Page 45 of Exacting Vengeance

“Good.” He nodded. “But you had to give your physical address to the DMV. They don’t accept PO boxes as addresses.”

“That’s right.” Marissa had also educated her on the art of covering her tracks but warned her that when she applied for a state driver’s license, they’d require a physical address and proof of residency, such as utility bills.

“If you insist on staying here, you need to learn how to protect yourself.” He pulled out his phone and began typing. “I’m sending you an address. On Saturdays, I teach a self-defense class. It’s in the city, near 26 Federal Plaza. Class starts at eleven. I’ll pick you up at ten.”

The phone in her briefcase dinged, and she gulped. Marissa had once suggested something like that, but she’d never gotten around to following up on it, what with constantly changing safehouses, getting set up in a new part of the country, then finding a job to put a roof over her head and buy food. In theory, attending Kyle’s classes wasn’t a bad idea. Being around him, however, was.

“Uh, there’s no need for you to pick me up.” Because she had no intention of going.

“Do you have a car?” he asked.

“No.”

He frowned. “Then why did you get a driver’s license?”

“For identity purposes. It’s the first ID everyone gets asked for. Not having one would be a red flag to any employer.”

“How do you commute into the city for work?”

“The bus, then the Path Train, then the subway. It’s the cheapest way.”

“Not the safest.” Golden eyes drilled her. “I’m picking you up,” he repeated, his eyes taking on an annoyed glint.

He knows. Somehow, he knows I won’t show. “There’s no need for that. Really.”

“I think there is, and if you’re not here when I come to get you, I’ll find you.”

“How will you do that?” she shot back.

“I’m the FBI.” He turned and went to the door, opening it but not leaving. “I can find anyone.” Then he was gone.

That was precisely what she was afraid of. She could never hide from the FBI. Like Yuri, she suspected that if Kyle wanted to find her…

He would.

Chapter Nineteen

The digital clock on the dashboard read nine a.m.

From his position a block away, Kyle watched Victoria leave the bodega adjacent to her apartment building, carrying a small tray of coffee cups. Sunlight glinted off her coppery hair as she walked briskly past the unmarked private security vehicle parked at the curb. She wore faded jeans and a light-blue sweater, perfect for his self-defense class today.

“Isn’t that Victoria Kelly?” Deke asked.

“Yeah,” was all he said.

He’d asked Deke to meet him outside her building to sit in on a prearranged conversation with Mike’s old CI from Chicago. His brother’s specialty was Polish organized crime, specifically, the Greenpoint Crew, based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The Crew shared similar methods used by the Bratva, and he wanted Deke’s opinion on anything this CI said.

“Is there a reason you need to take this call right outside her building?” Without looking, he heard the humor in Deke’s voice and knew his brother was grinning.

“Yeah,” he said again, following Victoria’s willowy form as she headed up the stairs and went inside the Russian orthodox church on the other side of her building. This was the first time he’d seen her in five days. Since kissing her.

He’d felt that same bolt of lightning as when he’d kissed her after Semyon Novikov’s New Year’s Eve party. A decade ago, he’d successfully convinced himself part of the attraction had been that she was forbidden fruit. One kiss was all it had taken to debunk that theory. Then again, wasn’t she still forbidden fruit?

Regardless, he still felt it, whatever it was. She’d tasted every bit as sweet and passionate as he remembered and, for the last five days, she’d crept into nearly every one of his waking thoughts.

“Kyle?”

There was nothing standing between them now. She wasn’t a mobster’s wife, and he wasn’t undercover, but she was still better off without him. She’d said that she wished he’d never come back into her life. He was a part of her past she didn’t want any part of. Besides, he wasn’t ready for a relationship. Probably never would be. That emotional brick wall in his head was still there. He couldn’t give any woman what she wanted or needed, especially not Victoria.