by Kenya Wright
Shooting sounded in the tunnel.
“Got him!” Max screamed. “Pick his bitch ass up.”
The others spoke in Russian.
The whole time, I stared at the opened bookshelf.
Kaz’s deep voice cut the silence. “You don’t run after the bad guy.”
I held in my cursing.
“I have men for that.”
If you had men for that, then X wouldn’t have gotten shot.
“Luka is on his way back.” Kaz checked his phone. “He’ll take you to X.”
“I’m not a doctor, Kaz. X doesn’t need me.” I’d held back my bite for too long and now I wanted to sink my teeth into someone’s ass. “I should stay here.”
“Because I need you?”
“I could help, when you talk to him.”
Darkness settled over Kaz’s face. “I’d rather you not be a part of this conversation.”
His men dragged Red Cape out. Max had shot him in his right leg. Blood spilled from the torn pants and streamed down his thigh.
They slung him onto the floor and stepped back.
Kaz walked Red Cape’s way and towered over him. “Take off his mask.”
They did.
I didn’t recognize him. He looked Russian, but I wasn’t sure. Tattoos covered the side of his face. Doves and holy crosses. I didn’t know what they meant, and I didn’t care. I planned on slicing the skin off his face anyway.
“Maxwell.” Kaz turned his way. “Take Emily back to the ballroom. You’ll meet Luka on the way.”
“And do you want me to come back?” Max asked, surely excited to get answers from the man too.
Kaz turned back to Red Cape as if he didn’t need to provide Max with anymore answers. Everyone looked at us, waiting for Max and me to leave.
I swallowed my anger. Max and I were just as much a part of grabbing Red Cape as anyone else. Had we not been there, Kaz might be dead and Uncle Igor too. Even more so, they wouldn’t have even caught the man. It was clear Kaz didn’t know about the hidden passageways.
Fuck. Now he knows I know.
Kaz continued to stare at the man, reeking of violence and fury. “I will talk to you later, Em.”
I fisted my hands and kept my peace. While I had Kaz’s ear and could tell him that I was pissed, I would never do it in front of his men. He didn’t have the right to turn me away, but I damn sure wouldn’t push the fact by arguing with him like a spoiled child.
Still, I felt like some dismissed kid—not his equal, but some frilly, soft female that he simply fucked and worked with from time to time. And perhaps it was all in my head. Maybe he was just used to working on his own.
He was at the top. He hadn’t needed me to get there.
But, the guy shot X!
My chest twisted with pain. I didn’t even want to think about X right now. If I lost him, I would lose myself. I’d already had not dealt with my best friend, Kennedy’s death. And I knew I’d have to mourn Daryl’s oncoming murder.
Not X, God. Not him. You promised. I thought we had a deal. You fucked up my life so much that you wouldn’t take the few people who loved me.
Frowning, Max grabbed my hand and led us away.
He understood what I did. This wasn’t Harlem. We weren’t the top dogs here. This was Kaz’s world, and he ran it. Survival didn’t mean pounding our chests and showing how big our dicks were. Sometimes survival meant shutting the fuck up, when the big dogs came around.
We left the room.
The door closed behind us.
I paced in front of it.
“What are you doing?” Max asked.
“Man.” I tapped the gun against my thigh.
“No, Em. Let’s go.”
My head was a little dizzy. I shook it, turned to the door, and opened it.
I blew out a long breath. A knock came from our right.
We looked.
The man in the white cape raced down the hall.
“The other one is here!” I yelled. “We’ve got another one!”
The door opened behind us, but I was already racing down the hallway. This time, Max couldn’t keep up. This time, no one was around to get in my way. And with White Cape, he was beaten and bruised. He’d probably been waiting for everything to go silent so he could rush out to escape.
Kaz’s men sounded behind me.
I got right on a limping and stumbling White Cape.
He turned around, yelled, and fell back into the wall.
Rushing to him, I aimed and shot. No bullets came out.
Fuck. I didn’t have bullets this whole time?
I dropped the gun and jumped on the guy. I couldn’t think of anything else to do. He couldn’t get away, and Kaz’s men were near.
I just needed him to trip or fall. It didn’t matter if White Cape got a hit in or not, it would slow him down. I dove and fell on him, grabbing his arm. Already battered, he crashed to the ground.
“Get over here.” I wrapped my arm around his neck.
We both fell, him gasping and me screaming. I didn’t know what we looked like as we wrestled to the floor, but Kaz’s men paused a bit before they dragged us apart.
Maxwell arrived and doubled over. “Jesus fucking Christ! This place is worse than New York!”
When Kaz got there, the whole space went silent as he glared at me.
All I could do was smile.
I rose from the ground. My gown was now ripped on the side.
Three men dragged White Cape away.
My right earring fell from my ear. I had no idea if the left one was still hanging on.
Kaz watched me. “Everyone, give us some space.”
They left, including Max. I came close to asking Max to let me hold his gun. Kaz didn’t appear pleased at my catching the man at all.
Eight
Kazimir
She could’ve died! And she stands there grinning?!
