Tears continued to spill out of my eyes.
“You’re safe?” Kazimir put me back down on the ground and leaned away, doing a fast assessment of my arms and legs. “Did that bastard hurt you?”
“No. I’m fine.”
Rage covered his face as he took me in some more. “You’re marked and bruised.”
“I’m safe.” I hugged him hard. “I’m safe, baby.”
Heat flared to life in his cold eyes. Sighing, he wrapped his arms back around me. “You are.”
“And. . .” I swallowed. “I may be. . .pregnant.”
He leaned away and beamed. “You are. You’re pregnant with a little girl.”
Confusion hit me. “What?”
“Baba told me.”
“Who the hell is Baba?”
Not answering, he consumed my lips.
A van screeched next to us.
It was hard to pull away from his kiss, but the van looked odd with some huge gun mounted on top of it.
“Let’s go.” Kazimir didn’t’ let me catch my breath as he lifted and carried me away, not letting my feet touch the ground anymore. He lifted me into the van and as soon as we got in, he shut everyone out.
No one else sat inside.
And there he devoured my lips and held me close.
“Trust me,” he whispered between kisses. “I will kill them. One day.”
“And I’ll help.” I kissed him back.
I melted into him. I buried my face into his ripped shirt. All stained in blue. It felt so good to be with him again.
“Mysh.”
Edge hit his voice. “You’re bleeding.”
I closed my eyes and leaned into him. “Maybe.”
Tenderly, Kazimir stroked his fingertips around the wound on my thigh. The gentle movement soothed me.
“They took you from me.” He held me tighter. “I was supposed to protect you from that.”
“How could you?” I listened to his heartbeat as it boomed in his chest, finding even more comfort in his closeness. “We survived. We won.”
“We didn’t. Not yet. But soon, we will.”
I opened my eyes and raised my head. “I called Jean-Pierre’s phone, before I got to you in the mall.”
“How?”
“I used Maxwell’s phone.”
Those eyes returned to cold. “Why did you call him?”
“I wanted him to turn away the bikes.”
His gaze warmed as he widened his eyes. “Is that why the bikers turned around?”
“Yes.”
“Then, you saved me again.” Kaz studied me. “And what did Jean-Pierre want for that?”
“Friendship.”
He sneered but said nothing.
I swallowed down my fear, dreading this conversation. “Jean-Pierre guaranteed us a safe flight out of here.”
“As if he could.”
“Jean-Pierre could’ve made the flight bumpy.”
“There won’t be any friendship with me.” Kaz slipped his hand to my stomach and then kept it there. “He could have harmed you and the baby .”
I swallowed again. “Let’s not worry about that. I’m not sure, if I really am pregnant. I just think I may be.”
“You are.”
“I took three pregnancy tests.”
Kaz quirked his eyebrows. “When?”
“Long story, but one said yes. One said no.”
“And the other?”
“Nothing.”
“Baba said you’re pregnant. I believe her.” And then his mouth fell on mine again, and there was no other need to talk. He slid his tongue between my parted lips. His taste warmed me. So sweet. I leaned into him more, relishing in the closeness and the connection that I could only have with my lion.
Damn, Kaz. I missed you.
As if hearing my thoughts, he deepened the kiss.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, wanting to get even closer to him. As close as humanly possible. He moved his hand from my stomach, back to my hips, never cutting the connection with his lips.
A low moan left me.
When he pulled away, my body blazed hot for him.
“I was nothing without you, mysh.” A low groan left his body. “Nothing.”
A moan poured out of me. It was the only response I was capable of.
He leaned away and gazed into my eyes. “For the rest of my life. . .I will spend it protecting you. That won’t happen again. Never will—”
I stopped his words with two fingers. “No. Just kiss me. I don’t want to think about any of that anymore.”
And so, he did.
I drowned in him. His lush mouth drank me in, sucking on my tongue, twirling and taming. My desires were his. My mind was his. My every breath. My heartbeat . My need, and hunger. It was all him.
I sighed, when he let me go.
The van rocked us, but I remained safe and still within his arms.
My eyes watered, but I wouldn’t let myself cry. We’d fought another war together and won. This was no time for tears.
Still, I had to tell him the hard realization that hit my mind.
I lowered my voice. “I can’t live without you.”
With no hesitation, he whispered, “Neither can I.”
“And. . .this isn’t a temporary thing. . .my not wanting to be away from you.”
“We were never temporary, mysh. I always knew this would be forever.”
I opened my mouth and was scared to utter any other word.
“I love you.” He kissed away my response, and all fearful thoughts of our future.
Chapter 15
Kazimir
Minutes later, we arrived at the airport.
I didn’t want to stop kissing her, but I had to get us out of France.
Both battered and bruised, we took our time getting out of the van. Other cars screeched our way and parked. I spotted Maxwell, Blue, and Pavel off in the distance. A black jeep stopped next to us. David jumped out.
I nodded at him.
He stopped in front of us . “I just wanted to make sure you got out of here safely. My people are coming.”
