wallet.
She leaned over to open it in front of his face.
“Let’s see how many of my millions I have on me today.” She said sarcastically, unzipping it slowly.
Niko pulled out the notes and then tipped the coins into her hand.
“Let me see… I have ten, twenty… no, make that twenty- five euros in notes, and another three euros in coins, plus a few other coins in other currencies that don’t amount to more than a dollar or two.” She turned the cloth wallet inside out to prove it was empty. “No credit cards or bank cards. Hell, I don’t even have a bank account. So, these are all my shiny millions. Can you see them blinding you? Roughly thirty euros, out of which I have to buy food for Roman, plus clothes, medicine, and pretty much everything he needs for the next week. And then on Saturday, if this trip has been successful, Ilya will give me maybe fifty euros for next week, but only if he’s feeling particularly benevolent. And I’ll have to thank him like he’s the kindest brother in the world, because if I don’t, or he thinks I’m not being genuine, he’ll take it back and rip the notes into little pieces in front of me. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s done that.”
Hollywood sat almost stunned into silence, absorbing everything Niko said.
She hadn’t gotten emotional when she spoke. On the contrary, she’d almost become numb, as if she was just telling him the dullest story imaginable. He guessed to her it was just that. A story of living hand to mouth, with a sadistic brother who must be worth millions through his illegal enterprises.
“What? No other accusations to throw my way?” Niko sneered. “Because from where I’m sitting, you’re no better than me, and if anything, worse. You don’t have to be here. Nobody is holding a gun to your head, and if I’m not mistaken, you’re getting paid a helluva lot more than I am for your involvement. So, which one of us is the devil, hmm? You tell me that.”
“I’m sorry.” He said quietly, not really knowing which part he was most sorry about. That she was forced to live a life of criminality that there was no doubt she hated? Or that she was so poorly compensated for it?
“Don’t be.” She said quietly. “My life is none of your business. You’re here for a few days to get the women to the auction, and then you’ll be gone, and we’ll never have to see each other again. It’ll be like we never met.”
“When this is over, why don’t you think about getting out?” Hollywood suggested. “I’ll help you and Roman get away and start up somewhere else.”
“Sure, you will.” Niko nodded sadly. “I have my own plans, thanks, and they don’t involve you. Assuming Ilya doesn’t kill me first, that is.”
Hollywood couldn’t believe how calmly Niko had said those last few words. But then she’d lived with the reality for a long time, so, he supposed it was easy to come to terms with.
All he could hope for, when the shit hit the fan, and they put the rescue mission into effect, was that Ilya would go down in a blaze of gunfire, and Niko and Roman would get the freedom they deserved.
If only…