Em’s arm had wrapped around the man’s neck. Every few seconds, she had let him breathe before choking him some more. It took three men before she would let him go.
The vision did contradicting things to my head. I loved and hated it. I was proud and pissed at the same time.
I couldn’t keep the anger out of my voice. “You didn’t have bullets in the gun when you ran up on him?”
She let out an exasperated breath.
“You could’ve died.”
She opened her mouth in surprise but didn’t respond.
I pointed at the gun. “Where did you get that anyway?”
“From a friend.”
I stepped close to her. “You sound angry. You may want to calm down. Trust me on that.”
She pointed at the guy. “You could’ve died also.”
“My men were on it.”
She cleared her throat. “I want to be with you when you talk to them.”
I grimaced. “No.”
“We need to find out—”
My word came out as a growl. “Mysh.”
She pursed her lips.
I leaned her way, lowering my eye level to hers. “You may not know this, but I’m pretty good at getting information from people.”
She blinked.
“I’m also really good at keeping myself alive.”
She rolled her eyes.
I could count on my hand how many people had rolled their eyes at me. And for all the ones that had, none had been breathing today. But she would survive. Did she know the power she held on me?
She was getting comfortable. And why wouldn’t she? She’d been naked as I moved inside of her. There was a new type of intimacy between us. None that the other men or women shared with me. She knew how I looked in moments of passion, how I whispered when I moaned, how I begged for her to never stop giving me that pussy. She knew how much I needed her again. How much I held myself back when we were separated. Already, it was happening. Her trapping me as I trapped her. And damned if she didn’t know.
She knew.
“What
am I doing wrong?” she asked.
So innocent. But damned if she knew that she had me.
I did my best to keep my voice calm. “You don’t run off with a gun to kill anybody anymore. You’re in a new position.”
“Excuse me?” Her expression shifted to professional. She was now the person I’d met long ago, the first time in the art gallery. “My understanding was that my job was to protect you.”
Protect me?!
I would’ve laughed, if not for my uncle and her friend possibly dying several rooms away. “You don’t protect me, mysh. I protect you.”
Her next words came out with a bite. “I’ve saved your life twice now.”
She had a point, but she could’ve died. And I didn’t like how much that fact scared me. She was right in every way. Had she been any other man or woman working for me, she would’ve had money in her account the next day. I would’ve been happy to stand next to her.
But she was different…
I inched closer. “No.”
“No?” She edged back and hit the wall.
I moved forward, softly pressing against her chest and showing my dominance.
Her breath hitched.
I took her lips, drinking her in.
Moaning, she pulled away from my mouth. “I…am me…I saw them…I tried to protect you and…”
“No, your job is not to protect me. I protect you.”
She shook her head and tried to explain.
I cut her off. “No.”
“But they were going to kill you—”
“You’re mine!” I roared. My whole body quaked with the finality. People stirred down the hallway. Others left the area.
“You stay safe and by my side.” It was impossible to keep the anger out of my voice. “You don’t run off to partake…in a fucking gun fight…with a gun that has no bullets!”
She shrank back.
I calmed myself and adjusted my tie, taking the damn thing off and throwing it to the floor.
She remained quiet and didn’t look my way.
“I’m sorry I yelled just now.”
Her voice was low. “I didn’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I’m grateful for that, but I have more bullets than you and more men.” I pulled her into me. She relaxed against my chest. “You don’t like orders. I only know how to give them. With you, I’ll learn another way, but for now, I want you out of this.”
She looked up. “I’m not your brains?”
“No. You’re just mine.”
“I’m not.” She moved a little and tried to leave my hold, but I wouldn’t let it happen.
“I don’t want to just be yours,” she said. “That’s not a long-term situation. I would rather be your brains.”
“Why?”
“Because then, you couldn’t live without me.”
“Oh mysh.” I laughed. “I’m already seeing that I can’t live without you. You don’t need more importance. You don’t need me to be even more obsessed.”
Uncle Igor’s soldiers entered, awaiting my order and ready to kill someone over his injury.
I turned to them. “No blood yet.”
The rage increased on their faces.
One stepped forward. “We would like to talk to the shooters with you.”
Emily nodded, but was smart enough not to say anything. No one could know her power over me. If they did, she’d be the next target.
“I’ll take care of the shooter.” I gestured to Em. “Take my associate back to her room and keep her protected. She’s important to me.”
The men nodded and walked toward her.
She raised her hands and edged back. “I don’t need to be taken anywhere.”
I glared at her. It wasn’t what I’d wanted, but she couldn’t be around when I tortured the shooter. There was pain in my chest. My uncle might die. Many men had lost their lives tonight and she’d come close to being one of them.
“We’ll talk later, mysh.”
She kept that neutral mask on her face. “I’ll stick with the original plan and have Max take me to Luka.”
She didn’t say anything else, but fury pulsed from her. She kept that expression neutral and limped away in a dutiful manner, leaving a tiny trail of pink icing behind her.
