Sonata (Butcher and Violinist 2)

Louis spoke up, “Have you thought about what’s going to come, after we get Eden?”

“I’m not thinking past getting Eden.” My heart ached to think of the possibility that it wouldn’t happen.

“Kazimir will come for you, if he doesn’t during the exchange.”

“I considered that.”

Louis glared. “I won’t let that happen.”

“What’s your plan? Bomb? Sniper?”

“We may need both.”

“At the exchange?”

Louis nodded. “Yes. If we have time to plan.”

Kill the Lion?

Everything was happening fast. It was almost impossible to keep up with each new situation.

I sighed. “If the Mouse is pregnant, we can’t kill Kazimir.”

“Why not?”

“You know why not.”

Louis had grown up with no father, just like the rest of us.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I don’t care what location he gives us. It’s Paris. He’ll never know a place better than us.”

“But he’ll have time to strategize.”

“We’ll have to be creative.” I headed off to the bathroom. “I’m going to check on the Mouse.”

“Try not to let her get you wet again.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” I headed to the bathroom and whispered to my men, “What’s she doing?”

“I don’t know,” one said. “I heard throwing up early. The toilet flushed a few times. Water came on and off. We’re too high for her to climb out the window.”

“Still, I wouldn’t leave her by herself for too long,” I gestured for them to give me space.

The Mouse had been a slippery little creature to hold onto. I’d come close to hitting her in the bathroom. No matter how many times I grabbed her, she slipped away. She twisted. She turned. She slammed, in the right moments. A good fighter, but not nearly enough to get by me in that bathroom.

Now, we really can’t tussle anymore, Mouse. Are you okay? Are you pregnant?

Uneasy, I leaned my head against the door. The toilet flushed. No other noise came. I knocked. She didn’t respond. I knocked again. Nothing.

Did she somehow find a new sewer hole to crawl through?

I grabbed the knob, quietly turned it, and pushed the door open a few inches.

Good sign. She didn’t lock it.

I peeked inside through the few inches of space the door gave me.

The Mouse sat on the toilet, but all her clothes were on and the toilet top had been down. She held three white sticks in her hand.

What are those?

I focused some more.

Are those the pregnancy tests? Natalie must’ve told her about the tests, when she went in the back. Or maybe Emily heard.

Tears fell from her eyes.

Good news or bad? What is it?

Silently, I closed the door, leaned against the wall, and ran my fingers through my hair.

Is she pregnant or not? Fuck. I would’ve never taken her, if I knew. . .fuck. I wasn’t Thinking at all.

This was getting more complicated by the minute. Whether the Mouse was pregnant or not, didn’t matter. I hadn’t realized how important she’d been to Kazimir. I’d been glad, but after I got Eden back. . .Kazimir would make us pay. There was love between them. Kazimir didn’t move like a rational man. He’d been acting like a desperate man in love.

The way I’ve been acting. . .

Guilt rose in my gut. I didn’t like causing him pain, even though I wasn’t fond of the man.

The door opened.

Emily stepped out. Shock hit her face, when she saw me. She looked different, from the nauseous woman, that had walked into the bathroom. In fact, she was different from the woman I’d grabbed. While both gave me the survivor vibe, this Emily that stood in front of me had fight in her.

I calmed my voice. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“Do you need a doctor?”

She blinked. “N-no.”

I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “Are you sure? You haven’t eaten. You’ve been fighting and killing men all day. Perhaps, you want to check on. . .things.”

“I’m not pregnant.”

“Of course not. That’s why you look like you’ve been hit repeatedly in the jaw by hard truth.”

“No.” She gritted her teeth. “My usual upbeat expression is gone, because I’ve been kidnapped.”

“We’ve treated you fairly.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Really?” I leaned my head to the side. “Do you roll your eyes at the Lion?”

She glared at me.

“Good. I hope you aggravate the shit, out of Kazimir. Does he have as much trouble with holding on to you, like I do?”

She glanced at the guards. Her voice lowered. “Can we talk somewhere private?”

What strategy is this? Do you think you can get me alone to convince me to let you go?

Curious, I led her a few feet from the guards and the bathroom. At that moment, Natalie opened her door up and almost bumped into me with Benji still on her right hip. “Oh wow. Sorry.”

“No. I apologize.”

“It’s all good.” Natalie looked at me and then Emily. “How did those tests work out for you?”

“Uh. They were fine.” Emily shook her head. “I’m fine.”