"Go ahead and finish that sentence," I said, brow lifted.
"You. Okay? I didn't want to leave you. Is your ego stroked enough now?"
"As much as I'd like you two to get your touchy-feelies out," K broke in waving a hand toward the bed, "but what the fuck are we supposed to do about this?"
"You didn't have to sneak off when I was sleeping, Maisy," Ruslan broke in, shrugging his shoulders as much as the awkward position would allow. "If you had told me you didn't want me, that you didn't need my help, I would have let you go."
"Well... I didn't know that!" she said, rolling her eyes at him. "It didn't exactly feel like I had much of a choice."
"Because you needed someone to protect you, kotyonok. I didn't know you already had people doing that for you."
"I guess we should untie him," Maze said, looking between us.
"You sure that's smart?"
"I'm in the room," Ruslan interrupted. "It's fine to untie me. I won't try to take you on."
"Don't all move at once," Maze grumbled, going to the side of the bed and working on the complicated assortment of ties holding his right wrist to the headboard. K moved to his other wrist and I stood there, not sure what the fuck to do. "What are you planning to do now, Rus? Obviously you can't stay around here with Vik looking for you."
"I wouldn't count on Vik being a problem for long," I said and Ruslan's eyes snapped to mine. "Half of Navesink Bank is looking for him. My money is on them finding him. Then it's up to K and Maze what to do with him."
Ruslan nodded, looking over at a suddenly horrified-looking Maze. "He's too powerful," he said.
"You're saying he needs to be neutralized," K said, freeing his arm and moving back.
"If you want to keep Maisy safe, yes. Otherwise, he'll never stop."
"He's your brother," Maze objected, shaking her head and staying on the bed despite finishing her task.
"Kotyonok, he'd kill me soon as he'd wish me a good morning," Ruslan said, sitting up, his hand landing on Maze's thigh and squeezing.
And, well, that was about enough. I reached out, grabbing Maze at the waist and pulling her to stand and put back against my chest, one of my arms going around her waist. "Repo, what are..."
Ruslan's face twisted up in a smirk as he gave me a chin raise. "Loud and clear."
Maze looked over at K who gave her a shrug. "Ever see a dog piss on what belongs to him?" he asked with a white-toothed smile.
I couldn't see her face, but I'm pretty fucking certain she rolled her eyes.
"All seriousness though," K said, "Maze isn't in on whatever does end up being done. She doesn't need that on her back."
"K, I'm a big girl. I can handle..."
"Not a word," I agreed immediately. She'd had enough to deal with, she didn't need to think there was blood on her hands.
"This might help," Ruslan said, moving off the bed, jerking his chin up at K who took a long second to move out of the man's way. He went over to the desk, grabbing a piece of paper and a pen. "Vik fucked up five years ago or so. He convinced an unhappy girl to come and marry in the States when he was visiting home. Turns out she wasn't just a poor girl with no prospects, she was the younger sister to one of Russia's biggest importers." It didn't take a genius to know he meant drugs. "The brother, he's looked for her. But Vik hid her well when he figured out what happened. This," he said, pointing something out to K on the paper, "is how to contact him. This," he pointed lower on the paper, "is where to find her. You all," he said, looking up at me, but focusing more on Maze, "you will have nothing on your conscience. This is righting an old wrong."
"And what about you, Rus?" Maze asked.
"Me? I'll be fine. I will hide out living large on this money until I get word that Viktor is no longer a... obstacle for me. Then I can go back to New York." Maze must have looked upset because his face softened as did his voice. "Kotyonok, no. Never. I will go back and run the real businesses the way they should have always been run."
"If I find out that is not the case, that you're selling girls again, I will personally drag my ass up there, tie you to another bed, cut off your cock, and shove it down your lying throat."
Damn if my girl didn't mean every word of that.
"I believe you," he said, moving toward us, running a hand down her nose, then heading toward the door. "On that paper is a way to contact me. Please do so if you have news for me. I will be in Miami as planned... evening out my tan," he said in a way that suggested it was some secret between them.