She mumbled nothing else, but I knew there would be a conversation between us, one my cock was not willing to have. We wanted to be deep inside of her, forgetting tonight’s events. But she would hold that body against me until I learned not to overrule her again.
I didn’t have to, but I yelled at her. “Stay in your room!”
“Okay.” She glanced over my shoulder and hit me with a fiery gaze. “We can talk later.”
Translation: I am my own person. You will not tell me what to do. Be happy that I didn’t embarrass you in front of your men.
I nodded at the silent meaning she’d sent.
Maybe she’s not a little mouse at all. Perhaps, she’s a goddamn lioness.
She left.
Chuckling came from the right. I turned that way and spotted Maxwell.
“What?” I growled at him.
“Oooooo,” he whispered. “Yooooou’rrrreee in troooouble.”
One of Igor’s men must’ve overheard and grabbed for Maxwell’s arm.
Too fast, Maxwell moved from him and raised his hands. “Hey, I’m going.”
“Wait.” I gestured at him. “Hold on. Give him and me a minute.”
They left Maxwell and me inside the room.
We stared at each other.
“What is Emily to you?” I asked.
Maxwell shrugged. “I thought we already had this conversation in New York.”
“You talk like siblings and then sometimes like lovers.”
“You’re talking like you’re jealous.”
“You have more confidence with your words to me.”
“Because you know you can’t kill me. Emily would be mad.”
I checked my watch. “I wouldn’t depend on your safety. Accidents always happen.”
“You come for me,” he tapped his chest, “you better make the kill airtight with rational evidence.”
“Good suggestion. Until then, stay close to her and make sure she’s safe.”
“That’s my life.”
“You keep it that way and you’ll be well rewarded.”
“I don’t need money to keep Emily safe. It’s in my DNA. But do you know that we’re a packaged deal?”
“That’s if rational accidents don’t happen.”
“There’s always that.”
“Keep her safe, Maxwell. And stay close.”
“I’ll definitely do that.”
Nine
Emily
I was so mad at Kaz I could punch him in his gorgeous face.
I could’ve died? Well, you could’ve died too! Why the hell do you think I was running after them?
Emotions tornadoed inside of me. Love and pain. Pleasure and grief. Fear and so much more fucking fear. It was the anxiety that made me want to kill someone right in that moment.
But I kept my face low as I limped back, suddenly realizing that somehow, I’d hurt my leg. It must’ve been when I tried to leap over the stupid table. I damn sure wasn’t going to let Kaz or any of his men know about it. While I walked around them, I sucked up the pain. But now that I was far away, I appeared a bit cripple.
Fuck. That was dumb, jumping over the table. Adrenaline is something. It’ll have you leaping over buildings.
“I’m not taking you to Luka,” Max said once we came close to the banquet area.
“Of course not. Let’s go to your room.”
“Your Russian thinks you’re a fucking flower.”
“I am.” I limped forward. “I’m a goddamn delicate rose.”
“A bleeding one.” He pointed at my leg. “Do you want me to pick you up and—”
“I still have a bullet left.” I showed him my gun. “You sure you want to ask me that?”
> “Fuck you too, and you don’t have any bullets left. That’s part of the reason why your Russian is so pissed. You looked like a crazy woman tonight.”
“I am a crazy woman.”
“Pretty much. And you were the only woman chasing after anybody with a gun.”
“You know how we do it.” I grinned and then my lip quivered. Sighing, tears spilled from my eyes. “What about X?”
“He’s fine.”
“He’s not.” I rushed to wipe the tears away. “Where was he shot?”
“He’s fine. Don’t do that.” Max opened the door. “Let’s change. I need a drink.”
“Good.” Valentina’s voice sounded from the room, shocking us both. Her clapping came next. “I know a great spot for a perfect drink.”
I walked in behind Max.
What is she doing here? Is this night going to end?
Valentina didn’t wear a gown anymore. She looked like she was going to a nightclub—tight black dress, high heels, hair done up in a perfect style. I didn’t know when she changed or arrived, but she had time to do it.
Max looked at me.
I raised my eyebrows.
Valentina interrupted our silent exchange. “Remember, Maxwell? I promised that I would show you my Prague.”
“I just figured you would be busy,” Max said.
She looked shocked. “Busy doing what?”
“Checking on your uncle.” Max shrugged.
“What happened?” She turned to me and rose from the bed. “That dress is destroyed. Is Kazimir okay?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Then, you can tell me what happened on the way. If Kazimir is fine, then everything is okay.” She checked her watch. “We’ve got five minutes before your guards will be back. I would hurry. In fact, just change in the car.”
“The car?” I held my hands out. “Where are we going?”
She smirked. “The Harlem Crew always has questions.”
“Hold up for a minute, Valentina.” Max gestured for me to go in the bathroom. “Em and I need to talk.”
Valentina’s smile left her face. “So secretive.”
Yeah. We need to talk, and somebody may need to carry me in a few minutes.
“We’ll be right back.” I limped his way. My leg was feeling better, but it still hurt a little when I leaned on it.
