Drake Sisters 03 - Oceans of Fire

a thin spaghetti-strap tank that didn’t quite cover her flat belly. She leaned her elbows on the railing and stared out over the ocean. The wind tugged at her long mass of bright red hair and pushed her thin top across her breasts. Her hair fell below her waist in a long bright red cascade, the wind sweeping it across her pale skin. He remembered the feel of the silky strands, soft and sensual, sliding over him.
    It took all of his self-control not to call out a warning to her. He inched his way toward the man in the shadows. The man turned his head slightly and Aleksandr’s gut clenched and rolled. Prakenskii . He was considered a violent killer and a termination order had been out on him for years. What was he doing in the small town ofSea Haven? Aleksandr crept within striking distance. He could not afford to leave Prakenskii any room to maneuver. His entire world narrowed to his task. Kill Prakenskii and keep Abigail safe. Nothing else mattered at that moment, or could matter.
    “Just keep your hands right where they are, Ilya Prakenskii,” Aleksandr ordered, his voice low. “Stay where you are.”
    Prakenskii stiffened, raised his hands slightly. “Aleksandr. I had no idea you were in the vicinity. We meet in the strangest of places.” A small smile touched his mouth. “Have you recovered from our last little
    ‘talk’?”

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    “Completely,” Aleksandr said pleasantly. “A few weeks of recuperation.” He shrugged. “Such is life.
    And you?”
    “A little reminder when it grows cold, but thank you for asking.”
    “What brings you to this part of the world?”
    “I was about to ask you the same thing,” Prakenskii said. “Although, now that I’ve seen the woman, I don’t need an explanation. It was rumored you’d lost interest in her.”
    “The rumors were wrong.“
    “She’s the one the scandal was about, isn’t she? You nearly lost your career and you made a very bitter enemy.”
    “I’ve made my share of enemies,” Aleksandr agreed with a small shrug. “So have you. It is our way of life.”
    “True. I was hoping your superiors would let you go, but they appear more intelligent than I gave them credit for and they kept you.“ He tilted his head. ”Or you have far more power than I believed.“
    “Turn around, Ilya.“ Aleksandr refused to be drawn into a discussion of politics. They both had firsthand knowledge that the red tape of the various government organizations, splinter groups, and jealous coworkers could be a minefield.
    “One never likes to hear that you are anywhere near, Aleksandr,” Prakenskii remarked as he turned, his hands still in plain sight, the binoculars conspicuously in his left fist. “She’s a beautiful woman. It’s always a shame when a beautiful woman dies, don’t you think?”
    “Fortunately my enemies know me, Ilya, so she is in no danger. I would hunt down and kill anyone who harmed her. And I would kill their families and their friends and their every associate until I was caught.”
    Aleksandr spoke matter-of-factly. He shrugged, but the gun remained rock steady. “It would take even Interpol a long time to catch me and there would be a bloodbath before it happened. Drop the binoculars, and I don’t want to see your shoulder move. Open your hand and let them fall to the ground.”
    “Come now, Aleksandr, these are very expensive. You just can’t expect me…” Ilya threw the binoculars, snapping them hard into Aleksandr’s chest and rushing forward to chop viciously at his gun hand.
    Almost too late, Aleksandr saw the thin razor blade in Ilya’s hand as he sliced toward Aleksandr’s stomach. Killers like Prakenskii used poison, coating the blade with a lethal dose so all it took was the lightest of nicks and their victim was dead within minutes. He leapt back so that the blade narrowly missed him and slammed the butt of his gun on the back of Ilya’s hand so that the knife fell to the ground.
    His foot lashed out, smashing hard into the side of Ilya’s knee, collapsing the leg, forcing him to stagger.
    It gave Aleksandr enough time to bring his gun into position as Ilya drew his secondary weapon and aimed between Aleksandr’s eyes. They stood face-to-face, both ready to die in a single heartbeat.
    Aleksandr thought of Prakenskii stalking Abbey, plunging the knife into her or shooting her until her lifeless body lay bloody and broken. One move was all