Emily studied him.
“Hello.” David held out his hand. “Finally, I meet the mouse.”
She smiled. “You helped Kaz?”
“I did.”
“Thank you.” Emily shook his hand.
I relaxed my shoulders and stared at him. “Come with us, David.”
David paused and still held Emily’s hand. “Now?”
“Now. I’ll send someone to get your possessions as well as Baba.”
Emily turned to me. “Maybe, you should give him some time to think about this.”
David shook his head. “There’s nothing to think about. I’ll come.”
I nodded. “Get on the plane. I’ll put plans in place. Your men will understand. You can send for some too, but we’ll need a strong foundation in Paris.”
Emily scrunched her face in confusion. I was going to ask her what could be on her mind, when the sound of sirens became clear . The noise blared closer than it should.
I looked up.
Several police cars sped forward, surrounding us. None of the cops got out of the car.
“What do they want?” I growled.
“Don’t worry.” David shook his head. “These police cars were clearing the path and escorting us to the airport.”
“Jean-Pierre gave us police accompaniment.”
David shrugged. “He wanted you out of here, and a guarantee of your departure.
Emily squeezed my hand. “We should leave.”
“We should.”
We walked toward the plane.
Tons of French greeted us.
There appeared to be other surprises for us.
“More Corsican.” My mouse scanned all the armed Frenchman in front of our plane. None of them had their guns up, or pointed. Their gazes remained forward. No one looked our way. Still, there must’ve been three lines of men circling th
e space.
In the first line, a man walked away from them and headed toward us.
Now what?
He looked familiar.
Emily whispered, “That’s Louis. I’m surprised he got here before us.”
I spat at the ground, took her hand, and headed his way. “Friendship?”
Emily sighed. “If Jean-Pierre lied, we’ll deal with it.”
“Oh no. Today, he will make sure we get on the plane safely. My only concern is the days later.”
“When I was with him, his only focus was getting his girlfriend back to him. He looked crazy.”
“He is crazy.”
We met Louis in the middle of the small runway.
Louis glanced at Emily and then looked at me. “I’m glad you two were reunited.”
I quirked my eyebrows. “How do you want to die, Louis?”
Louis glared, but kept his mouth closed.
Several of my men marched over and got behind me.
Emily squeezed my hand.
I curved my lips into a smile. “You haven’t thought about your death yet, Louis? You haven’t considered it?”
“It’s not something I think about.”
“You should.” I nodded at Louis and guided my mouse away.
Emily kept my pace. I stomped off fast, ready to get her safely on my plane and in the sky. Had she not been my main focus, I would have slit Louis’s neck. But there was no need to be greedy with the universe. I had my true love back—the only person on this earth, that made my heart pump and my lungs expel and fill with air.
She was my only concern at the moment. Once she was safe ,and far away from the Corsican, then I would have some fun.
Laughing, I headed up the stairs.
Emily eyed me as she remained at my side. “What’s so funny?”
“I’m going to change the entire landscape of Paris. Get a good look at it.” I entered the plane and guided us forward. “I wish I could have shown you the Louvre, but there are other museums I can show you. The Louvre will be no more.”
She cleared her throat. “You’re not going to do anything to the Louvre.”
“I’m going to blow it the fuck up.” I stomped through the plane.
She let go of my hand. “Kaz?”
A stewardess rushed to us. “Hello, Mr. Solonik would you like any—
“Vodka!” I roared at the stewardess and then calmed myself down. “Lots of vodka. No ice. No glass. Just the fucking bottle in my hand within five minutes.”
Nervously, the stewardess bobbed her head and turned to Emily. “And would you like anything, Mrs. Chambers?”
My mouse gave her a weak smile. “French fries. If possible?”
“It is.” The stewardess blinked. “Anything else you would like?”
Excitement filled my mouse’s eyes. “A burger too. . .and a hot dog with bacon on it. . .and mayo. And later a sundae. Vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce. And nuts. . .please.”
The stewardess didn’t write anything down as she nodded and rushed away.
My body drummed with anger, but I worked on staying calm. “They didn’t feed you either?”
“There were some attempts. I was more focused on escaping.”
I stomped over to her.
She inched back.
I picked her up.
“Kaz, I can walk.”
“You were limping.” I growled and carried her to the master bedroom. “You hurt your leg.”
“That may be true.”
“It is.” I brought her into the room, shut the door, and lay her down on my bed.
She tried to sit up.
I gritted my teeth. “Lay down, please.”
She did, but asked, “Why am I laying down?”
“I want to check what else is hurt.”
She lay flat on her back and closed her eyes. “I’m good at checking myself.”
“Not as good as me.”
“Maybe.” She yawned.
“Did you get any sleep?”
She opened her eyes. Those lids drooped over those beautiful browns. “No sleep for me. Did you get any sleep?”
“Of course not.”
“Of course not.” She grabbed the bottom of my shirt and tugged me forward. “Come here, Doctor. I already know what I need.”
I let her pull me to her.
