me about…” She shook her head. “In a way, it was like we were friends…friends where one friend holds all the power. I hated him off and on during that time too.”
“I’m not going to lie to you,” I said, reaching for her hands. The sight of her ring made me smile. “Maddie, you and Ruby will never be completely free of him as long as he’s alive. He made bad choices and now is the time.”
“But I heard one of you say you approached him for a truce.”
“We did. We lied.”
A giggle rolled from her lips. “I forget that you’re all bad men too.”
“We are. We gave Bykov our word. He’s aware the truce with Ivanov is a ruse.” A smile came to my lips. “You’re right, we can be very bad, and maybe, when we get back to Chicago, I can show you how bad.”
Maddie shook her head. “It was the paintings at the club that gave you the idea, wasn’t it?”
I lifted a brow. “No, I had my ideas before those pictures. I have nothing against a little bondage or spanking, but some of those pictures…I’d rather have you in my bed than tethered to a St. Andrews Cross.”
“Next to you in bed sounds better to me too. Tonight?” she asked.
“Yes, you’ll be in my bed tonight and the next and the next—”
“I don’t want to think about it, but please tell me…will he die tonight?”
“Not at the club. Sparrow has promised the powers of New Orleans civility, but yes, after the tournament. Bykov will deliver him for a one-on-one meeting with Sparrow. The location is set.”
“You’re not letting Sterling walk in there alone, are you?”
“Sparrow is capable of taking care of himself.” We wouldn’t allow him to go alone, but he was capable.
“Sasha is capable of manning the bratva,” Madeline said. “However, I’m not confident that he’s capable of setting up Andros. He’s been with him a long time.”
“Do you think Bykov ever hates Ivanov, like you?”
“Probably. It’s difficult to be around Andros all the time and not hate him from time to time. I know Mitchell was intimidated by him.” Her eyes widened. “Mitchell helped me. I couldn’t find my phone the second day of the Chicago tournament. I’d missed calls from Andros. We went to Club Regal to see if it was left there. Mitchell helped by keeping that information secret from Andros until we located the phone.”
“Where was it?”
“In the room. It must have fallen.” She grinned. “I thought you’d taken it.”
“I should have,” I admitted. “I wasn’t exactly thinking straight after seeing you again.”
“I wonder…”
“What do you wonder,” I asked.
“What Mitchell knows about this uprising.”
“Maddie girl, he has been off the radar since he killed Veronica Standish.”
She sprang from the bed. “Veronica, the lady from Club Regal, was killed?”
Taking a deep breath, I stood. “There was a lot happening during that tournament. We believe Ivanov was involved in the robbery of the entire tournament purse. We still don’t know how Veronica was involved, but Beckman was definitely part of it. They’re both dead.”
“Andros was right,” she said. “He isn’t a nice man. Please be careful after the tournament. He won’t hesitate to kill anyone who he perceives to be a threat.” Her eyes clouded with memories. “Even Sasha isn’t safe.”
“That’s why Ivanov has to die.”
She looked over to the clock near the television. “I should get ready for the tournament.”
I reached for her forearms and pulled her close. “You know that you don’t have to win tonight. That pressure is all self-imposed.”
Her green eyes shone up at me. “I don’t know if I want to keep doing this.”
“Playing tournaments? Or this tournament.”
“In general. It is what I do, what I excel at doing, but I have no desire for limelight. I think I’d maybe enjoy helping Araneae.”
Surely she didn’t mean at the institute.
“With Sinful Threads?” I asked.
“I know it’s crazy, but maybe I could do something to help other victims, other survivors. If she’ll allow me, at first I’ll observe. Who knows, perhaps there’s someone out there who knows about Cindy.”
“Madeline, my only request is that you keep your word by keeping those rings on your finger, proudly using your real name, and waking beside me every morning. The rest is open and up to you. I’m proud of you when I’m watching you command the poker table, and I’ll be proud of you if you work with Araneae and Laurel. The world is yours.”
“The world?”
“Yes, it’s another of the items on