Dirty Passions An Interracial Russian Mafia Romance (The Lion and The Mouse #5) - Kenya Wright Page 0,139

out of the penthouse. “He wants to meet in five minutes.”

“I’ll meet you downstairs.” Boris hurried outside of the penthouse, probably to get everyone in position.

“Where are you meeting him?” Max asked.

“All he said was downstairs.”

Max grabbed both of his guns from the coffee table and put them in their holsters. He made no move to put a coat on, but he picked up the small purple leash off the table and snapped it to Harlem’s collar. “This should be interesting or incredibly stupid.”

“Let’s hope it’s interesting.” I took the leash from Max and guided Harlem with me.

We headed out.

Kaz’s men stood at the front door.

“I’ll be right back.” I gestured to Harlem. “I’m taking him for a quick walk. Max, Boris, and my men will be with me. It won’t be more than ten minutes.”

They didn’t look happy, but the one on the right nodded.

After that, we got on the elevator and headed away. The doors closed and the elevator lowered.

Max looked my way. “Are you ready to hit this brothel tomorrow?”

Rubbing my eyes, I yawned again. “Yes. What’s the plan?”

“You look exhausted.”

“Because I just woke up.”

“Or because you’re pregnant.”

“I’m sure being pregnant doesn’t mean that I can’t do shit. Kaz and you are treating me like I am disabled.”

“You have more than you to think about now.”

I sighed. “True, but what about these little girls? I feel like shit for not taking the brothel down the first moment Boris told me about it. I shouldn’t have waited. So much time has gone by.”

“You couldn’t have done it without possibly getting killed,” Max said. “You had no idea how many guns were in there or what the security measures were. With dark shit like that, explosives could have been around the door.”

“But still. . .time has passed, and these girls are still in there.”

“And shit has gone down.”

I shook my head. “Forget tomorrow. We hit the place tonight.”

“Em, that’s crazy. Boris and I still aren’t sure about who’s there. We might get everyone killed, including you.”

“I feel like shit letting those girls still be there. We’ve got to shut it down with the men and plans we have.”

Max turned my way. “Fine. You want to do this tonight. Then, have your lion with us.”

I frowned.

“It’s either saving these girls or maintaining your dignity. Pick one, Em.”

“It’s not about my dignity.”

“You could have had Kazimir shut the place down on his own. You didn’t because you wanted to do it yourself. You wanted to be the one to save them.”

“Fuck you, Max.”

“You love me because I tell you the truth.”

I swallowed down the reality of it all. “Maybe, you’re right. I wanted to do it myself.”

“Let Kazimir handle it.”

An overwhelming sadness washed over me. “That’s fucked up.”

“What is?”

I turned his way. “Why didn’t I just let Kazimir handle it from the beginning? Was it really all about pride?”

“No. It was Yuri’s mother’s death and killing people in the krokodil drug houses. It was finding out who put the dead gorilla there as well as dealing with the Knights of Babylon. It was an old photo showing a racist Russian piece of shit and the continued annoyance of the French. You’ve been busy, Em. You can’t save everybody, when you first haven’t saved yourself. Start outsourcing, motherfucker.”

I shook my head. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“You know the airplane shit about the oxygen mask. You’re supposed to put that shit on your face first, before the kid.”

“My dumb ass would probably still put it on my kid’s face first.”

“Stubborn as hell.”

“And then we both die.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m calling Kaz after the French and asking him to shut down the brothel. In the end, it’s not about me taking Abram down and saving Kapotnya. It’s about those girls being free and safe.”

“Don’t beat yourself up too much. You’ve got Abram to take your feelings out on.”

The elevator stopped.

The doors opened.

Boris stood by it. Several armed men were behind him. Boris gestured to them. “They’ll stay in the lobby and never be too far away.”

“Good.” Harlem and I walked off and headed outside the building.

Boris and Max flanked each side.

I looked around. “Have you seen any sign of the French yet?”

“No.” Boris shook his head. “Lots of people walking back and forth on the street. Regular pedestrians. And there’s a few crowded around a street performer, but nothing else.”

“Okay. Keep a look out.” I sighed. “J.P. is a sneaky, smart bastard. Never sleep when it comes to him.”

Near the building’s entrance, a man stood by a tree, dressed