“I want you in my arms.” She nipped at my lip. “That’s it. I want to eat French fries with your arms around me.”
I left her and sat back up. “Afterwards. First I check those ribs.”
She frowned and shut her eyes. “I told you I’m fine.”
“We’ll see.” I pulled off the rainbow shirt and slipped off those jeans. “Whose clothes are these?”
“I think it was Rafael’s chef’s sister.”
“You have the address?”
“No. Why?”
“I’m going to flatten it.”
Emily let out a long breath.
It took no time to undress her. Lust bloomed and my cock awakened, but I did my best to squash those desires. My mouse had been gone from me for too long. God only knew what they’d done to her.
Seconds later, I studied her nude body. “They didn’t provide any panties or bra?”
Yawning, she kept her eyes closed. “They tried.”
“Did or tried?”
“Again. It wasn’t my highest priority. I just put some clothes on and came back out to kick some ass.” She opened her eyes, saw me glaring, and pouted. “What?”
“I love that you escaped. I’m just mad that you did.”
“Why?”
“It was dangerous.”
“And it would’ve been safer to stay? When I arrived at the mall, Jean-Pierre and you were wrestling in beauty care products and there were motherfuckers with every weapon I could imagine.”
I pursed my lips and trailed my fingers along all the bruises on her body. “Who hit you?”
“Most of them are dead or passed out in a hospital.”
I tried but couldn’t keep the evil smirk off my face. “My mysh.”
“My lion.”
“And the ones that aren’t dead or in the hospital? How many can I find?”
“It’s only one.”
I circled a large purplish bruise over her ribs. “And where is he?”
“You beat him up pretty bad already. I don’t think he’ll mess with us anymore.”
Jean-Pierre.
I sneered. “Jean-Pierre put all of these bruises on you?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?” I growled.
“We’re safe. I don’t care about who did what. I’m ready to see Moscow.”
“For every bruise, I’ll give him a bullet.”
“I just want some French fries and your arms around me.”
I assessed her nude body. “There’s too many bruises. Almost every inch of you.”
She gave me a weak smile. “There’s bruises on my skin, but not on my soul.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Now’s not the time for poetry.”
“I’m trying to lighten the mood.”
“It will be impossible.” I kissed her. “Jean-Pierre has made an enemy of the Bratva.”
“I don’t want a war,” she murmured. “Besides. . .him and I are friends now.”
Anger boiled in my blood, but I wouldn’t take it out on my mouse.
It wasn’t her fault.
Someone knocked at the door.
I pulled the sheet over her body, rose, and went to the door.
The stewardess pushed in a cart. On top front and center…a large bottle of vodka sitting in a silver bucket of ice, with two bottles of mineral water. Two glasses stood on the side along with a bowl of fruit and muffins. “Mrs. Chambers, the fries will be ready soon. The chef is making them fresh, along with your burger and hot dog.”
“Awesome.” Emily closed her eyes and looked to be close to falling asleep. “Thanks so much.”
“And when are we leaving?”
I grabbed the bottle, twisted the top off, and chugged.
“Oh, I’m sorry. The pilot said it will be fifthteen minutes.”
I swallowed down the harsh liquid. “Tell the pilot that we leave in five minutes.”
Emily spoke up, “Kaz, the pilot may need the time to do safety checks or something.”
I swallowed more of the burning liquid. “Tell him five.”
“Yes, sir.” The stewardess left.
I slammed the door.
For some reason, my mouse giggled. “Come here, baby.”
I prowled over the bed with the bottle, pulled the sheet away, and studied the wounds some more. “Several punches. Jabs. Kicks. Swelling on your thigh. If your right leg isn’t broken, it’s sprained.”
She waved my hands away as I touched her arm. “Are you going to be like this the whole trip?”
“I am.” I saw the gash on her shoulder. “Who cut you?”
“No one cut me. I probably cut myself during one of the times I fought Jean-Pierre.”
My body vibrated with rage. I rose from the bed. “One of the times?!”
“Kaz, he tried not to hit me.”
“But he did hit you?”
“What could he do, take the ass whipping?”
The engine rumbled under the floor.
The pilot was lucky he followed my instructions. I definitely wanted to slap somebody.
“Come here and calm down,” she whispered. “I’m fine, and we’re leaving.”
I took another swig and returned to her on the bed. “I won’t calm down.”
“If I was one of your men—”
“You’re not.” I gathered her in my arms and set the vodka down. “You know you’re not.”
“I was working with a metaphor.”
“You’re strong, mysh.”
She opened her eyes and stared at me. “But?”
“There are no buts.”
“Are you sure?”
“You’re the strongest woman I know.” I ran my fingers through her hair. “And that’s a lot coming from me.”
She nodded. “Your sister is no punk.”
“And neither was my mother.” I inhaled her. My eyes watered. “You’re strong and. . .”
Her voice was low. “And?”
“And I want you in my life forever.”
“I already promised.”
Dirty Minds: The Lion and The Mouse (Book 4) Page 17
