“We don’t have time for this.”
“Trust me. We do.” I pointed at her. “You went to the Xecutioners yourself?”
“I did.” She blinked. “They agreed to a reasonable contract, and so—”
“A reasonable contract?” I leaned my head to the side. “Who pays up?”
“I do.”
I spoke through clenched teeth. “What do you have to do?”
She shook her head. “We can talk about that later.”
“You’re agreement with them—”
“Is final, Misha. Leave it alone. It has nothing to do with you.”
I leaned forward. “Oh really?”
In that moment, Hiro pulled the pink and gold lollipop out of his mouth. Smiling, he gave the lollipop a long lick.
I turned to him. “Are you enjoying that?”
“I am. Your girlfriend has great taste.”
What?
Furious, I charged for him. Yefim, Dima, Anatoly, and five more of my men jumped between us.
“Misha!” Ava screamed and grabbed my arm. “Misha, stop! Hold him!”
I shoved Yefim and my guards away. They stayed between us. More gathered around.
“Keep them separated!” Ava hurried to my side.
Never leaving his position, Hiro continued to lap at his lollipop.
“You cocky fucking bastard!” I tried to move around my men. “Ava tastes good?”
“No, Misha! I have taste. That’s all he meant.” She got right in front of me. “I bought him the lollipop.”
Rage coursed through me. “Because?”
Ava stayed right in front of me. “I thought it would make a good impression.”
Hiro spoke. “It did.”
“Thanks, Hiro. Can you please go back to your bike?” Ava pressed her hands against my chest as if to calm me.
Hiro put the lollipop in his mouth and walked off.
Ava kept her voice steady. “Misha, please calm down. You’re wasting time.”
I gestured to Yefim and the guards. “Go. I want to talk to her privately.”
When they left, I glared at her. “What part of stay safe didn’t you get?”
“Don’t talk to me that way.”
“Today, three women and a baby were kidnapped due to me!”
She put her hands on her hips. “Keep your voice down.”
I ran my fingers through my hair, doing my best to stifle my anger. Relaxing my tone and gritting my teeth, I growled. “Three. . .fucking women and my daughter were taken. My enemies are closing in from France to Russia, and you leave the safety of the underground to walk around freely among killers, looking like a fucking feast, ready to be licked, fucked, and then eaten.”
She raised her eyebrows. “I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult.”
“Take it as whatever you want, then get your ass back—”
“I’m going with the Xecutioners to Valentina and Natalya to—”
“The fuck you are—”
“Focus, Misha!”
My body stiffened.
“Like you said, three women and a baby were kidnapped because of you. It’s fucked up to say, but there is some truth to it.” She patted down her suit as if it might have gotten wrinkled from her yelling. “Circuit and you couldn’t do it all yourselves.”
I opened my mouth.
She raised her hand to stop me. “What’s done is done, Misha. Arguing about my contract with the Xecutioners is not going to do a damn thing right now. Let’s argue about it later. Okay?”
I fisted my hands to my sides.
“When I go with the Xecutioners, I’m not even leaving the limo. And it will be parked several blocks away. They’re going to kill the guards, your men will bring Valentina and your daughter out. Then, and only then, will my limo and I go to the building and that will be to get them.”
I frowned but said nothing.
“You have to go deal with Leonid. While you were on the plane, Circuit and I have been going through it over and over. This is the best plan. Leonid’s guard is down. He thinks you’re in the air. He’s certain he is safe. He’ll be eating when you arrive. Do what you do and end this.”
I didn’t want to admit Circuit and Ava were right. The plan put Ava in a place of danger. It wasn’t a lot, but enough to make me nervous.
Ava spoke. “Trust me. Trust Circuit. Please. We’re almost done with all of this.”
I shook my head. “Nothing can happen to you, Ava.”
“Nothing will.” She gave me a weak smile. “I’ve got my gun and Yefim.”
I drank her in. “I can’t believe you went to the Xecutioners on your own.”
“I had my gun and Yefim.”
My frown deepened.
“By the way, Kazimir has Jean-Pierre’s girlfriend. They’re planning to do a trade-off in a few hours. Circuit’s team is putting eyes on the site. That gives you time to kill Leonid, get Valentina and Natalya, and then put all your attention to the trade-off.”
I let out a long breath. “You were never supposed to be involved.”
“I can’t be with you, Misha, and not be involved somehow.” She checked her watch. “Okay. We’ll talk later.”
She turned.
I caught her arm, twisted her back to me, and kissed her. Those lips were so soft and all mine. She melted against me. A tiny moan left her mouth. When I let her go, she stumbled back.